Every office creates documents that contain information that should not end up in the regular trash or recycling bin. Employee records, customer information, invoices, financial documents, applications, contracts, medical information, and even everyday correspondence can contain confidential data.
An ongoing shredding program gives your employees a simple and secure way to dispose of sensitive documents on a regular basis. Instead of allowing papers to pile up or relying on employees to decide what should be shredded, you establish a consistent process for secure document destruction.
The good news is that managing an ongoing shredding program does not have to be complicated. Here are some important steps to make your office shredding program easy, secure, and effective.
Start With a Shred-All Policy
One of the biggest problems with document security is asking employees to determine which papers are confidential.
A better approach is to establish a shred-all policy for documents being discarded.
If a document is no longer needed, place it in a secure shredding container instead of a wastebasket or recycling bin. This reduces the possibility of an employee accidentally throwing away something containing sensitive information.
When everyone follows the same procedure, document security becomes much easier to manage.
Place Locked Shredding Containers Where Employees Need Them
Convenience is an important part of a successful ongoing shredding program.
Locked security containers should be placed in convenient locations throughout your office. Depending on the size and layout of your facility, containers can be placed near copiers, printers, administrative areas, accounting departments, reception areas, or other locations where paper is regularly generated.
Employees simply deposit documents through the opening in the container. The documents remain secured until your scheduled shredding service.
The easier you make secure disposal, the more likely employees are to follow your company’s shredding policy.
Choose the Right Shredding Schedule
Every business generates paper at a different rate. That is why an ongoing shredding program should be designed around your needs rather than forcing your company into an unnecessary schedule.
Your shredding service may be weekly, every two weeks, every four weeks, monthly, or on an on-demand schedule.
The goal is to have your security containers serviced before they become overly full.
As your business changes, your shredding schedule can change with it. If you are generating more documents, increase the frequency. If you are producing less paper, you may be able to reduce it.
Make Sure Documents Remain Secure Until They Are Destroyed
An effective shredding program should provide a secure chain of custody from the time an employee discards a document until it is destroyed.
With on-site shredding, locked containers are brought to the mobile shredding truck at your location. The documents are then mechanically emptied into the truck’s industrial shredder and destroyed before the truck leaves.
With FileShred, you can even watch your documents being shredded on a viewing monitor located on the truck.
This gives your company additional confidence that confidential documents have actually been destroyed.
Don’t Waste Time Removing Staples and Paper Clips
Employees should not have to spend valuable time preparing documents for shredding.
With professional shredding equipment, there is generally no need to remove staples, paper clips, rubber bands, folders, or many common fasteners. Employees can simply place documents into the secure shredding container.
Making the process easy helps ensure that employees actually use the program.
Train Your Employees
Even the best shredding program will not work unless employees understand it.
Let your staff know where the secure shredding containers are located and explain what should be placed in them. Remind employees that confidential documents should never be placed in an ordinary wastebasket or open recycling container.
New employees should also be introduced to your company’s document destruction procedures as part of their orientation.
A few minutes of training can help prevent costly mistakes.
Work With a NAID AAA Certified Shredding Company
Choosing the right shredding provider is another important part of managing your program.
A NAID AAA Certified shredding company has undergone a rigorous certification process covering important areas of secure information destruction. Working with a certified provider can also help your organization demonstrate that it has taken appropriate steps when selecting a document destruction vendor.
Your shredding company should also provide a Certificate of Destruction after your documents have been securely destroyed.
Review Your Shredding Program Periodically
Your document destruction needs today may be different six months or a year from now.
Periodically check whether you have enough containers, whether they are located in the right places, and whether your service frequency still makes sense.
You may discover that one department needs an additional container while another rarely fills its existing one. Small adjustments can make your ongoing program more efficient.
Let FileShred Manage Your Ongoing Shredding Program
Managing an ongoing office shredding program should not become another complicated task for your staff.
FileShred makes scheduled document shredding easy. We provide secure containers for your office and come to your location when service is needed. Your confidential documents are shredded on-site, and you can watch the destruction process.
We offer flexible ongoing shredding programs as well as one-time shredding services. Whether your office needs service on a regular schedule or an on-demand basis, we can create a program that works for you.
FileShred is local, family-owned, and NAID AAA Certified, and we believe in straightforward service without unnecessary extra fees or surcharges.
Have questions about setting up an ongoing shredding program for your office? Call FileShred at 860-261-9595. We can explain your options, provide pricing, and help you create a secure shredding program that fits your business.
Secure containers. Convenient scheduling. On-site shredding. One easy program.
