Why Do I Need Document Storage for My Business?
Whether your business is big or small, you must keep documents safe and archived to ensure that you know where they are. However, it can be very difficult for a small businesses to have enough office space to cater for all of the documents needed, which is why document storage can be extremely helpful.
Security & Confidentiality
One of the most important reasons for document storage is that you are storing very sensitive information about you employees. Over time, this information which you need to keep, will build up and can get difficult to keep track of. Any good company will know that these documents must be kept in a secure location that doesn’t allow for prying eyes. Details such as whether an employee is a member of the Trade Union, any and all documents concerning payroll, plus other confidential information should not be available for every employee to review. This is why it can be reassuring to know that the documents are in a safe place and won’t be lost or damaged.
Accuracy
As well as being organised and easy to access, the files must also be up-to-date and accurate. An occurrence, such as getting rid of a more recent payment rate document and keeping hold of an older one instead, can be easily avoided if you’ve got everything where it should be. The documents should be kept in date order and filed away separately depending on what they are about, so when you need to find one quickly, there won’t be a huge panic as you rummage through mismatched mountains of paper to no avail. Instead, it will be exactly where it should be and easy to access without any issues.
More Space
If you work in a busy office, it can be easy to shove things in drawers out of the way – especially when there’s a lot of staff. If your company is expanding, it means that not only will there be a need for more space to fit new employees in, there will also be an increase in paperwork which seems somewhat of a problem. Not only will document storage keep everyone’s files neat and organised, if you choose to have it in a different location to where you work, it should free up space. This could perhaps be used for a new desk for one of your new employees.
Accountability
If you decide to store your documents somewhere that isn’t your company’s registered address, you must let Companies House know and keep them informed if it ever changes. You must also keep HMRC updated as they can ask to see your documents at any time. If you don’t keep accounting records, you can be fined £3,000 or even face being disqualified as a company director, so it’s important to keep on top of them.
Whether you’re looking to free up space for a new employee, are moving location or just making more effort in filing those all-important documents correctly, document storage could be the right option for your company. At Britannia Sandersteads we offer a range of storage solutions, so get in touch today to find out how we could help you.