Moving To A Paperless Office

By Author: Chris Haycox
Total Articles: 4717
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How long have we been hearing that the "paperless office" is just around the corner? That the latest digital office device or business-card-scanning program is the final ingredient for the long-awaited, enviro-friendly office? The battle cries for the paperless office began with the advent of personal computers that were actually affordable and productive enough to buy for the average business owner. That means we are entering the fourth decade of this movement, and are still a long way from the goal.

Truth be told, there will never be a paperless office, since paper documents have many benefits over even their most efficient digital counterparts. A printed grocery list is a lot easier to take to the store and use than one on an iPhone or a (rapidly disappearing) Palm Pilot, and in the office there are contracts to sign, drafts to correct and other tasks that really do require paper. So, if you really do want to reduce the amount of paper you are using and have a measurable impact on waste production, the first thing you need to do is reset your goals. It's not about having a "paperless" office - it's about an office ...
... with "less paper."

Better Tools Mean Less Paper
One of the best ways of reducing paper usage, and attendant waste, is to use e-mails and online faxing rather than printing out letters to mail or send with a fax machine. The notion that a document already on (rather, in) a computer needs to be printed out and delivered in some physical way to a recipient who has a computer or fax machine is downright silly. If something is in the "digital domain," leave it there, and use a method of delivering it that keeps it in the form of 1's and 0's rather than "parking" the data on paper, whether for a minute or a year. It is also easier to file, store and retrieve documents from hard drives than from a file drawer.

Online faxing, in fact, is a huge paper-saving technology. With the ability to both send and receive faxes on your computer, you are taking the paper out of your communications channel with all the people you contact via fax. Since there are still tens of millions of fax machines in the world, you will have to deal with their owners as customers, colleagues, prospects and clients - but you have just cut the "paper cost" of the relationship in half by online faxing alone.

Other Paper Savers
Among the many other ways that paper enters the office space, the physical delivery of newspapers, magazines, marketing materials and other printed matter is one of the biggest sources of unnecessary paper. Newspapers and periodicals around the world are struggling with their business model as it is, and you can actually be a support and encouragement to the ones you want to see survive by transitioning to online delivery of "digital editions."

If you get the Wall Street Journal delivered, by all means cancel the paper delivery and opt for the online one. Not only are you saving paper - making progress toward the "less paper office" we spoke of - you also make the information you receive easier to use in other ways. You can copy text for quotations, forward items of interest with a mouse click and put the content to work for you, rather than let it pile up in a corner. You should do the same with the regular trade publications, catalogs, office supply circulars and other paper items you regularly receive.

Progress, Not Perfection
You may be able to come up with many other ways to reduce the paper in your office (and your home), but it is highly unlikely you will eliminate it all. You want to set realistic expectations and take thoughtful steps, rather than simply decree an end to paper in the workplace. A reasonable, well-planned approach to the situation will take you much farther down the road than a rash idea to "ban" paper products. The term "paper products" is important here, as there are other sources of paper than just sheets in the fax machine or the daily news.

Many companies have installed hot-air blowers in bathrooms for drying the hands, thus saving on paper towels. Disposable coffee cups are giving way to ceramic or plastic cups that can be washed and reused. Sponges and the old-fashioned cloth towel are regaining their spots in the employee kitchen and lounge, saving again on rolls of paper that get thrown out. If you take a broad approach, one that uses effective replacements that don't require a lot of time or energy, you can reduce waste and paper costs in your office, the lunchroom, the bathrooms and even your home. You may not achieve the paperless office, but you will certainly use less paper - and save money, too!
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