Paper is costing businesses thousands per employee

Paper is costing businesses thousands per employee from its day-to-day use in the workplace. From a study conducted by WorkMobile of 1,000 workers, it was found that 67% of UK businesses are spending over £2,000 on paper annually per employee. This just goes to show the significant role that paper still plays in the daily activities of more than half of the businesses that took part in the study.

Over two thirds of businesses rely too heavily on paper and it is costing them thousands per year. Despite the advances of technology, this heavy reliance on paper is surprising. By being paperless businesses can save money and become environmentally friendly, so the results of the survey are astounding.

The research suggested that 60% of all employees print out physical documents at least a few times a week. Additionally, it was found that almost a third of participants print physical documents on a daily basis.

Over £2,000 that is spent on an annual basis per employee comes from various stages of dealing with paper. The cost of paper, the printer ink, transporting documents and data entry and storage all play a role in the £2,000 cost. By cutting or even reducing the use of paper businesses can make a difference in a substantial way.

Colin Yates, chief support officer at WorkMobile, said: “Despite technology being extremely accessible a large number of businesses are still using reams of paper on a daily basis, and ultimately, it could be having a huge effect on their bottom line. The annual cost of paper supplies is in the thousands, but relying on physical documents is also stopping workers from being as productive as they could be. They’re often spending large amounts of time filling in forms by hand, or searching for documents through poor filing systems. This time could be spent more effectively on the worker’s actual core role, and helping to bring in more revenue for the company”.

Paper costs businesses in both the cost of the material itself and the productivity of the staff. When staff have to deal with paper, especially filing, it can have a negative impact on their productivity. It was found that 53% of employees struggle to deal with paperwork and keeping it organised. This results in time lost and levels of productivity plummeting, again costing businesses per employee.

Businesses can avoid these costs by implementing small changes and encouraging the use of the cloud. Inherit the cutting down of paper in your workplace culture and make it a collective team effort. Consequently, it will mean a greener, more efficient workplace for the staff.

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