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Your office filing system is dependent upon two key issues. The first is that there are papers that you and your employees will need to access on an hourly or daily basis. The second is that there are papers that you will need to retain for a period of time, for legal or tax purposes.

One of the keys to office efficiency is to limit the handling of any given piece of paper. Invoices to your business that will need to be paid should go to your accounts payable person, or to the spot you have designated for accounts payable. The same holds true for all of the paperwork that comes in or is produced in the office. Put it where it belongs.

A second key to efficiency is to keep related materials together. All the invoices sent to customer XXX should be together and payments on those invoices should be recorded with them.

Another key to efficiency is to mark that an item has been removed from its normal place. If a file is removed from a cabinet, a marker of some kind should replace it. The marker should tell anyone looking for that item who took it and when. Hunting for missing paperwork is completely avoidable.

An important key to filing is to ensure that everyone who may use a given item or piece of paper knows just how it will be handled, filed, placed. "Where is the XXXX?" is also an avoidable waste of time.

Filing systems can be as simple as a couple of bins, to a couple of file drawers to entire floors filled with files in racks. The filing system itself needs to be simple, clearly understood by its users, and it must be relative to the frequency of use of the materials filed.

Large file systems can be managed by a variety of records management software systems. There are industry-specific solutions available, such as for the law office. Bar coding of files and locations is popular but scanning to computer file is becoming even more popular.

Just remember the basics:

Limit the handling of every item.

Keep related materials together.

Ensure that items removed from the filing system are place marked and the user is accountable.

Finally, educate the users on the filing system, and its advantages if used correctly.

Learn more about this author, Charles Simmins.
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