February 10, 2015

Time-Saving Solutions May Put Data at Risk

Having a busy day at work? Meetings; deadlines; juggling 10 different things at once: today’s workplace is often a hectic one. As our professional lives become busier, we find ourselves looking for ways to save time in the hope of getting more done. But these attempts at time-saving ‘life hacks’ could actually end up costing us in the long run.


We’ve identified seven potential time-saving traps that busy people may fall into throughout the day.

  • Skipping flossing: This may save you time in the morning, but skipping flossing can put your health at risk and result in a trip to the dentist. Not sensible in the long run!
  • Buying breakfast vs making breakfast: Whilst stopping off in your local coffee shop beats making breakfast at home, buying breakfast everyday can seriously make a dent in your pocket.
  • Using the transport network instead of cycling or walking: Although jumping on a bus or getting the train seems like the quicker option, delays and volume of commuters could result in being late to work. And for those of you who drive to work each day, a couple of extra minutes in bed each morning could mean you end up in the midst of rush hour traffic, when an earlier start could have had you on-the-go and ready to face the day quicker.
  • Sending emails instead of picking up the phone: Sending emails often seems like the easier option, but delays in response and miscommunication can lead to wasted work hours. And wasn’t the point to save time in the first place?
  • Shopping online vs bricks and mortar environment: Online shopping is touted as ‘the’ way to shop, especially for busy office workers, but late delivery times can be frustrating and lead to a number of emails/calls following up on missing items. And that trip to pick up a missed parcel is time that could have been spent on something else.
  • Skipping stretching: We all know the importance of stretching before a workout but how many people put time aside to do the necessary prep? Taking a few minutes to stretch out those muscles may save you days of achy muscles and help you avoid an injury that could put you out for weeks.
  • Using a wastepaper or recycling bin at your desk: The wastepaper or recycling bin may be conveniently located next to your desk, but getting up and putting your documents in a secure shredding console could save your company millions of pounds in financial penalties, legal battles and reputational damage.

When it comes to life hacks, the time saved might not be worth the eventual cost and that is certainly true of paper shredding and document disposal. Worryingly, 79% of SME business owners and 86% of larger company CEOs say that their employees have a recycling or wastepaper bin at their workspace, according to Shred-it’s latest Information Security Tracker survey. Considering your business could be fined up to £500,000 from the ICO, the cost is obvious – and that doesn’t even consider the damage from lost business and a drop in customer confidence.

But if you are looking to save time then having a reliable shredding and document destruction service provider is actually one way that you can save time and resources. By partnering with an organisation that can help you streamline your confidential waste disposal, you no longer have to spend your precious time dealing with volumes of waste and an in-house shredder. Now that’s time you can use elsewhere in your business and in your life.