The workplace is getting increasingly digital over the years, with many warehouses, distribution centers, and storage facilities moving over to systems of interconnected laptops and tablets throughout the building.

But even with this push towards digital paperwork and information management, there’s still a place in the modern workplace for long-term paperwork and document storage, particularly when it comes to warehouse work documents such as shipping logs and tax paperwork. If you find yourself still dealing with a lot of paperwork even nowadays, here’s some ideas and tips for keeping everything safely stored and easily accessible:

Invest In Record Storage

The first and best method for storing documents is to specifically designate an area of your warehouse (or the office, if large enough) over to record storage. No matter what your industry, there’s still a lot of paperwork that needs to be held onto long-term such as tax records, shipping logs, financial ledgers, and so on. Make sure to have a specific document storage area set aside before you begin any kind of document storage or management systems to make it easier and more convenient in the long run.

Identify What Needs To Be Saved

As mentioned, many industries still have paperwork they need to store long-term, but that doesn’t mean everything needs to be stored – otherwise you’re likely to run out of space pretty darn quick. Take a look at the sort of paperwork your business typically deals in and sort it by priority. Short-term shipping receipts or receipts for items you get shipped more frequently probably won’t need to be stored, but things like customer records, order records, and financial paperwork may need to be reviewed later for either governmental disclosure, internal record keeping, or various other reasons. Prioritize and identify the paperwork that needs to be saved to help you thin the herd later.

Consider Document Retrieval Software

Even with hardcopies of your documents being stored onsite, there’s still a number of software solutions you can consider to help with your record keeping efforts. Software can be purchased that can copy digital backups of your paperwork, or at least help you keep track of what documents are stored where for easier retrieval and archiving later on. Find a solution that helps your business and consider purchasing a license to help your managers and any employee that works with documents keep better track. And speaking of…

Ensure Your Employees Are Trained On Record Procedures

Especially if this is an initiative you’ve only recently begun at your facility, keeping your employees properly trained and aware of your document storage process is crucial for making sure nothing gets missed. Brief all of your employees on the documents they need to be aware of – accountants need to back up their financial work, workers in the shipping & receiving area need to maintain shipping ledgers and receiving logs, and so on. Make sure your document storage process is both well-documented and clear enough to prevent confusion or misinformation, as many federal laws require the long-term storage of several documents depending on the industry you work in and the loss of these documents could prove to be an issue for your business later.