As a business, there are so many things that you have on your daily task list. It probably seems never-ending.
And the bad news is that you probably are going to need to add something to that list after reading this article. Or, you may already be doing this task—and that’s great!
But having “destroy documents” on your task list is a must. There are so many reasons to do this, some a bit more important than others.
Whether you haven’t quite started destroying documents or you have but want to understand the importance behind them, keep reading.
Why Shred Documents
There are many reasons to shred documents that you have in your office space. Here are a few reasons to start disposing of documents!
Keeping Documents Can Be a Risk
If you like to keep documents, you may be at risk. You may choose to do this because you have a lot of space in your office and like having paper copies of different documents.
However, it is not always safe to retain certain documents. Many documents contain sensitive information that you do not want to let get out. Keeping them increases the risk that the data will get out in some way, shape, or form.
You never know when these documents could be at risk. This is when document shredding can come in handy. Instead of letting the documents sit there at risk, you can shred them to reduce the likelihood that there will be any security breaches.
You may be thinking that your office isn’t at risk. No one wants to break into a boring business office and you trust all of your employees. While this may be true, offices are still not secure places.
For instance, if an important document is printed and then forgotten about, it will sit on the printer for a while. When the next document prints out, you are then the papers will mix together. This is the perfect example of how documents can go missing.
And it’s not just printers that the documents can go missing from. If any papers are left on a desk, they can easily get swiped up with other documents. This is why leaving papers around can be quite dangerous in terms of security.
Avoid Identity Theft
Many documents are stolen for reasons that you definitely want to prevent. One of those is identity theft. There is a lot of information that is out there about people.
If the wrong person gets ahold of these documents, they can steal a person’s identity. This can destroy the person and their life as well as the reputation of your company as well if the information is stolen from you.
Small Offices Don’t Have Space
As important as security issues are, shredding can be used for much more than just security purposes. For instance, small offices can be easily overwhelmed by the amount of documents that you may have.
By keeping track of when you should be shredding documents, you create more space for more up-to-date and recent documents instead. You may even create more space for something other than documents.
Recycle to Save the Planet
Shredding documents is also a great way to recycle more. When your documents are dropped into a secure container, this is taken to be recycled to promote a more sustainable planet.
It’s the Law
Depending on the industry that your business is a part of, shredding may be a part of the law. Destroying documents helps you with your legal obligation to protect secure information under specific laws such as GDPR.
If you are part of a healthcare organisation, law firm, or financial service provider, you will need to shred documents on a daily basis.
What Documents Should I Shred?
As a business, while shredding is important, you do not want to go overboard with it. There are certain things that do not need to be shredded in your office space. You can save the equipment for the documents that matter.
So what should you be shredding?
For starters, anything with important security information needs to go through the document shredder. This will reduce security breaches on any type of important information.
But there are some things you may not think of that should go through the document shredder. Here are a few to keep in mind in the office:
- Employment records
- Tax forms
- Resumes
- Expired passports
- Credit card reports or bills, receipts, and summaries
- Investment documents
- Travel itineraries
- Utility bills
- Transcripts
These are just a few to keep in mind – there are many more out there that you should shred. And in reality, it is up to you what you choose to shred. If you simply want to make space, you can shred pretty much any document.
Reasons to Destroy Documents
There is a reason businesses destroy documents – and it isn’t for fun. Destroying documents can help with the security of private information, help you meet the criteria of different laws, create more space in your office, and even help save the planet!
Making sure you shred documents is part of your obligation as a business.
Luckily, there are machines that can help you with this to make the process faster. At Anis, we have various presses and balers to help you with your shredding needs.
You can get a quote for whichever one you want for your business on our website.
