8 Smart Policies to Manage Your Work Documents Efficiently
From customer data to personal employee information, a lot goes into files related to one’s work.
It would be hard to imagine a work environment that does not require at least some form of file management.
Nowadays, a lot is being done digitally, but it does not mean that paper is out of the equation. If anything, it is still used widely. According to Formstack, an average office in the US consumes about 4 million tons of copy paper every year.
The number illustrates that if you want to manage your work documents effectively, you need to focus on more than just files on a computer or another device.
Why Efficient Work Document Management Is Essential
There are a few notable reasons why efficient document management is a must for every organization.
#1 – Better Productivity
Better overall productivity is the obvious one. When things are in order, you do not have to worry about wasting time looking for a particular document.
Moreover, universal rules set across different departments make it much easier to collaborate.
#2 – Less Room for Errors
Putting documents in the wrong place or not being able to find one because someone else broke the rules happens.
Businesses should encourage their workers to be diligent and smart so there are as few mistakes as possible.
#3 – Easier Onboarding
It is much easier for someone new to join and get into the groove of things when a company has an established document management system.
Integrating new recruits as quickly as possible is often a challenge, so it makes sense to remove as many obstacles as possible in advance.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the methods to follow if you want to ensure that you manage your work documents the right way.
Avoid Unnecessary Clutter
The first thing to focus on is getting rid of unnecessary clutter. The fewer documents there are to manage, the easier it will be.
Redundant files can appear from various sources. It does not help if employees have a habit of keeping various documents in their drawers, for example. Or, if someone’s computer is cluttered with random folders and other files, you can treat it as a sign of struggle to deal with clutter.
One of the reasons why such things happen in the first place is uncertainty about whether you will need a file in the future. This is a problem in itself, but the general rule of thumb should be to eliminate files that serve no purpose.
If you are unsure whether a file can be removed, double-check. It could be something like an email attachment that you can access in your inbox later, so why bother keeping it on a computer if there is no immediate need for it, right?
Create Digital Copies of Paper Documents
Even though paper is still widely used and necessary in certain cases, managing digital files is much easier. Some of it can be credited to various software, but it is much more efficient to go through files on a computer than deal with piles of documents on your desk.
Creating digital copies takes a while, but it is an investment for the future. You will have an easier time reducing the number of total files by archiving them. Moreover, it is not that hard to convert RAR to ZIP or another format in case there are compatibility issues down the road.
Finally, by digitizing your data, you will have the option to back up data in case of an emerging threat.
Use Cloud Storage
Speaking of backups, cloud storage is usually the go-to option not just for organizations but for individuals as well.
Basic plans from services like Dropbox and iCloud offer a few gigabytes for free, which can be enough. However, if the goal is to back up a vast amount of data, then expect to upgrade your account to access as much as a few terabytes of total available storage.
It is worth noting that clouds are more than just a means to back up files. Multiple users can access the same account, which makes collaborations easier.
Whether you need to share a file, work on the same project and update a spreadsheet, or collect multiple documents for safekeeping, cloud storage is an excellent way to do that and more.
Separate Finished Files With Ongoing Files
There are bound to be some files that you are finished with. Once such a file appears, do not keep it together with documents that you are still working on.
Separating finished files from ongoing files is a way to leave fewer things to deal with. It makes even more sense to do that if a finished file is no longer needed because you can get rid of it. Remember, minimizing the clutter is one of the key policies to follow.
You can dedicate a separate drawer or a cabinet for paper documents and a folder on a computer if you are dealing with digital files.
Utilize the Date Feature
Keeping track of files by date has been around forever. Nevertheless, it is a feature that some people tend to ignore, mostly due to laziness because it requires extra effort to add a date to a paper document.
For digital files, there are options to sort files in a folder chronologically without opening individual files each time. However, the method can be misleading since the computer sorts by date last modified.
Be Consistent With Your Naming Conventions
Naming conventions can include a date, which solves the issue of sorting the files by date when they were last modified.
Let’s say that you have a folder with invoices from a specific client. And this client is someone you have been working with for many years.
The natural solution is to include a date in an invoice name. It could look something like “Client_X_Invoice_2023_01”.
Pro tip: If you wish to have an easier time sorting everything by date, make sure to add the number in front (2023_01 in the example above). You can sort files by name then, and the order shown will be chronological for that specific file type.
Of course, if there are invoices from the same client but they are for different services, you will want to adjust the naming accordingly.
Ultimately, the goal is to establish a clear naming convention for all the files so you can minimize delays in finding what you need.
If you do not bother to think about the purpose behind file names when you manage work documents, you need to stop it. Get in the habit of naming every file.
It might take a while to go through all the different files on your computer, but it is a necessary step. And once you take care of the documents you neglected until now, you can then focus on building the habit of naming files properly in the future.
Do Not Overfill Folders
Putting too many files in the same folder is overkill. You might think that having everything in one place is convenient, but if the number of files snowballs too much, you will have the opposite of what you expected.
Create different folders and branch them out with categories so you do not have to face an avalanche of different files when you open a folder.
If the number of different categories and subcategories becomes too much to handle manually, you can always use the search button. So long as you named everything properly, you should not have problems navigating.
It is all about placing every file in the correct folder or subfolder instead of keeping all the data in a single place.
Organizing your files into different folders and subfolders is indeed a good practice for maintaining a tidy and efficient file management system. You can learn more about unified storage and how it can simplify data management and access.
Mind Potential Threats
Minding the potential threats is the last policy to talk about. Even if you do everything mentioned in this article and more, you might still lose the files without the option to recover them.
We talked about backing up files via cloud storage, but that is only a single step. You also have to be mindful of malware and other cybersecurity threats. Some are strong enough to infect the computer and spread to reach your cloud storage, email inbox, and so on.
Natural disasters are also a consideration. They are rare but happen nonetheless. For businesses that keep paper documents, there is no telling how much damage something like an earthquake or fire can do. Hence, it is recommended to create digital copies as a safety net.
Theft is another threat. Even employees can be the culprits, so it is necessary to invest in visitor management, tracking, and password tools to protect yourself.
When things are going well, one does not stop to consider the threats out there. But as soon as something happens, it becomes clear that measures should have been implemented. It is better to be safe than sorry, so be sure to take the necessary precautions.
Final Thoughts
All in all, a lot goes into managing work documents, regardless if they are paper copies or digital files.
Make the most out of the policies covered in this article, and you should be good to go for the most part. In case you notice that something is missing, you can adjust accordingly to your needs.
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