Although the US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population, Americans consume 30% of the world’s paper. This highlights the growing need for paperless practices.
In response, Americans are increasingly scrutinizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. According to a 2017 CSR survey conducted by Cone Communications, 87% of consumers stated they would have a more positive image of a company that supports social or environmental issues.
How can your organization keep up with expectations and make strides to reduce its carbon footprint? Exploring paperless solutions is a great place to start, and the paperless benefits go far beyond the positive environmental impact. Here’s how.
1. Cut Costs
According to the EPA, a paperless office saves about $80 per employee each year in associated paper costs. That’s roughly $8,000 dollars saved for every 100 employees. In complex, 24×7 organizations that depend on a wide array of workers to cover shifts, this totals to a significant amount of saved dollars.
Reducing paper expenses not only frees up budget for other operational priorities but also creates a more sustainable cost structure over time. By redirecting these savings toward technology upgrades, employee development, or process improvements, organizations can enhance efficiency and maintain a competitive edge while supporting environmental goals.
2. Improve Productivity
A typical employee spends 30-40% of their time looking for written-down information. Think about how much time you’ve wasted searching for documents in disorganized filing cabinets or for a misplaced sticky note.
Prioritizing cloud-based solutions over paper will grant you access to pertinent data right at your fingertips; that way, you can use that time previously spent looking for an employee’s leave request form on tasks that actually move the business forward. By creating a central system of record, you provide visibility to not just your employees but also to governing bodies, making auditing a breeze.
3. Increase Your Public Image
Americans are now more than ever considering a business’s environmental track record in their purchasing decisions. For consumers who go the extra mile to research organizations’ environmental policies, reducing paper use is an ideal way to improve their public image.
By adopting paperless practices, businesses can show a clear commitment to sustainability that goes beyond words. This visible effort can strengthen customer trust, attract environmentally conscious buyers, and differentiate your brand in competitive markets.
4. Safeguard Your Data
More than 70% of businesses would fail within 3 weeks if they suffered a catastrophic loss of paper-based records due to fire or flood. For important documents—particularly those that have employee information—is it really worth the risk? Files that are digitally stored in the cloud are inherently more secure. Additionally, you can limit access to certain files at the click of a button, ensuring information never falls into the wrong hands.
Benefits of Cloud-Based Scheduling
Switching from manual or paper-based scheduling to a cloud-based system offers a range of operational and strategic advantages. By centralizing data and automating processes, organizations can improve efficiency while enhancing compliance and employee satisfaction. Key benefits include:
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Real-time access to schedules from any device, allowing managers and employees to stay updated no matter where they are.
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Automated compliance checks that help ensure schedules meet internal policies and labor regulations.
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Faster schedule creation with templates and auto-fill capabilities, saving hours of administrative time.
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Improved communication through instant updates and notifications when changes occur.
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Reduced errors and conflicts compared to manual scheduling, minimizing costly disruptions.
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Data-driven insights into labor allocation and attendance trends for better decision-making.
Embracing cloud-based scheduling allows businesses to operate with greater agility and transparency. With fewer administrative burdens and better visibility into workforce needs, leaders can focus more on strategic growth and less on day-to-day scheduling challenges.
Go Green with Indeavor
While there are obvious benefits to going paperless, you shouldn’t feel pressured to overhaul all your paper processes overnight. Instead, approach it based on where you can see the most immediate benefit. With labor being the number one most controllable cost for the majority of 24/7 environments, why not start with your labor scheduling system?
Introduce your around-the-clock environment to the 21st century by doing away with paper scheduling. Automatically generate a schedule in minutes that is accurate, consistent, and eliminates user error, all while following internal and external compliance rules.
Learn more or request a demo here.
