Would your business function without paper? Sadly, it probably would not. And because of the continued need for documents that contain confidential information, it is essential that your employees know what to shred and what to keep. The success of your business might depend on it. So how do you make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to shredding?
Educate Employees on What and When to Shred
There are several ways to remind employees what needs to be shredded and what needs to be saved. Here are a few ideas that might help your business.
- Post a list of documents to be shredded next to the recycling bin. This will make employees stop and think before dropping an unshredded confidential document into the bin.
- Issue a memo explaining which documents to shred and which documents to keep. Ask employees to hang the document at their desks for easy reference.
- Have regular meetings to keep employees up-to-date on the latest policies. If they feel like they are ‘in the know’, they will be more likely to comply with the rules.
- Consider establishing a ‘shred it all’ policy. This way, there is no question about whether to shred or not to shred. An onsite paper destruction company like Shred On Site will be a great help here – every single paper that needs to be disposed of can simply be thrown into one of the shredding bins we provide, no questions asked.
- If you establish a “shred it all” policy, make sure the employees who handle documents that do need to be kept are well aware of which documents those are. Some documents need to be saved for legal reasons.
- Implement a ‘Clean Desk’ policy. Require employees to securely store or shred documents at the end of each day.
Most importantly, make sure your employees know why you are asking this of them. Tell them about the dangers of identity theft. Make it clear that if they don’t follow your confidential document destruction policies, they are putting themselves and your business at risk. No one wants to be fired, and no one wants to let the company down. If your employees know why the policies are in place, they will be better able to help you enforce them.
What About Shredding at Home?
Your personal documents that you no longer need should also be shredded. One way to make sure nothing is thrown out that shouldn’t be is to put one person in the household in charge of managing documents. That person should educate themselves on which documents need to be saved and which documents can be shredded. This way, no documents will slip through the cracks and put you at risk for identity theft.
Compliant Document Destruction policies are important for the success of any business. Your employees can help you follow these policies if they are informed and educated.
