Productivity at work isn’t just about retaining the best employees. Although the saying goes it’s a bad worker that blames their tools, in some circumstances staff are hindered by archaic systems, poor communication and lack of up to date resources. Therefore, it could be argued that in many offices, employee productivity is lacking because they aren’t being provided with the correct tools to perform their day to day tasks.

Fortunately, a few technological tweaks and the implementation of new devices can improve the efficiency and productivity of employees and offices easily.

Office shredders

For businesses that deal with any documents containing sensitive data, GDPR legislation enforces that paperwork must be destroyed appropriately. Personal data can be shredded as part of a data management process, and Rexel have shredder machines to suit every workplace. In 2018 alone, following the introduction of GDPR, shredder sales across the UK, France and Germany increased by 23%¹.

Having a shredder that suits business requirements isn’t just important for legal purposes. Shredders form part of a greater workplace network of tools and devices that need to perform efficiently to ensure employees can remain productive. Rexel’s AutoFeed shredders can save time spent on shredding by 98%2. Further benefits include:

• Shredders which can destroy 750 sheets in one go (depending on the model)
• Automatic shredding with just the close of the machine lid
• Extra security with a 4-digit PIN code on larger models

Micro cross cut shredder

A micro cut shredder offers the highest level of security compared to a strip cut or cross cut shredder. Whilst strip-cut and cross-cut paper shredders are ideal for offices that handle day to day confidential documents, micro cut shredders are ideal for highly sensitive paperwork. Confidential documents could include:

• Strategic papers
• Financial records
• Medical documents
• Legal paperwork
• Employee records

Micro cross cut shredders have a P-security rating of P-5, P-6 or P-7. This means that an A4 document would be shredded into 2,000 to 12,500+ pieces depending on the machine.

A P-Rating guide can be seen below:

P-Rating	Approximate Shred Pieces (A4 Document)	Best For
P-2	40	Basic day to day non-sensitive data
P-3	200	General day to day documents containing sensitive data such as addresses
P-4	400	Ideal for bank statements and business confidential documents
P-5	2000	Appropriate for confidential financial or personal documents and strategic papers
P-6	6000	Necessary for legal, military and financial documents containing proprietary data
P-7	12500	The top standard for government and military reports

 

If security is paramount in the workplace then a P-5, P-6 or P-7 micro cut shredder could be appropriate. Find out more about micro cut shredders today.

Coffee machines

Brits consume around 70 million cups of coffee each day³ and employees who don’t get their caffeine fix can become disgruntled. Short of helping to simply keep staff awake, coffee can boost employee productivity by increasing mental alertness and endurance. For this reason, more and more organisations are investing in good coffee machines (and other free refreshments) to help keep people motivated and hydrated throughout the day.

Answering services

For organisations where telephone duty doesn’t fall on one person, picking up calls can really interfere with the working day. Being able to focus and get stuck into a task is only possible without continuous distractions. Whilst some businesses have a dedicated administrator or front of house employee, those that don’t could benefit from an answering service. Unlike a traditional answering machine that records a message, there are answering services available for businesses where a real-life person takes a call on an organisations behalf and passes the information on via email to the correct employee.

Knowing that any missed calls will be picked up by a real person ensures that important information isn’t missed, whilst still allowing employees to concentrate on the job in hand.

Laser printers

Some businesses use inkjet printers and they are appropriate for small companies that do minimal printing. However, organisations that print regularly and have more than one or two employees should ideally invest in a laser printer. Whilst laser printers are large machines that tend to be more expensive to purchase, the quality of the print is often greater than that of an inkjet.

A poorly functioning workplace will not yield results and employees may become disgruntled. Workers that are happy and have the tools to perform their roles to the best of their ability are often far more productive, meaning that businesses flourish. If you want your office to perform like a well-oiled machine, try and implement a few of the tips and tricks mentioned in this blog.

Find out more about Rexel Optimum AutoFeed+ shredders and how a paper shredder can improve productivity in your workplace today.   

Sources

1. GFK 2018 H1 EU3 *Shredding supports GDPR compliance
2. Evaluating AutoFeed Shredders. Prepared for ACCO Brands by Deep Blue Insight
3. http://hrnews.co.uk/how-investing-in-a-coffee-machine-for-your-office-can-benefit-your-employees/