Save your notes – paperless reduces overheads

Going paperless means you don’t have to worry about printing, storing, or managing physical documents. All of these costs add up quickly. However, going paperless can boost the budget significantly. Digital files are easy to keep and back up, and you don’t need as much physical storage space. That means more resources for other, more exciting areas of business.

Makes compliance hassle-free

Lots of industries have strict rules about how data is stored, for how long, and who can access it. Going paperless makes it easier to keep track of everything, so you don’t have to worry about breaking any laws or wasting time on tracking or destroying physical files and records. 

Paper documents can be easily damaged, stolen, and lost. With paperless data, you can encrypt it, use passwords, and take other steps to protect it. And of course, a digital backup of your documents will make sure everything stays safe and secure.

Fresh, streamlined collaboration

Going paperless can make a huge difference in how teams work together in the workplace. You can share and edit digital files in real time, making it easier for everyone to work together. Not only that, but it’ll help speed up projects and reduce the chances of mistakes due to outdated info.

Digitising your documents makes them a breeze to access 24/7 from anywhere. With all the information needed just a couple of clicks away, it’s great for your employees, especially if they’re working from home or on the go. You don’t have to waste time looking through piles of paper or finding lost files. 

Avoiding unnecessary post, and being able to digitally sign documents or access records more efficiently all improve customer experiences, speeding up different processes and helping your client base to reduce paper clutter at home too.

Improves flexibility and business agility

With all your files safely stored in the cloud, all your forms signable online, and all your routine workflows free from messy paperwork, the flexibility of your workspace increases. And if you are no longer tied to a traditional office, why not consider the benefits of flexible coworking spaces? With 15 locations across the UK and Europe, Clockwise offers a perfect blend of functionality, community, and connectivity within inspiring, design-led settings. Take a look at what your company could save if switching from traditional to flexible workspaces.

A greener way of working

The average office worker uses a staggering 10,000 sheets of paper per year. Reducing this can have a wide range of environmental benefits, helping your business to be as sustainable as possible.

Carbon smart – Reducing paper use can help to lower your carbon footprint. 400 reams of paper represents over an acre of pine forest absorbing greenhouse emissions for an entire year. Printing is also energy heavy – printing 50,000 A4 sheets a year on an average office printer uses a whopping 460 kg of C02.

Water saving – Paper production uses a lot of water. It takes over 300ml of water to make a sheet of paper. The average office worker could save over 4000 litres of water by going paperless.

Fighting deforestation – 35% of trees harvested worldwide per year are used for the production of paper products. With global consumption of paper increasing a staggering 400% over the past 40 years, as many as 18 million acres of forest are lost across the world each year.

Ink pollution – Using ink can be really bad for the environment. A lot of inks have Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in them, which can pollute the air and be bad for your health, as they release some of these into the office air. Plus, it takes a lot of resources to make printer cartridges, and it’s really hard to recycle them since they have to go through a lot of heat during printing, so they use even more energy to break down to be reused.

At Clockwise, we’re always trying to make sure the flexible spaces we offer are good for people and the planet. We want to be carbon-neutral by 2025 and are working hard to embed a culture of sustainability across our own organisation, which includes striving to be as paperless as possible ourselves. We’ve got a Green Committee and 23% of our staff are involved in each location. We have created a Positive Impact Strategy, outlining our vision for working in ways that reduce our environmental impact whilst also supporting wellbeing and helping the businesses that use our services to thrive.

Paperless products to help you make the switch

Switching to a paperless office is not only a great way to save trees and reduce your carbon footprint, but it’s also a great way to help create a more sustainable society. Let’s look at some tools to help your business make the switch.

Smart Notebooks

If you are after a paper-like replacement for the standard pad and pen, smart notebooks are a great option. Their connectivity means you can easily take notes and draw with them, and they have mobile apps that let you access, sort, and share notes from any device. They’re great for students, professionals, and creative people, and some even come with features like text recognition or cloud storage integration. Check out Rocketbook with a reusable, scannable surface, and reMarkable, a total digital notebook that offers paper-like writing and reading.

Acrobat Sign

Adobe has been offering industry-leading digital tools for decades, with more than 400 billion PDFs opened using their software each year. Acrobat Sign allows you to collect, manage, and track electronic signatures, eliminating the need for hard copies of forms, contracts, and other signable documents. Signature requests can be branded and sent in bulk, and the software integrates with Microsoft, Salesforce, Workday, and many other tools.

Glasscubes

Glasscubes is an information-gathering tool offering encrypted paperless forms, file sharing, client portals, and a range of other useful digital solutions to improve data management and team collaboration. Used in 100 countries around the world, Glasscubes can help your organisation to streamline workflows and ditch the paper. 

Concur

Looking for a way to make expense claims and business travel paper-free? Avoid lost receipts and eliminate physical expense forms by automating and digitising processes. Manage invoicing and travel planning without paper records, using Concur’s range of cloud-based products to keep you and your business organised.

Looking for more insight into productivity, sustainability, and flexible working? Check out our Community pages for tips, tricks, and advice on everything from work-life balance to office design.