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GET READY FOR PAPERLESS OFFICE

By: Loree Cruz-Mante

In a staff meeting, you boss announces: “We have just received word from head office that we are moving to a paperless environment. Within two weeks, all our memoranda, office communications, reports, etc. will be submitted and circulated through electronic media. Paper use will have to be reduced by 80 percent. We hope you will cooperate.”

How will you react if you were in that meeting?

GOING PAPERLESS AND CHANGE

It is important to realize that becoming a paperless office must be managed the way change is managed. Nothing is more crucial than paying attention to how people are affected by change, given the natural tendency to resist it.

Managing change also means giving enough time for people to adjust to the change expected. They must be given reasonable time and space within which to reflect on what is happening and its implications to them personally and collectively.

WHY GO PAPERLESS?

The debate on the paperless office continues. Here are some reasons for going paperless.

Reason No.1: No more trees, no more paper. One argument for the paperless office is that trees will be such a rarity in the future that there will no longer be enough trees to make paper with. The sheer unavailability of paper will force the issue of going paperless.

Reason No. 2: Managing paper bulk. The tremendous amount of paper in most of our workplace is also causing increasing alarm. The mere size and weight of paper in most government offices are proof enough how going paperless could declog most of the work that moves from desk to desk.

In addition to the growing bulk of paperwork is the need for collateral jobs related to managing paper, such as filing, storing and retrieving. More paper means more filing cabinets, more clerical time, and more space to accommodate it.

Reason No. 3: Global business. Another argument is that we cannot possibly survive doing business in a world that makes electronic communication a minimum requirement for participation. The digital divide again widens between technology-empowered nations and those which can barely afford the material and human infrastructures needed to support a global paperless business scenario.

SNAGS

However, put simply, we have no choice! The only way to be globally competitive is to play the game as the world plays it. In many ways, this means going paperless.

There are many areas where paper will remain the preferred medium for some time. In schools, test papers will still mostly likely be written out on bluebooks or yellow pads. “Pass your papers” will not be likely replaced by “Pass your CDs” or “E-mail your answers.” And it will take a long time before we have “microchip diplomas.” It also might be a while before mall shops distribute CDs instead of paper flyers to advertise their sales. We have yet to develop a way by which legal documents requiring authentic signatures can be valid when done using nonpaper media, for how long will the bride and groom sign their marriage contract during the ceremony?

MORE PAPER

Then there are the setbacks caused by corrupted and unrecoverable files, software plagued by viruses, and the constant threat of piracy, Internet fraud, sleuthing, and stolen identity. Above all, there is the perpetual anxiety over losing valuable data stored in computers – forever!

Contrary to expectations, the demand for paper has actually increased with new technology, as copying, printing and transmitting paper documents are considered more reliable and “palpable” backups to the still distrusted electronic means. There is thus a distinct tendency to print long documents and books and read them from paper, especially where either time or impaired eyesight makes it difficult to read from a screen.

MAJOR CHALLENGE

Decreasing the digital divide will always be a haunting concern. The use of technology will always be a primordial concern of development, where the ultimate goal is improving the quality of life of disadvantaged sectors and nations.

There is a tremendous cost to going paperless. Affordability remains a central issue because it puts fledgling economies at a grave disadvantage. They simply cannot afford the necessary hardware and software required to go paperless.

ARE WE READY?

Alternatively, were we ever ready for computerization? There was a lot of resistance junking typewriters in favor of computers, but the shift was made anyway. ATMs and cell phones are dramatic innovations, which show the Filipinos’ aptitude for the high-tech.

We may not be ready for the paperless office, but we can move slowly to a state of readiness. It just requires that those responsible for effecting the move must approach the process with sensitivity, innovativeness and a good set of people skills to understand the dynamics of change. The boss’ announcement at the start of this article will not push the case for going paperless one inch forward.

In the meantime, what does appear more realistic are “less paper offices.” With conscious and deliberate planning, the paper volume in many, many offices can actually be reduced. Some banks, for example, now use single forms for several transactions. Some company newsletters are e-mailed rather than printed. Supporting documents can be minimized, and attachment can be stored electronically rather than stapled to a request.

Even though paper will likely be banned from workplaces at some future time, there are paper things some people feel should never disappear. They are considered part of a rich heritage of romance and chivalry, and must be preserved