| For some time now IT experts have been saying | | | | changes you can. This is because it can be pretty |
| that we are on the verge of the paperless office, an | | | | difficult to make paper completely redundant in the |
| eco-aware office that doesn't even use paper for | | | | average office, so you should rather just limit the use |
| post-it notes. Whether this is true or not is unclear | | | | of paper as much as you possibly can. What you |
| but any office can benefit from reducing their paper | | | | should do is have a realistic picture in your mind of |
| usage. | | | | what you can achieve rather than trying to wipe out |
| There are a bundle reasons why a company should | | | | paper in the office with some sort of paper |
| cut back on paper consumption, firstly the obvious | | | | elimination regime, which will probably just demoralise |
| eco-benefits, then the cost and also because paper is | | | | your employees and make them hate working for |
| not always the safest way to hold confidential and | | | | the company. |
| private data. | | | | 4) Perhaps you could try an office white board |
| So for a firm that is relocating to offices in a new | | | | instead of post-its. You office employees will need a |
| area then here are some pieces of advice to make | | | | place to make notes and usually this is on a yellow |
| that particular office a modern and paperless office. | | | | post-it note but in a low paper office you could buy |
| 1) Firstly, use emails rather than paper letters. The | | | | a whiteboard and use that instead. A whiteboard is |
| move effective and easy to implement ways to | | | | reusable and is a great way to brainstorm with your |
| reduce paper usage in the office is to use computer | | | | workers and flesh out some of their ideas. All of |
| based messaging instead of the traditional sending | | | | which means a whiteboard can be the ultimate way |
| letters, fax machines and memos. By doing this you | | | | to minimise the use of paper in your office. |
| will reduce the outgoings of the office and make | | | | 5) And just so you know it's not all about A4 paper, |
| your staff a lot more productive as they won't have | | | | paper-free means much more. It can also mean using |
| to travel through the over when passing on letters | | | | electric hand-dryers in the toilet instead of paper |
| but instead can just click on send to action an email. | | | | towels and by using ceramic cups instead of |
| 2) Journals, marketing materials and even the local | | | | disposable paper cups. There is a limitless list of things |
| daily paper can all be read on the internet, which | | | | that an office manager can do to reduce the offices |
| means a paper copy is completely redundant. In fact, | | | | use of paper, it could just be something as easy as |
| this use of paper is perhaps one of the most, if not | | | | designating a corner of the office for the proper |
| the most, wasteful and inefficient use of paper that | | | | disposal of paper. |
| there has ever been. What I mean by this is that 99 | | | | Not too long ago one of the firms I deal with on a |
| percent of the time papers and magazines just end | | | | regular basis relocated to an Austin commercial office |
| up in the trash, so it is just like throwing money in | | | | and they made the most of the upheaval by using it |
| the bin. Also by opting for a digital copy via email you | | | | as an opportunity to instil change paper usage habits. |
| can then utilise those articles more easily in | | | | This saved them a lot of money and even made |
| presentations and reports. | | | | their workers more efficient with office equipment. |
| 3) It's not about being perfect, it's about making the | | | | |