Image by szmiki95 from Pixabay 

With each passing year, more companies are choosing to utilize technology and operate green businesses. The reasons for going green vary, from a desire to do their part in lowering carbon emissions to consumer demand for social responsibility. 

One of the easiest ways to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and join the ranks of this growing trend, which shows no signs of slowing, is to reduce the paper output of your business. The logical first place to start would be with the office. Not only are you contributing to a cleaner environment, but you are also improving productivity and efficiency. Here are 4 tips to show you how a more efficient and paperless office can benefit your company.

1. Do Away With the Check Stubs

If your company is like most, you write anywhere from tens to hundreds of checks per month. Over the years, that adds up to a lot of paper, especially if you have multiple employees. While the avenues for transferring cash among larger businesses to employees is largely done through ACH, or automatic drafts, you still have the details in the paystub to deliver. Thankfully, this too can be overcome through the combination of email and software. Software is easily accessible online and your employees won’t have to fear losing their stubs in their cars or accidental mishaps when the need arises to prove their employment.

2. Switch to Digital Document Storage

It will take some adjusting, but start sharing documents among co-workers digitally, through email or shared folders, and organize files on your computer where those documents are easily accessible. Before a meeting, send out a copy of any presentations and minutes by email before the meeting, and any follow-up notes when the meeting has concluded. Create folders dedicated to recurring meetings and save the meetings by date. There are numerous ways to organize files on your hard drive, and you can even create shortcuts to the files you use more often. Imagine the time that saves not having to dig through big, old, metal file cabinets!

3. Send Out Digital Newsletters

Whether you send out company newsletters, or newsletters to your clients, going digital has numerous benefits, the first being that the newsletter has a longer shelf life. Your employees will have access to read the newsletter on their lunch break and your clients can read them in the office or at home. Because a digital newsletter doesn’t contribute to desk clutter, it’s less likely to make its way into the trash. Also, if you have something you need to share immediately, unlike postage which can take days, the news is instant!

4. Use Paperless Billing and Bill Pay

Again, ditch the checks. Most utility companies offer online bill pay, as do most banks through online tools. Through the bank’s online utility you can pay your mortgage or your neighbor. You can even set up recurring payments. There is simply no excuse for writing a paper check in today’s digital world. The record of transactions is also found in your bank’s online statements.

Not only should you pay your bills digitally, but you should also send out your invoices digitally. Since most companies communicate through email, you already have an address to send the bill. If your contact isn’t in accounts receivable, ask who is. Not only will your clients get billed faster, but they’re also likely to pay faster. That email is a reminder of a debt owed and they aren’t going to delete that email until it’s paid.

Conclusion

Creating a paperless office culture takes dedication, but it does not take time. It saves time. It’s a habit worth developing, not only for the environment but for efficiency. Use these tips to get started and ask your co-workers for any other ideas they might have to contribute not only to the paperless office but on any other avenues to lead the company to a greener future.