Paperless Office | Accounting and Finance
When I think about World Paper Free Day, I am reminded of when we renovated and reduced our office space a few years back. The end goal was a more open, collaborative environment while reducing costs. I spent a lot of time researching and planning for an open-space plan.
I was excited to start the project, but as soon as I began packing up my filing cabinets and desk drawers to be put into storage for several months, I felt a twinge of worry, almost panic. How will I find important business documents? What happens if important business papers are lost or damaged by the movers? As an accountant, this was a nightmare!
As is often the case, all that worry was for naught. I opened the crates in storage exactly three times. The first time, I needed to look at the office plans to adjust furniture placement. I looked through the crates and couldn’t remember which one the plans were in. I quickly remembered the final plan was sent to me via email to approve. I checked my emails and found it electronically. Score one for digital!
The next time, I needed to review a contract. I looked at the crates, started to open one, and remembered we kept a copy of contracts on our shared drive. I found the electronic copy quickly and continued working. Two to zero, digital.
The third and final time, well, I needed my bottle of Kikkoman Soy Sauce. For the remainder of the time the files were in storage, I made it a game to find what I needed electronically, and the majority of the time I won, paper lost.
By the time we were ready to unpack, I had already started setting up a complete electronic filing system for our team documents. I worked with my team to create the taxonomy and processes. We save or scan-and-store documents as they are created or received. We collaborate by accessing our digital assets from anywhere, at any time. For my team, it wasn't just about reducing the paper. We improved our ability to work quickly and efficiently because our files are just a click away. Now we have plenty more room in the cabinet for the Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
