A paperless office can benefit individuals, companies, and the environment.
Although it might seem difficult, the benefits of a paperless office outweigh the costs. Especially when it comes to the helping the environment and saving money.
Here are 6 easy ways anyone can use to create a paperless office today. Plus, tips and resources to get you started!
6 Easy Ways to Create a Paperless Office
1. Use Paperless Notebooks
Our readers like using paperless notebooks at work.Rocketbook is a great brand and bestseller on Amazon.
No need to print documents and sign them physically. That just wastes paper. Also, your clients will likely appreciate it too as printing documents to sign and faxing or scanning them is often cumbersome and time consuming.
3. Review and Share Documents Electronically
Share materials electronically whenever possible via email, Dropbox, etc.
If you like to print documents out to review them or annotate them, consider using a free PDF reader to do the same.
4. Install Hand Dryers in the Bathroom
The office is broader than just your desk and meeting rooms. It includes the bathroom too!
Installing hand dryers instead of using traditional paper towels will automatically reduce waste. And they are a lot cheaper than you might expect!
You can get a quality hand dryer like the one below for about $100. Plus, it plugs into regular outlets for easy installation!
A lot of office workers print documents to review during meetings. Instead, have the meeting virtually or use a computer to share your screen and show the documents electronically.
Again, this will save valuable time because you won't have to print anything beforehand. And it will save you money on printing costs such as ink and paper.
6. Digitize Your Processes
Finally, review all of your processes and find ways to digitize them. Whether that is with digital invoices, receipts, record-keeping, etc.
Start small by choosing one process and gradually reducing the paper usage for that process over time.
Take one small step at a time and do your part to protect the planet!
Benefits of a Paperless Office
Creating a paperless office has a ton of benefits.
1. Reduce Deforestation
Going paperless means saving trees which ultimately reduces deforestation.
2. Save Money
As mentioned above, going paperless reduces expenses and puts more money in your pocket. You won't be spending money on ink, printers, paper, paper towels, etc.
3. Increases Efficiency and Saves Time
Additionally, a paperless office increases efficiency. No more wasting valuable time printing documents or presentations before a meeting or printing documents, signing them, and then scanning them to send them back.
Just do it all electronically!
4. Reduce Emissions
More paper in the landfill means more emissions. Paper in landfills produces methane which is a greenhouse gas that is 25x more harmful than CO2 according to the EPA.
5. Reduce Litter
Paper is easily windblown. So although you may put it in the trash or recylce it, there is a good chance it will be blown away at some point and end up harming our animals, forests, and water.
6. Save Space
Finally, a paperless office can save you space. Without paper you won't need to have bulky filing cabinets. Just store documents electronically using the cloud and free up space in your office!
Paperless Office - Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is switching to a paperless office expensive?
No, switching to a paperless office doesn't have to be expensive. There are plenty of low-cost items such as paperless notebooks and free tools such as Adobe Fill and Sign, Zoom, etc. to leverage.
2. What are some easy ways to switch to a paperless office.
Avoid printouts by sharing screens when meeting. Review and annotate documents using a PDF reader. Type notes instead of using paper.
3. Is a paperless office worth it?
Yes, according to the EPA, the average office worker generates about 2 pounds of waste every day. It is important to reduce that number as much as possible to help our planet and reduce pollution. Plus, it will save you time and money which is always beneficial.
5 Easy Tips to Help Keep the Environment Clean - Doing your part to help the environment doesn't have to be hard! Here are 5 easy steps that anyone can take to help keep the environment clean.
I think many organisations are ready and able to go paperless – I would have said the main benefit to be derived is from paperless processing. The medium of paper is still considered more convenient in many contexts but the time wasted checking, routing, extracting information and updating other systems is where the real savings can be seen … all of these tasks can be automated with affordable technology today … with the environmental benefit as a bonus.
Also, the issue of security should be enhanced by electronic document storage – you can keep backups but also allow or deny access and then track who has done what and when – much better than a filing cabinet.
[…] employees can do. Using social media, mobile technology, and viral media marketing allows the company to go paperless in its ad campaigns, thereby eliminating any impact on the environment through paper […]
[…] an even smaller scale, turning your office paperless by keeping any printing to a minimum saves 24 trees for every ton of paper used. If paper use is essential, ensure you order recycled paper (and stationery), and enforce a […]
