The Truth on Paper

Paperless offices are rare. Those few that exist usually rely on external, paper-using offices for various kinds of support. Despite the claims of digital experts, the world continues to depend on paper, and will continue to do so for many years. So, before we complete our transition to paper-free and still rely on paper documentation, let’s explore the risks associated with it.

By Guy Robertson

Guy Robertson is a senior planner at TMC and an instructor at the Justice Institute of BC and Langara College. He has written five books and numerous articles on corporate security and disaster planning, and offered workshops and lectures at conferences across North America and in the UK.

Essential but Fragile

Paper is fragile. It is constantly at risk from careless handling, accidental destruction, moisture damage, and hungry insects such as silverfish. Misfiling can send paper into the void. Occasionally large amounts of valuable paper documents go missing. Years ago in a Canadian city, the rear doors of a delivery van flew open and scattered thousands of confidential documents along a three-mile stretch of highway. A group of university students spent a week retrieving them from ditches, drains, and nearby tree branches. The process of sorting, drying, and cleaning the documents cost a substantial sum, and many of the recovered documents were damaged. In the end, approximately 20% of them were illegible, and at least 15% were never recovered.

Aside from such risks, there are risks related to items that we attach to paper documents or add to their contents. Examples include:

Staples

While they are essential in many instances to hold documents together and in the correct order, staples can cause wear-and-tear—literally—in the corners of documents. When corners deteriorate, the loss of information becomes possible. As well, metal staples can rust and disintegrate, causing a document containing multiple sheets to fall apart.

Paper Clips

Like staples, they can cause damage to documents owing to wear-and-tear and rust. Archival paper clips can be applied for long-term use. However, they can come loose over time.

Pins

They have been replaced by staples and paper clips in many offices, but still hold together many older documents. They can rust and come loose. They can also jab users’ fingers: a fact that explains the small bloodstains on some archival documents.

Sticky Tape

Often used to repair tears, tape can turn yellow and stain paper. Tape glue can dry out and weaken, causing tears to reopen. Tape that covers text can also cause inks and toners to fade.

Post-It Notes

They are heavily used in many offices and perform valuable functions. They serve as place-markers and can be attached anywhere in a document to add comments and additional data. They can be removed and reattached as required. But over time, their glue can deteriorate, and they can come loose and lose their proper place in documents. Finding the original place for a loose Post-It can take time and lead to frustration. Loss of a Post-It that contains essential information can render an entire document inaccurate, out-of-date, or even misleading.

Other risks include heavy underlining, frequent folding and unfolding, exposure to light that causes fading and discoloration, food and beverage spills, and misbehaving pets. Never underestimate a dog or cat that enjoys chewing soft material. They will have no reason to fear the paperless office any time soon.

If you’d like to comment on this article or explore these ideas further, contact me at guy.