
When to dispose of sensitive documents
As a business, you know that you have at least several stacks of paperwork around your office at any one time. The documents that a business has defines it; they contain company information, employee information, client records, invoices, and a wealth of other vital pieces of information needed to run your business on a day-to-day basis. But when should you dispose of these sensitive documents? All documents outlive their usefulness at a certain point and holding on to them just means you have to find space for unnecessary paperwork mountains.
However, for most businesses, it can be difficult to set a schedule for clearing out any old files. But destroying outdated documents has many benefits, not just creating space in your office, but also helping prevent identity theft and information losses. The best thing to do is start spring cleaning every year; this will ensure your business is always up to date, without old files getting in the way.
Many businesses are required to keep certain pieces of private client information, as well as company data, for a minimum time. There are numerous records that should be kept for up to a minimum of six years, though the exact time should be looked into for each document type. These documents can include employee contracts, business loan documentation, expense reports and professional consultation fees, among others.
Other documents may be kept for shorter or longer amounts of time, so it’s important to know how long your company is legally required to hold onto a document for before you start the disposal process.
By regularly maintaining your filing cabinets/loose paperwork and securely ridding your business of outdated documents, you can help your company minimise the risk of any sensitive information that you hold being accessed by unauthorised individuals. Unsecured data is always at risk, and can result in identity theft, fraud, and even financial loss.
So, how do you know when to start disposing of your documents?
- Determine which of your business’s documents need to be kept and for how long you need to keep them.
- Limit the number of employees who have access to company files; whether this is a file room or electronic documents.
- For employees without regular access, create a request system for them in case they need a specific document.
- Mark a disposal date for each new document file that has a hardcopy. This should be clearly marked on each file, and the proper disposal methods should be noted in multiple places where the documents are stored.
- Ensure that all file boxes contain a complete list of their contents in a visible place on the outside of the box. Avoid keeping loose documents.
- Hire a reliable third-party to destroy your documents for you. They should have an itemised list of documents that need to be destroyed and should provide certification that the documents have been properly disposed of.
Once you’ve input this new system, you should consider storing your documents off-site and switching to electronic documents to save time and space.
You may also like
Archives
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- February 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
Categories
- A Good Appetite
- Arts
- Arts, Crafts, Boutiques
- Backing
- Blog
- Breakfast
- Building & Construction
- Business
- Business & Finance
- Catering
- City Kitchen
- Computers & Electronics
- Desserts
- Dinner
- Economy
- Education & Learning
- Entertainment
- Entrepreneur
- Events
- Events and Planning
- Family
- Fashion & Accessories
- Fashion & Style
- Food
- Food & Drink
- Gambling
- Gaming
- Health
- Health, Beauty & Wellness
- House & Home Improvements
- Industry
- Insurance
- Investment
- Law
- Lifestyle
- Main
- News
- News Center
- Others
- Personal Services
- Pets & Pet Care
- Photographer
- Politics
- Property & Real Estate
- Science
- Services
- Shopping
- Snacks
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- Travel & Transportation Services
- Uncategorized