Only two decades ago, every office had a designated file cabinet with rows of colourful binders holding necessary paperwork, projects, and documents. On top of that, printers were running 9 to 5, frequently jamming, making weird noises, and printing more pages than necessary. Needless to say, in an average office, it was impossible to have enough recycling bins! With the dawn of mobile and online apps, paperless office spaces have become the standard. In a paperless office, workers have limited access to printers and digital documents take the lead over paper copies. But is a paperless business space just a fad or the new normal?

What Is the Paperless Movement?

Paperless offices are a direct product of the paperless movement. The idea stems from Frederick Wilfrid Lancaster, who, back in 1978, predicted all paper communication would be replaced by digital formats. The main goal of a paperless office is to minimise or completely eliminate the need for the good old pen and paper (or paper and printer). Digitisation in such places is at high levels, and employees are encouraged to use emails, internal messaging systems, shared files stored in the cloud, and time-sharing apps not only to communicate with each other but also to work on projects and achieve goals.

Papers in Offices in Numbers

Creating a paperless office becomes even more important once we see the numbers:

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• According to some stats, an average worker in a traditional office uses around 10,000 sheets of printing paper every year.
• 45% of all office papers end up in the rubbish by the end of the day.
• Going through paper files may take up to 40% of working time.
• 20% of all print jobs are never retrieved from printers but simply left there until they are trashed.
• 80% of all businesses wish to go paperless in the future.

Top 7 Advantages of Paperless Office Environments

The rise of computers and time-managing apps introduced many advantages in the work culture. Becoming a paperless office will provide multiple advantages over its traditional counterpart:

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1. Security: Access to digital documents can easily be customised and reserved only for relevant employees. On top of that, it is easy to track all changes, thus increasing the sense of responsibility.

2. Cost efficiency: Printers, ink cartridges, and paper cost money. Besides, printers rarely work properly, are often jammed, and require regular maintenance.

3. Environmentally friendly: The use of paper comes with a high price tag for the environment. Keeping things paperless helps save the forests and reduce the carbon footprint.

4. Increased efficiency: In paperless offices, “taking a look” is exactly that—a glance over a digital document without an unnecessary waste of time and resources.

5. Easier collaboration: When using digital documents instead of paper ones, everyone can contribute while keeping the file nice and tidy.

6. Saves space: Storing files in the cloud helps companies save money by allowing them to rent smaller spaces.

7. Improved accessibility: Digital apps and storage clouds give you access to all the documents 24/7, no matter where you are.

What Are the Disadvantages of Paperless Office Settings?

Not everyone is happy with the idea of a paperless office. Critics often raise concerns regarding the dependency on apps and computers, as well as greenwashing:

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1. Dependence on technology: Troubles in internet connections, problems in power supply, or simply a computer that has crashed down can disrupt the workflow.

2. Electronic waste: Going paperless doesn’t eliminate waste, it just produces it differently. Some argue that electronic waste has a more devastating impact than paper waste.

3. Lack of networking: When everything is done via an app or in the cloud, it is much harder to socialise and network with colleagues, thus leading to an “every man for himself” attitude.

How to Go Paperless

What should you do if you want to ditch paper once and for all? Firstly, it’s clearly a better move for the planet and your workspace. There are tons of apps out there that'll make the switch a breeze, too. Think digital notes, cloud storage for team projects, and waving goodbye to those towering stacks of documents. We suggest getting comfy with digital signatures and online forms and letting emails become your new paper trail. It’s all about streamlining your day and cutting the clutter. Trust us, you won't miss the paper jams.

How to Go Paperless in Your Home Office

It is estimated performance may increase up to 13% when working from home, so workers often choose to work in home offices. Here are a couple of easy tips that expand on the last section to make your home office a paperless office:

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• Sign up for electronic bills to avoid unnecessary printing of pages and pages.
• Invest in a safe cloud storage where you can store all the documents, files, and projects. It is cheaper than getting a printer.
• Save all important digital data in at least two places: once in a cloud and once on a piece of hardware.
• Use apps and programs to keep your digital files organised. Oftentimes, they can be so user-friendly and feature-rich that you won’t even need a dedicated person to do it.

Go Paperless with Flexopus—The Desk-Sharing Solution

Are you ready to turn your workplace into a paperless office? One approach that many modern, paperless offices take is the hybrid working model. In this new work concept, employees choose between presence days in the office and work-from-home. Since it’s rather rare that all employees are in the office at the same time within this work model, offices participate in desk-sharing. 

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Flexopus is the ideal desk-sharing software that will prevent the need to sign up for free desks on paper sheets. You can book desks, meeting rooms, and parking lots in 3 simple clicks via your browser, an app, or directly through MS Teams. Thanks to our smart analytics, you can even evaluate the utilisation of your office desks, meeting rooms, and parking spots and make the necessary adjustments to increase productivity and optimise your office space.‍

Paperless Offices Have the Power

The paperless office is the office of the future! Although this might seem like yet another buzzword, its efficiency, intuitive nature, and accessibility make it appealing to all sorts of businesses. A paperless office can reduce operating costs, increase productivity and make the workplace more sustainable, as long as there are necessary logistics to manage electronic waste and plenty of copies stored in different clouds.

Prepare yourself for the new era, and with apps and platforms such as Flexopus, make your office more sustainable and easier to manage!