Looking to maximize office efficiencies in an organized and creative way?
From business transactions, agreements to receipts, filed documents are key to a company’s success. Because of that, keeping those documents and papers organized is critical. Accessible files create a huge difference in your team’s productivity.
A great filing system improves your office’s efficiency. It also keeps document-filing problems at bay. Although there are many filing systems out there, getting things color-coded makes everything easier.
Read on to learn more about color-coded filing systems and how they’ll benefit you.
Color-Coded Filing System: What Is It and How It Works
A color-coded filing system is a structure that shows information through color-coding files. When you color-code files, you assign colors on specific letters or numbers of a file folder’s name. By doing that, you then create blocks or bars of color when filed folders get organized in your storage.
These color bars will show when a file gets misplaced, making it easy to fix and prevent.
Color-coded filing systems work by designating colors on filed folders. Most offices do this by appointing a color for each digit and letter. Some prefer to set colors through associations like having all important files labeled red.
Types of Color-Coded Filing Systems
When you organize your office files with a color-coding system, doing it by letter or number isn’t the only way. Although, it is the most common type that offices use.
Here are some types of color-coded filing systems you can do for your office files.
Letters or Numbers
This color-coding system is often used for health records management in a doctor’s office. Patient folders get arranged from left to right in color-coded numbers or letters.
Importance
Another type of system is color-coding by importance or priority. Many offices, especially legal and law firms, choose this to organize their files. This makes it easier for lawyers to access documents for the most important cases.
There are many premade stickers for color-coding legal documents online. Check out Tabbies’ set of color-coded stickers and labels for more information.
Thematic
To maximize office efficiencies, some offices categorize their files into segments. Colors get assigned to identify data while putting it in one place. For instance, green is for any personal document like passports and IDs.
Business Color-Coded System
Organizing big stacks of files are best done through a business color-coding system. Instead of color-coding them by topics, corporations tend to color-code their files by year. Inside these color blocks, months of the year have strike colors.
The Importance and Benefits of Having a Color-Coded Filing System
All filing systems are important to keep office files neat and organized. But, there are certain advantages of using a color-coded filing system for your office.
Filing often takes up a lot of time from your employees’ working hours. Many end up wasting their time by searching and managing filed folders. Using color-coded filing systems maximizes office efficiencies and productivity.
Not only that, but a color-coded filing system can also increase ROI. This happens because the searching and locating of needed documents lessen, and the amount of time for projects increases.
Apart from that, there are other benefits of a color-coded filing system, such as the following.
- Faster file search
- Prevents document misplacement issues
- Saves time
- Improves workers’ attitude
- More accurate filing and retrieval
Unlike other filing systems, you can use color psychology on a color-coded system. Putting this kind of psychology at the workplace plays a part in keeping things efficient, productive, and motivated.
Getting Your Files Ready for Color-Coded Filing
The best way to succeed in organizing files is by making complete preparation. You can manage and organize files easier if they’re all prepared and arranged beforehand. To make sure you can save lots of time and avoid any hassle, here are some of the things you need to consider.
Check All The Documents You Have
Before color-coding labels, make sure to check all the documents you have. Make a rough inventory of it and begin sorting through your documents. You can make initial sorting and go through them again to finish your labels and colors.
When you do this, it’ll be easier to develop and color-code your filed folders.
Clean Up Old Files
Checking and sorting documents will always leave you with a stack of old files. Other companies tend to chuck those files out if they’re not relevant to save space. But legal firms can only do it under their state’s rules for retaining files.
In some states, law firms can get rid of old documents after a certain number of years. But in other places like New York, lawyers still need to keep efficiencies client files for an indefinite period. They’re only allowed if the client or third-party requests it.
What other law firms do to clean up old files is by making a file retention policy. This helps outline their rules on what documents need to stay and its duration of stay. It also indicates how files get disposed of.
Storage Space
One big consideration you need to make when developing a file system is the storage space. You need to keep in mind the size of your physical efficiencies . Check if there’s enough space to place all your documents and files.
Once you do, you’ll know whether you need more office space or storage furniture. It will also help in how you categorize your files. Smaller storage means making use of business color-coding or thematic color-coding systems.
When you can make up space by having furniture like cabinets, look for something that has hanging files. Although they’re great, they can still lead to physical space issues.
Increasing Office Efficiency With a Color-Coded Filing System
Getting your office to be more efficient and productive is always a welcome change. But that may be a far-off dream when your files are all over the place. To resolve that problem, developing a system like the color-coded filing system is essential.
Are you looking for more tips on increasing workplace efficiency? Don’t stop here! Check out our other blog posts for more great guides to make your business more efficient Learn More
