Organizing a Purge Day for Your Business

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to happen in the spring. And just because it’s the middle of the summer doesn’t mean that you should wait until next spring to get a handle on your business documents. Let’s face it — we all hate to tackle the chore of purging old files from our offices. But it’s a necessary task that reduces the likelihood of breaches of privacy and confidentiality and helps keep your business running smoothly.

Beginning a purge project is the hardest part. Coming up with a plan of action will help you get started. Make an inventory of the types of documents your business utilizes. Find out the retention periods associated with each type. You’ll be surprised to learn how much of your record inventory is either duplicated or well past its retention period.

After you’ve performed your initial assessment, you can plan a purge day. Fridays or a day before a holiday work well. Don’t forget to provide a lead up period for your staff, so that they can prepare; it encourages good purging habits in advance of the official day. Use this time to educate your staff about the importance of document management and security.

On the actual day, encourage your staff to wear jeans. Think about it. Would you clean your house in business attire? Have a pizza party! Sponsor a contest…”Guess the weight of the documents we destroyed.” Purging files is serious work and anything you can do to make your team members enjoy the day will be greatly appreciated.

When you have a plan and are ready to take action, give Records Management Center a call. Established in 1985, we provide on-site shredding and purge services to the entire Central Savannah River Area.

To find out how we can help you with your next purge project, please contact us by phone or fill out the inquiry form on our webpage.