Two-thirds of businesses are wasting at least £2,000 per employee every year due to over-reliance on paper, according to new research.
A survey of 1,000 workers, conducted by WorkMobile, found that 67 per cent of employees admit their companies rely too heavily on paper-based processes to operate, such as paper-based forms or posting mail.
This reliance on paper is seeing 60 per cent of all employees print out physical documents at least a few times a week, with almost a third (30 per cent) printing them out on a daily basis.
The underlying result is that the cost of processing paperwork, including the cost of the paper and ink, transporting documents, data entry and storage, is racking up a yearly average bill of £2,103 per every worker.
But the potential financial losses go further than just overhead costs.
Reliance on paper could also be losing businesses money by affecting the overall productivity and efficiency of their workforces.
Over half (53 per cent) of employees admit they find it hard to store paper files and keep them organised, meaning they spend more time than necessary on file handling.
And 43 per cent say it takes too long to properly fill in paper forms and documents,.
Furthermore, 30 per cent often spend too much time sending documents to the correct recipients, which reduces productivity and wastes time.
Colin Yates, the company’s chief support officer, said: “Despite technology being extremely accessible – most of us carry smartphones everyday in our back pockets – a large number of businesses are still using reams of paper on a daily basis.
And ultimately, it could be having a huge effect on their bottom line. Businesses really can’t afford to ignore the current technical revolution.”
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
