We’ve been hearing about the paperless office for what seems like years now, yet most workplaces today still depend on fax machines, copiers, and forests worth of paper documents. Is the paperless office just like the individual jet pack? Long promised but never delivered? The simple answer? No. The world is still moving toward paperless offices. It is just taking more time than some would like.

The advantages of paper

Digital copies of documents and communications are nice, but paper continues to be useful in many cases. Even people who work at the most eco-friendly offices, with reduced paper use policies, find a need for paper. Paper can be very portable and quick. You can quickly write down a phone number on a sticky note and slip it in your pocket or leave your cubicle neighbor a quick note saying the boss stopped by. If you’re responsible for going over important documents prior to release, hard copy editing can be much easier than editing on a computer screen. Sometimes it is easier to spot small typos on a physical copy.

Less paper than ever

Paper isn’t disappearing, it is becoming steadily less important. While we still need paper for certain tasks,  most offices are using less paper than ever before. Most writing is performed on a word-processor and communication is done via email or Skype instead of fax or letters. Meeting notes, company schedules, and whole marketing campaigns are stored digitally on our computers and smartphones.  So while paper is not yet obsolete, the sticky note is no longer king of the office.

The future

It’s obvious that offices of the future will rely on less paper than even we do now, but will paper ever really go the way of the milkman? Maybe. Some people still prefer having their milk delivered from a local dairy but most are content to pick it up from the store when they need it.

Paper will most likely go the same route and it will be a personal preference as to how much paper is consumed in the office. As many of our business processes rely on digital solutions, there will always be a select few who prefer good old-fashioned pen and paper.