What’s paperwork?

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Paperwork is still necessary in most offices, with forms, reports, and invoices being common. Experts advise organizing paperwork immediately and using labeled trays or files for easy reference. Many businesses are working towards becoming paperless and recycling is common.

Paperwork is a general term for the different forms, invoices, lists, resumes, and jobs that need to be completed in every business. Although computers have eliminated some documents such as paper memos, forms and other documents are still needed in most offices. In many offices the same documents may be handled and processed by many people before they are filed, archived or destroyed.

Many office efficiency experts advise that every piece of paper should go where it needs to go immediately to be handled by that department or person. After you’ve read and worked with each piece of paper, you can file it, shred it, throw it away, recycle it, or pin it on a bulletin board. Paperwork still required for completion can be stored in a tiered tray. Trays must be labeled to avoid mixed stacks of paper in the trays.

The classic way to label trays or bins in a multi-level desktop file holder is with the words inside and out. The bin is for incoming documents that need to be done and the outbox is for outgoing documents that are finished. Some office workers still label their desk trays this way, while others may forgo the labels altogether. Some workers don’t use tiered trays for paperwork, but may use hanging files to keep papers in a deep desk drawer.

Some workers seem to just keep most of the stacked documents on their desk, but most business organization experts suggest having only the most recent project on their desktop. Other paperwork projects can be filed in trays or files for easy reference. Having to search through disorganized documents to find something can reduce productivity.

Types of paper work common to most businesses include forms, reports, legal documents, project notes, employee evaluations, faxes, letters, shipping reports, orders, and invoices. Many businesses use computer orders and invoices, as well as email rather than letters. However, most companies print copies of these for other departments such as the accounting department. Some offices may be virtually paperless, but many are still working to get to that point. Most businesses today recycle their paperwork whenever possible and paper recycling boxes are a common sight in offices today.




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