The paperless office is trendy – and good for the environment, too. But doing without paper has even more advantages and is not difficult to implement.
Paperless office: environmental protection plus increased efficiency
In a paperless office, all employees refrain from using paper. What initially sounds utopian and impossible, especially in office jobs, is actually quite feasible – not to mention the numerous advantages.
- Of course, you cannot do without paper in the office. However, it is now possible to use computer technology in most areas.
- Not only do you save valuable resources – after all, paper is made from wood, which requires many trees to be cut down – but you also have the opportunity to create better and more automated workflows.
- By eliminating or reducing paper in the first step, you have the opportunity to implement workflow automation tools. This allows routine tasks and approval processes to be processed faster and more efficiently.
- No matter what reason you want to do without paper in the office – whether for environmental protection and sustainability in the office, to increase efficiency or to save work – computer-based processes are an alternative. Many of these are probably already an integral part of your office work.
Avoiding pressure: This is how it can be done
Of course, a paperless office cannot be implemented overnight. It usually takes time to implement new processes.
- First of all, you should of course avoid using paper where it is easier. Notes and entries in calendars can be made digitally. This saves you having to use scraps of paper.
- Gradually, it is advisable to digitize paper documents by scanning existing paper documents or documents sent by mail. In addition, ask all employees, customers and partners to keep communication as digital as possible and to print as little as possible (and send by mail).
- Text recognition software helps to make digitizing documents easier. This allows scanned documents to be searched and edited. All documents can be saved on drives or in clouds, which employees can access at any time. Appropriate organization is important here so that documents can be found quickly when needed.
- In a paperless office, it is best to rely on digital communication channels via email, instant messaging, video conferences or the good old phone call.
- Even documents that require a signature no longer have to be printed out. With the electronic signature, you create a legally signed document. By now, every employee should realize that a paperless office is now possible without any major problems.