Should we be moving to paperless offices?

[Dave2002]

I recently received a P60 form, with the usual reminder to "save it in a safe place". Unfortunately I usually do, then forget where.
With the much reduced costs of modern technology I wonder if it would be better to scan it first, plus somehow tag it as a file, and only then put the original in a safe place.

It should work for most documents for which scanned copies or photocopies are acceptable.
It probably wouldn't work for documents such as CRB paperwork, which causes interesting effects if put through a photocopier.

[cloughie]

I recently received a P60 form, with the usual reminder to "save it in a safe place". Unfortunately I usually do, then forget where.
With the much reduced costs of modern technology I wonder if it would be better to scan it first, plus somehow tag it as a file, and only then put the original in a safe place.

It should work for most documents for which scanned copies or photocopies are acceptable.
It probably wouldn't work for documents such as CRB paperwork, which causes interesting effects if put through a photocopier.

No, just have folder marked tax 2011-12.

[MrGongGong]

I recently received a P60 form, with the usual reminder to "save it in a safe place". Unfortunately I usually do, then forget where.
With the much reduced costs of modern technology I wonder if it would be better to scan it first, plus somehow tag it as a file, and only then put the original in a safe place.

It should work for most documents for which scanned copies or photocopies are acceptable.
It probably wouldn't work for documents such as CRB paperwork, which causes interesting effects if put through a photocopier.

The Scottish "CRB" is on A4 paper ....... scanning problem solved

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i have

[mangerton]

Interesting. This year, for the first time, my employer sent P60s by email in PDF format.

We have had electronic payslips for a number of years.

[Dave2002]

Interesting. This year, for the first time, my employer sent P60s by email in PDF format.

We have had electronic payslips for a number of years.

We had a survey about adopting PDF or similar formats for the P60 a few years ago. I think in the end there were thought to be some legal issues - very possibly spurious, so they didn't. It should have been technically possible for us to have had the files stored in a personal area on our computer system, thus allowing print and or email at will, but I think that initiative stalled.

Re the CRBs, in the UK if you try photocopying for safe keeping, a message appears that the copy is illegal, in red, all over the document. I think some photocopiers detect microdots in the paper, and then put out the warning messages. Fair enough really, but I tried it in case the original copy we sent through the post got lost.

[gradus]

About 1990, possibly earlier I was being told by various IT experts about the imminence of the 'Paperless Office' surely we must be there by now.............................
Dunno, switch it off and try again.

[Dave2002]

I wasn't just thinking of scanning in just one document a year BTW. It doesn't have to only be a P60!

At work we now have some new so-called multi-function units, which will scan as well as print. Documents scanned are then emailed as PDF files to users. I've not tried this yet with anything serious, but if it's quick it could be a way to file away important documents for later retrieval. In some cases the originals could be kept, but for others it might be simpler to put them in the waste bin or shredder.

I did come across a doctor's surgery a few years ago which used scanning technology. Unfortunately it wasn't the most organised surgery in the world, and there was a curious mix of old technology and really old techniques and some modern ones. If you sent a letter to one of the doctors it was scanned in by the admin staff, and then put on the LAN for the doctor to read. This sometimes added a not completely trivial delay to the communications process. I assume that "in the old days" the letter would have been put into the doctor's in-tray or pigeon hole.

With so much communication with external organisations and people now taking place by email, there's less need for this, though unfortunately in the UK we haven't got used to secure email (maybe HMG doesn't want us to have that ...), so sometimes sending letters is safest from the point of view of privacy, security and authentication. In some countries (e.g Sweden) there is more of a push towards secure email, keeping the contents private, and methods which authenticate the sender. For example, I recently wanted to send a letter to various companies about my deceased parents in order to tidy up their estate. As I was typing one of these it occurred to me that the letter would contain information useful to someone who might want to hack into my bank accounts (typically security questions include "what is your mother's maiden name", "what is your father's first name" etc., so I hastily backed off doing that, and erased the text from the draft email folder. That example clearly (I hope) demonstrates the need for privacy, and also authentication, as someone else could have tried to impersonate me in dealing with the companies if they'd already acquired some of the information. In situations like that currently I still deal with organisations by regular mail, with checks by phone, or in person.

[Don Petter]

I recently received a P60 form, with the usual reminder to "save it in a safe place". Unfortunately I usually do, then forget where.
With the much reduced costs of modern technology I wonder if it would be better to scan it first, plus somehow tag it as a file, and only then put the original in a safe place.

It should work for most documents for which scanned copies or photocopies are acceptable.
It probably wouldn't work for documents such as CRB paperwork, which causes interesting effects if put through a photocopier.

You'd still have the problem of finding the original P60 if the tax man asks to see it! They only accept originals. (And they managed to lose one of mine which they said they'd sent back, but I never received. Luckily I had kept a copy.)

[Don Petter]

About 1990, possibly earlier I was being told by various IT experts about the imminence of the 'Paperless Office' surely we must be there by now.............................
Dunno, switch it off and try again.

I seem to remember it as much before that, and

"An early prediction of the paperless office was made in a 1975 Business Week article" says wiki!