2.5 The Fear of Implementing the Paperless Office

One of the reasons that most institutions fear have a digitalized paperless office is the worry of losing the company’s information in one enclosed center. Some other organizations are afraid of the cost they would incur should the process be implemented. There is a tendency to resist change, especially when adopting a new program. The paperless office is no exception and it should be taken with a lot of patience and collaboration with all the organization’s stakeholders. The implementation of paperless office may not work right away but with the collaboration of both the employees and the management, the process becomes easy to implement. Additionally, the system can be enacted well, but it may require adequate money to maintain it, hence companies need to be well-prepared. For a transitioning office, the expenses of purchasing stationaries can be used to maintain the paperless system.

2.6 Challenges of Going Paperless in the Office

2.6.1 Dependence on technology

The process of adopting of the paperless office may be faced with some challenges which might make one question its efficiency. If the digital system is implemented, people will become too comfortable and rely so much on computers (Zandieh et al., 2008). If there is a breakdown or breach, and there is no backup, then the production will go down, and the business may be crippled.

2.6.2 Health Issues.

When individuals stare at the computer for an extended period, they may develop health problems due to excessive passive work and eyestrain (Wolfe, 2011). In instances where the organization does not offer alternatives like the non-computer based tasks, it may end up losing productive labor due to health conditions that are computer-related.

2.6.3 Security

One of the biggest paperless office risk is security threats. Using physical documents are easier to protect from hackers as compared to electronic files (Zandieh et al., 2008). Hackers and malicious users may tamper with organization’s useful information that can adversely affect its growth and productivity. 

2.7 Recommendations

For all the shortcomings to be managed, the organizations should be able to meet certain criteria. Some of the things to consider are:

i.To avoid accumulating large files on hard disks, the company should consider storing some files in the dropbox or cloud services. The use of drop box will enable one to create different folders for the different members that are in the office and can be accessed by the authenticated users.

ii.In case the files are stored in the server, the company should have some backup for emergencies like computer breakdown and hacking crimes.

iii. The use of team viewer can be useful when it comes to sharing files easier and time-saving.

iv.The system should be implemented first in one department and later the other department should follow. Implementation should be done step by step with consistency and a lot of planning to minimize unaffordable expenses.

v.The company should install firewalls to reduce the possibilities of hacking and bleaching.

 Conclusion

The paperless office is a great help to the companies that struggle to meet the top criteria in growth and development. The adoption of paperless office saves time and cost and easy manageability. Using paperless office will improve the durability of an organization’s information provided the information is stored appropriately. The system is also safe since only authorized personnel can share information that is necessary to the particular people. Using paperless office points out more advantages than limitation. Having backup plans for the data and having a strong IT department to deal with online data breach would be efficient since it will suppress the limitation of the system. More so, the business owners can surpass decrease the environment footprint. Technology is the only way that the organization can move to another level.

References

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Nicklin, J., Cerasoli, C., & Dydyn, K. (2016). Telecommuting: What? Why? When? and How?. The Impact Of ICT On Work, 41-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-612-6_3

Ralston, M., Coleman, R., Beaulieu, D., Scrutchfield, K., & Perkins, T. (2004). Progress toward Paperless Radiology in the Digital Environment: Planning, Implementation, and Benefits. Journal Of Digital Imaging, 17(2), 134-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10278-004-1002-x

Skilton, M. (2015). The Business Impact of Digital Technologies. Building The Digital Enterprise, 45-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137477729_3

Wolfe, M. (2011). Beyond “green buildings:” exploring the effects of Jevons’ Paradox on the sustainability of archival practices. Archival Science, 12(1), 35-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10502-011-9143-4

Zandieh, S., Yoon-Flannery, K., Kuperman, G., Langsam, D., Hyman, D., & Kaushal, R. (2008). Challenges to EHR Implementation in Electronic- Versus Paper-based Office Practices. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 23(6), 755-761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0573-5