Our top tips on storing your office files
It’s a fact that business these days has been going paperless since the early 2000s. However, we still have the need to have physical file storage. There is something oddly reassuring about having physical copies of important documents, and some people really struggle to read documents set out on a screen, so it’s likely that at least some paperwork is set to stay indefinitely. If you’re tasked with organising the document storage for your office, here are our tips on how to do so efficiently, securely, and cost-effectively.
- Be confident about how long paperwork must be stored.
There are rules about how long documents should be stored, depending on what the documents are, and on the nature of your business. If you’re a sole trader or limited company, check out our indoor document archive storage.
- Shred, recycle or store any old paperwork.
Duplicates and outdated documents that no longer need to be retained can be disposed of so they don’t clutter up your office file storage space. If you’re worried about getting rid of something important, you could scan the paperwork and store it in your cloud storage before disposing of the original.
If you’re not quite there with online storage and want to focus on scanning more modern documents first, you could always move your old files into archive storage boxes.
Clearly label each file with the client/file type/subject and label each box with the year it’s stored. To save a lot of hunting around later, make a note on the lid of which files are stored inside.
If you don’t have room in your office’s file storage area to store archive boxes, consider renting archive storage space at one of our self-storage stores to keep them safe and dry.
- Organise your file storage.
Colour coding your files can also make it a lot easier to find files at a glance – choose a different colour for each type of contract, client, or funding arrangement, for example.
Within each file, ensure that file dividers make it easy to find relevant sections, e.g. invoice, correspondence, court orders, contracts etc.
