The annual Great British Spring Clean, which took place this month, is all about keeping Britain tidy and it has got us thinking about how we can help you declutter and start afresh in your workplace. So, we’ve written a blog to support you in keeping organised, keeping focused and keeping compliant.
With more of us back in our workplaces or hybrid working, now could be the perfect opportunity to declutter and start afresh with a tidy office. At Archive-Vault, we want to make your working day easier and can help you tackle the piles of paper and manage your documents effectively; we are known for our simple and stress-free archiving. Here are some tips on how to spring clean your office and organise documents to create a better working environment and help boost productivity.
Decluttering the workplace
Our workplaces can get a little untidy from time to time. If you don’t keep on top of your archiving it may lead to problems such as being unable to quickly lay your hands on an important document which is frustrating and time consuming.
Give the office a spring clean to enhance the look and feel of the space. What’s more, it will help you to work more efficiently. Why not start by tackling the paperwork that can easily build up on our desks? There are simple steps you can take to declutter and organise document storage in your office:
- Keep shared workspaces and communal areas tidy including corridors.
- Use a desk tidy and only have what you need close to hand – adhering to a clean desk policy.
- Organise your paperwork and get in the habit of storing documents in the right place with a good filing system.
Hard copies of documents are an essential requirement for many professions, often because of legal and compliance considerations, so it’s important to keep them safe and secure. Archive-Vault provides document storage solutions for a range of industries, securely storing business documents, legal documents, medical documents and financial documents in our purpose-built facility.
Storage solutions from Archive-Vault
Investing in offsite document storage has huge benefits, including freeing up that much needed space in your office. However, offsite document storage is not just about keeping your office tidy but prioritising the safe storage of documents.
Making sure your invaluable documents are safe is a huge priority for the Archive-Vault team. Our purpose-built building is fire and flood resistant. Furthermore, our storage facility is monitored by round the clock CCTV and fitted with intruder alarms with only our tracked vehicles and DBS-checked staff able to gain access via security passes.
At Archive-Vault we are committed to helping you keep GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant. By providing the highest-level of secure document storage, we protect clients’ records throughout the entire information lifecycle.
We help companies across Norfolk and Suffolk store their documents securely and be compliant. The first step is deciding what documents you want to store and box them up so they can be located easily when you need to retrieve them. We can help with this at Archive-Vault; our team can arrange for boxes to be delivered so that you can archive as your go or we can do it for you saving you the time and hassle.
How to organise your documents
Dealing with your stored documents doesn’t end when you file them away in your office or in an offsite storage facility. To ensure effective document storage management you need to review your paperwork and securely dispose of anything that is no longer needed. It is good practice to do this regularly and the annual spring clean is a great reminder.
Tips for planning your document storage:
- Write a list of what archiving needs to be actioned and what needs to be put away or sent back to store.
- Complete what’s outstanding first so everything is back in its place and organised, helping to make your working day run more smoothly.
- Make a plan of what files can be destroyed, and what files need to be reviewed before they can be destroyed.
That said, with archive storage there is no one-size-fits-all. As a family run small business, we work with you to put the right processes in place for your business. What’s more, with Archive-Vault you can manage your records online 24-hours a day via our Client Portal. We offer free demos to our prospective clients.
Taking action
This is the part where you make it happen. You need to go through the files and boxes to decide what you will keep and which documents need to be destroyed. If this is on your premises, it’s important that you work out a plan of action before you begin. You also need to consider how you will dispose of any documents securely to comply with the GDPR. If your document storage is with Archive-Vault, we have a review room where you can go through your boxes; review what can return to store and what can be securely destroyed. Our secure destruction service helps your business be compliant with the GDPR and The Data Protection Act.
Sometimes locating a document in an office can be time consuming and involve lifting lots of boxes to find the right one. At Archive-Vault, we ensure that retrieving your documents is a simple, hassle-free process. We know where everything is thanks to our barcode tracking system and always have an audit trail. Files can only be requested by staff on the authorised contact list giving you peace of mind.
Feel the benefits of a spring clean
Putting plans in place to effectively manage your storage will make you more efficient and organised going forward.
We can help you transform your way of working. With Archive-Vault, you can store your documents safely and retrieve them easily, saving you time and streamlining the way you work. Contact us to find out more about our secure document storage and how we can help you declutter your office.
