In today’s world, there’s almost no reason for a business to use paper anymore. From printing reams and reams of paper to supplying paper cups and bowls for your staff, there are so many more environmentally friendly ways you can reach the same results. However, making the change from using paper to going paperless can be overwhelming, especially once you start thinking about how much paper your organization actually consumes in a single workday. So to help make this transition a little easier on everyone, here are three tips for helping your business go paperless.
Start With A Change Of Attitude
Before you can start making any real steps toward becoming paperless, you and your entire company have got to get into the right mindset. According to Michael Piggot, a contributor to BusinessGreen.com, this means having a change in the overall attitude of your staff toward using paper products as a part of the workday. To be the spearhead for this new changing of attitude, you have to show your organization that not only can going paperless be done, but it can also be done effectively and efficiently. The more you embrace this new way of life, the more your employees will embrace it as well.
Set Up A Digital Filing System
Many businesses have tons and tons of information that they need to keep track of. While some of that was likely being kept on paper copies, you’ve also likely already started keeping digital records. But to make these digital records usable and to encourage your staff to start using digital records and files, you’ve got to come up with some type of digital filing system that everyone is aware of and follows. If you’re able to do this, Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead, a contributor to Small Business Trends, shares that you’ll be able to not only have less paper, but you’ll be able to have a more efficient, collaborative workforce as well.
Create Capable Workstations
If your staff is currently relying heavily on paper copies of documents to get their work done, you have to do something that will enable them to get their work done as normal without using those paper copies. To help with this, Paul Mah, a contributor to CIO.com, advises that you give each of your employees a workstation that has the proper number of screens for them to accomplish their tasks effectively. These screens are going to take the place of whatever paper copies they were previously working with. So if you want to see improved efficiency along with decreased paper waste, it’s vital that you empower your employees by supplying them with the necessary hardware to get their jobs done.
If you’re trying to go paperless at your company, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.