Are You Hoarding Your Business Records? Take Heed: Disposal Is Just as Important as Retention

You have files and documents that are several years old packed away in boxes that are tucked away in various corners of your office. They’re certainly not doing any harm and have been sitting idly for years. “What’s the big deal?” you ask. It would take hours to go through them and figure out what to get rid of anyway.

Like many, when it comes to your business records, you may live by the mantra, “If in doubt, keep it.” Certainly, having a record retention programme is crucial to running a business, but holding onto documents longer than necessary can also result in heaps of trouble.

Disposal compliant with the Data Protection Act

A key principle of the Data Protection Act of 1998 states, “Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or purposes.” Failure to comply with the act can result in criminal prosecution or monetary penalties of up to £500,000. These penalties may be in addition to the following ancillary repercussions:

• Monetary compensation to individuals affected
• Negative press coverage
• Loss of client and shareholder confidence
• Permanently damaged business reputation

A verifiable and auditable document destructionprocess managed by a professional shredding company can eliminate these risks and provide a method for the timely disposal of sensitive information. For those old business records that have been cluttering your office for years and need to be cleared out, secure document destruction sacks can be provided, thus facilitating quick and convenient bulk disposal. Ongoing disposal needs can be addressed with secure lockable consoles. Strategically placed within an office, these eliminate the time-consuming process of utilising shredding machines and can ensure weekly, fortnightly or monthly disposal of confidential documents. We can also provide a solution for the disposal of non-paper items such as:

• IT Equipment
• backup media
• uniforms
• branded items

Other resources that can help

If there were a hard and fast rule that applied to the retention of all types of business records, it wouldn’t be so difficult in determining when to dispose of files. In addition to specific requirements for each business sector, individual businesses must take into consideration retention laws set forth by the municipalities—local and international—within which they operate. Not surprisingly, determining retention periods and end-of-lifecycle disposal can be especially challenging.

Before setting a retention schedule in stone, it’s important to consult with your legal department, finance department, and any trade groups specific to your industry. A local information management expert can also provide strategies for organising your physical and electronic file inventory.

Yorshred offer secure onsite shredding and secure offsite shredding tailored around your business. These shredding services include one off shredding, daily shredding, weekly shredding, fortnightly shredding and four weekly shredding. We even offer a 24 hour a day shredding service so that we do not disturb your business during normal working hours.

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