The COVID-19 pandemic launched one of the largest experiments the workplace has ever seen. Businesses sent millions of people home. Companies scrambled to provide their workers with the resources they needed to work anywhere. Records and data, previously contained in-office, were spread across the globe. Now, as those offices fill with people and records again, companies need to make sure their return to office strategy contains a records compliance plan.
Prior to remote or hybrid work, records compliance was simpler. Offices, or offsite storage systems, provided centralized locations for the innumerable records and business data. However, in the past few years, workers weren’t in those centralized spaces. For many employees, access to those records was still crucial, no matter where they were working from.
As a result, some records may now be in the cloud, others at various storage spaces, and some may even be cluttered on the desk of an employee’s home office. Business leaders need to make sure that all of those records come back with their employees. If they don’t, and the company falls out of compliance, the penalty can be hefty.
Steps to Follow in a Return to Office Records Compliance Plan
- Inventory – Knowledge is power. The first step is determining what records your company is currently keeping, and where they are located. It is also important at this step to determine which records are sensitive and require extra security or processes.
- Index – Once you know what’s on the books, it’s time to figure out where it goes. Sensitive records should have clear procedures on where it is to be stored and accessed, including specific processes for on-site and off-site.
- Evaluate – In the years since the start of the remote work experiment, it’s likely that some documents still around are no more than clutter. Now is the time to figure out which to keep, and which can be jettisoned.
- Execute – Now that the house is in order, it’s time to figure out how to keep it there. Whether your company’s future is in office, hybrid, or fully remote, there should be clear procedures to follow going forward that make it simple and straightforward for employees to stay in records compliance.
Record Nations Can Help
Regardless of what your plans are for the future of your workspace, Record Nations can help. You can fill out the form on the right side of the page, or call us at (866) 385-3706, and one of our agents will work with you to create a tailored solution that addresses your needs.
