How to Keep Office Documents Organized

Filing is important for businesses of all sizes. Documents may be required as evidence or for reference. This can help make effective decisions more quickly. To maintain records properly organizations will need to invest in filing cabinets, labels, date stamps, files, folders, etc.

Businesses receive and create a large number of documents as part of everyday operations. These documents include letters, circulations, invoices, contracts, purchase orders, bulletins, etc. Though much correspondence today is conducted electronically, businesses still have to deal with a large amount of paper. It is important to keep these paper documents organized. Filing is the term used to describe systematic preservation of documents. Filing is important for businesses because it allows proper records to be maintained, helps settle disputes, provides at-hand references, improves control over operations and helps with decision making (Warnecke, 2015). Given below are a few pointers organizations should keep in mind with regards to filing.

Equipment

To properly file documents organizations will need filing cabinets. These are used to keep flat, suspension or hanging files. Steel storage cabinets can be used to keep larger files that contain sensitive materials and need to be locked away. For everyday files that do not need to be kept secure, organizations can invest in a wood filing cabinet to match their office aesthetics. Organizations will also require a date stamp, so that documents can be filed in chronological order. A register should be created to record when files are taken out and when they are returned. They will also need plenty of manila folders, files, labels, etc.

Planning

Before creating a filing system, organizations need to spend some time analysing the type and number of documents they have to deal with. Knowing this information will enable organizations to select an appropriate filing system. The common methods used for filing are: by subject, in alphabetical order, in numerical order, by place or in chronological order.

Reduce

Eliminating paper documents can make it easier to maintain records. Organizations should request suppliers and customers to share electronic correspondence. Before filing documents away, consider whether or not they will be required in the future. Only documents that are needed for reference or evidence should be filed (eBay, 2016).

Training

Once an appropriate filing system has been developed, organizations should put in time to train employees how to use it. The filing system will be ineffective if employees don’t know where to put documents away or where to find the documents they are looking for. A good tip is to put one person in charge of filing. Employees can place documents that need to be filed in a tray and the person in charge can put away the documents in the correct place. One organization from whom companies can purchase filing equipment like steel and wood storage cabinets is AJ Products. More information is available on their website.

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