A paper shredder is arguably one of the most important materials to have in the workplace. Unfortunately, it might also be one of the most overlooked.
It may not seem crucial to have a shredder in your office, especially if you don’t believe that your business contains enough sensitive documents or information. But the fact of the matter is, all information shared within a company can be considered sensitive to some extent. If an employee’s address even lands in the wrong hands, it could have serious consequences on the individual.
While a shredding machine is a great start, an even more secure way to ensure that your documents are disposed of properly is to hire a third party company. There are several reasons why every office (and home office) should shred their papers. It’s better to be overly cautious and to book a business to shred your documents for you than it is to not shred your papers enough and risk throwing away a paper that could land in the wrong hands.
The Importance of Hiring a Shredding Company
First and foremost, it’s important to identify why exactly a third party paper shredder is important in the workplace or home. It is crucial to properly dispose of any documents that are no longer relevant, or rendered useless. What you may not realize is that several states actually have laws against the improper disposal of business documents. For example, back in 2018, the general merchandise retailer Target owed 7.4 million dollars after being exposed to dumping tons of hazardous waste in California. A large part of this waste was confidential medical documents from patients that frequented their pharmacy. Knowing the laws of proper document disposal in your area is imperative. These laws are put in place to protect your customers, your business, and yourself. Instead of having to do extensive research on your own and risk and oversights, instead, consider calling in a company to take care of that all for you.
Another huge reason why shredding your documents is necessary for the workplace is for environmental reasons. Recycling and reusing shredded scraps of paper is an effective method of preserving the forests. Millions of trees are cut down every year; shredding paper that is no longer needed helps keep our environment clean.
Shredding and disposing of your documents also helps clean up clutter and reduce the risk of a fire. It’s easy to let papers pile up and left unattended. But it’s important to minimize the amount of paper in your workplace. It can be a daunting task to take this all on yourself; a company with a mobile shredder can take care of that all for you, saving you several hours during the workday that could be spent elsewhere.
Protect Your Sensitive Documents
The most notable reason for regularly shredding your documents is to protect any sensitive papers contained in the workplace. These documents can range from information on your employees or patients, yearly income and expenses, credit card information, or even onboarding materials for new employees. But if an employee leaves and their documents aren’t properly disposed of, it can lead to identity theft. A criminal doesn’t need much information to compromise your identity. And if the paper trail leads back to your company’s negligence, it can be pretty hot water to try to get out of.
The best way to ensure that your documents – sensitive or otherwise – are protected is to shred them when they are no longer needed. Hiring someone else to do so is a process that protects both you and your customers or patients and gives everyone the peace of mind knowing that it can’t be the information can no longer be extracted.
Consider the Changing Work Environment
The past year has introduced a significant shift in the workplace. A global pandemic forced the world to shut down, and businesses had to quickly adapt to stay afloat. Given the changing times, a lot of people – such as government workers, public servants, and teachers – are now working from home when they normally wouldn’t be. These jobs are often required for in-office attendance because the work involves a lot of sensitive information that is best kept in a safe place. This situation, although unavoidable, is not ideal, and can create a sense of worry or panic. Documents that at one point could have been locked up and protected in a cabinet could now be sitting on some employee’s kitchen counter. Corporate files are now in individual’s homes and run the risk of falling into the wrong hands.
Investing in a company that will shred your documents for you is more crucial than ever. It’s the easiest way to ensure that your company’s documents will be disposed of. A company like A Plus Shredding will make their rounds and come directly to you, whether that is in the office, or at home.