3 min read

Now that we’re into the second decade of the millennia, there’s no excuse for your office to look like it’s stuck in the ’80s. Nothing tells customers you’re out of touch or disorganized more than piles of paperwork strewn about.

Even in the age of the internet, physical paperwork still has its place among lots of businesses. You can still present yourself as a modern and up to date office while relying on physical documents. The key is having an efficient paper file organization method.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and get organized in 2020, read on for some tips on how to get your business to where you want it to be.

Create a Paper File Organization System

Your office likely already has a process on how to handle the paperwork it receives. It’s also pretty likely that a lot of employees have their own variations on that process, which can clog up the flow.

Create a clear and concise procedure on how to handle paperwork, including time frames each step should be done. It may take a while to get your team on board, but a successful procedure is made not in the planning stage but the consistent implementation stage.

Consider how you’re storing all these documents as well. Are they easily accessible to those who most often would need to access it? Are they well organized within the storage containers you’re using?

Different types of paperwork might require different methods of organization. Let your team know that this is a trial and error process and that their feedback is helpful in determining the right adjustments to make.

Stick to a Records Retention Schedule

As you’re organizing paper documents, keep the future in mind. The last thing you want is to revert back into the mess you’re trying to work yourself out of. Create a retention schedule based on how your business tracks time (yearly, quarterly, seasonally) to review what should be archived or destroyed.

Once you work out what this long term schedule looks like, make sure it’s viewable by your team. They should be able to anticipate these milestones so they can prepare for them. Send reminders as well. Once the schedule becomes an office habit, you’ll see an increase in productivity.

How to Dispose of Your Documents

Once you know which documents need to go, the best solution is to shred them. The permanency of this can be a little scary at first, but having a clean office without documents you will never need is a great benefit.

There are different options for shredding, including offsite shredding for larger volumes of paperwork. There are also a lot of myths surrounding how paper shredding works in an office setting. Make sure you’re well informed before you make a decision on what works best for your business.

You might also want to consider destroying electronic data as well. Hackers are constantly evolving their methods to obtain personal information on your customers. The best way to avoid a catastrophe is permanently deleting any information that isn’t immediately pertinent to your workflow. You can’t rob an empty vault.

Get Your Business Organized Today

Remember to consult with your employees concerning your paper file organization ideas. They may have some insight into things you haven’t considered. The point is to make things easier on them so they can better do their jobs.

What organization methods have you used in the past that are obsolete now? How have other facets of business in your industry adapted over time? Comment and let us know!

And if you’re interested in records management or shredding for your business, request a quote today.