Introduction
For decades, the HR department has been obligated to come up with strategic means to increase personnel and operational efficiencies. Subsequently, since the turn of the century, the idea of utilizing the potentials of a paperless culture has grown to become one of the best ways to achieve that goal. The concept of a ‘paperless office’ refers to a management system that employs the use of an electronic platform to enhance both documentation as well as communication in the workflow as an alternative to paper files. As stated by Farson (2012), the concept was first introduced into the business world at a time when most corporate entities were anticipating the premise of ‘the office of the future’ where the office transforms its operations to an electronic platform.
In the present millennium, it is significant for management to put into practice the potentials of a paperless system as well as its future implications due to the new 21st Century technological paradigm. Since the advent of technology, particularly the internet, it has become significantly apparent that organizational efficiency as well as added a competitive advantage in the form of the relocation of resources can be easily achieved by a paperless office. One of the primary duties of the Human Resources department is to identify and employ practices, which aid organizations to cut on costs and increase profits. Consequently, the implementation of a paperless office helps both the HR and Finance departments in achieving a practical process of cost saving (Meijer, Frings-Dresen, & Sluiter, 2009). For instance, they save on all resources employed towards printing, mailing, shipping, as well as storing of documents, which is a factor that adds to the value of efficiencies in a modern-day corporate environment. Additionally, with the improvements made in cloud computing, the security of sensitive documentation is significantly improved at a low cost while reducing the time of access from different locations. Nonetheless, other reasons as to why the HR management should adopt the paperless office is a factor that is best presented through a SWOT analysis.
Document Management Software-SWOT Analysis
This section of the report highlights the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats that businesses experience after adopting a paperless office setup.
Strengths
- A paperless office is less costly for the Human resources department than labor management. According to Shenoy and Aithal (2016), the cost comparison of a paperless office and that of a labor-intensive paper-based set up is significantly low due to a lack of recurring costs, such as printing costs that involve a constant purchase of paper, ink for the printer, as well as maintenance costs. A paperless office will incur costs in purchasing software or getting cloud storage accounts, but most functions such as e-mailing are free, and thus, making it an effective means of management. Additionally, a paperless office allows a small number of staff members to work on large amounts of data with little supervision; consequently, cutting down the number of personnel while upholding high quality as well as quantitative productivity (Dale, Van der Wiele, & Van Iwaarden, 2007).
- A paperless office offers an avenue for effectively managing e-documents. As cited by Weighright (2014), currently, innovations in the IT sector, such as the semi-autonomous computing, has made it possible for software to conduct a variety of functions, such as processing, sending, as well as retrieving documents with minimal to no human interface.
- Paperless offices improve communication through emails and e-memos as well as making it easier to share files throughout the organizations at the highest continence from the parties involved.
- A paperless office improves information security. As cited by York (2006), the use of electronic documentation improves security from damage such as fire, water damages, as well as misplacements due to poor handling of the archives. The improvements made on cloud technology provide organizations with the ability to have a remote connection as well as improved computerized security protocols that increase efficiency while maintaining lower risks.
- A paperless office generates ample office space. Renting office space has growingly become expensive and designing a mechanism that generates valuable space has become a common trend approved by organizations with some going as far as pulling down walls to increase space efficiency (Alenazi et al., 2014). Embracing a paperless office allows managers to take away large office cabinets, and in turn, create space for the staff to become more interactive; subsequently, adding efficiency in the long-term (Sellen & Harper, 2001).
Weaknesses
- The Concept of a ‘totally paperless’ is not possible. According to Gordon (2008), though the model is highly advantageous, the adoption of such a premise may not be completely practical, particularly when dealing with customers who are not conversant to such a process. For instance, some clients prefer making orders via written memos though they have the option of using email services, which is quicker. To satisfy such a client’s needs, an organization needs to be flexible in all its commercial approaches, which is a factor that increases a business’s competitive advantage.
- A paperless office may not be fully efficient particularly in making all documents electronic and easy to access. As cited by Muto (2016), different documents require dissimilar features for both their developments as well as use; thus, without the features, it may be challenging to develop customized official papers (Alberto, 2007).
Opportunities
- With the proliferation of technology, particularly due to smartphones, a paperless office can be virtually set up to highlight the benefits of such a set up to both staff members and consumers, and thus, improving the chances of a transformation.
- With the growth of android technology, offices have the capability of forming dedicated networks that increase the chances of creating interactive paperless systems that can be linked to social media; hence, improving office communications.
Threats
- Although there have been considerable steps made towards increasing the levels of cyber-security measures in most organizations that employ a paperless office system, hacking is a persistent threat.
- The human attachment to print material. Though the use of paper has significantly gone down, most individuals hold on to an old premise on the legitimacy of paper documents particularly due to the existence of signatures as a symbol of authenticity of particular documents.
Conclusion
From the information presented, it is evident that there are more reasons to adapt to paperless office systems as it increases operational efficiency, document security, ample office space, encourages communication, and reduces costs. Though various risks are evident, such as hacking and the prevailing perception on paper, the pros outweigh the cons. Though the paperless office concept was a plan for the future, it can be argued that the future anticipated then can be sustained by the current technology particularly due to the availability of the Internet. Additionally, computers have become widely used gadgets by both businesses as well as clients. Implementation of a paperless office may take time, but with the current situation, the waiting period may be short; hence, encouraging instant profitability.
References
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