Six Reasons for Going Paperless

Looking out for the planet is certainly an admirable goal. But without the added benefits of improved systems, it’s unlikely the environmental issue alone would’ve created the paperless campaign in force today. Consider the following benefits. A paperless office:

1. Increases storage efficiency.
   Electronic storage saves several people from storing copies of the same document. It keeps you from having to find storage space and makes files easily accessible. Also, if a paper file is misfiled, you may never see it again. But with digital files, you’re more likely to locate the missing document by searching for key words.
2. Saves time.
   Just compare printing a document and manually faxing it with sending it straight from the computer with which you created it. And asking workers to maintain their own general employee information certainly frees up HR from having to do this-allowing time for more important projects.
3. Saves money.
   There may be some significant up-front costs associated with setting up an automated system, but paperless processes generally yield a savings over time. Consider the cost of producing and delivering a 30 page policy manual to each of 500 employees. Posting the information on an intranet wipes out massive printing and shipping costs.
4. Improves data accuracy.
   An online policy manual can be updated or corrected at any time. And automated human resources management systems (HRMS) minimize the potential for mistakes from keying data into multiple files. Also, the concept of employee self-service ensures that the owner of the information is the person maintaining it. (Please see “Finding Time To Be Strategic” in Personnel Journal, October 1996.)
5. Maintains data security.
   Although electronic files do come with their own security issues, by eliminating paper you eliminate some security risks. For example, rather than sending confidential documents over a fax machine accessible to any number of people, you can zap the documents directly to the recipient’s computer.
6. Enhances team communication.
   There are HRMS and e-mail applications that make it much easier for members of a team or workgroup to stay informed about the status of a project. Department meetings held to identify corporate goals can be documented, and the list of goals maintained at each employee’s workstation for easy reference.