Following the trend of digitalisation in public administration and administration, the environmental guidelines that are now dominating the workplace have also become part of the workplace culture. From energy use to furniture coverings, green strategies can be applied in many areas, but we will now focus on one of the most common problems in the office world: document management.
Can paper, the tried and tested medium, be replaced?
There is a tendency to observe that, although the rapid development of information technology would allow a complete digital switchover, the past entrenched beliefs about document management still strongly determine the attitude towards digitisation. Predictions of an impending ecological catastrophe may seem abstract to many, but the clear antecedent of this is office paper use. In most places, everyday office life would be unimaginable without paper-based documentation, but there is no mention of the extent of the environmental burden of unnecessary printing, duplication and other harmful paper consumption habits.
Despite the digitalisation efforts that have been emerging in recent years, surveys show that there are still many obstacles to achieving paperless offices. Breaking with established paper consumption habits is just one of the difficulties: legal requirements do not make the digital transition any easier, as certain documents must be stored in paper format. It is therefore not surprising that many people do not believe in the "myth" of the digital office, but even if not completely, reduced paperlessness is feasible.
Paperless in the office?
The digital switchover requires an initial financial investment, but it pays off in the long run and is not particularly complicated thanks to today's advanced IT infrastructure. Today, there is a wide range of modern document management systems and software that make data storage and processing much easier.
Enterprise paperlessness focuses on three key areas: digital content management, which replaces physical document management; automation and support for internal processes; and document management, which involves digitising and storing incoming documents.
DWS Digital's data recording service and its electronic document management system ensures the secure storage, organisation and rapid retrieval of company documents, thus supporting the long-term goal of a paperless office environment.
The benefits of digital document management
Digital document management is an environmentally friendly technology, eliminating not only deforestation but also the environmental impact of copiers and ink cartridges. But environmental protection is not the only argument in favour of digitisation.
It is also cost-effective for companies to opt for electronic document management, saving on paper, printing and reproduction equipment, and eliminating the need to rent storage space for accumulated documents. The office does not accumulate unmanageable piles of documents, giving employees a tidy working environment.
In the context of digitisation, the time efficiency factor cannot be neglected either, as the retrieval of electronic documents is much easier, which results in smoother internal processes and more efficient work, eliminating the time spent on document organisation.
Who should use electronic document management?
All companies can benefit from digitisation because of the advantages already mentioned, but different companies will have different levels of digitisation. In a large enterprise environment, the steps of digitisation are easier to implement, while for companies with small budgets it is more difficult.
Before going digital, it's important to gather information to find the right digital strategy for your business, but any small change is a "drop in the ocean" towards a greener, more environmentally conscious approach that can effectively reduce the ecological footprint of your office.