Clean up your workspace by disposing of those extra copies or unused documents sitting at your desk. When you leave these sensitive documents out in the open, you could put your company at risk of a data breach.
Depending on the type of document, you may need to shred some information sooner than others. Find out how frequently you should shred your documents, from legal and financial documents to general paperwork.
Legal and Financial Documents
Legal and financial documents often contain sensitive information that requires careful handling. Each of these documents has a legal retention period that expires after a certain amount of time. Once that timeline ends, you should shred these documents.
For example, you could shred tax records that are more than seven years old. They are no longer useful for your business, yet they contain information that could lead to identity theft. Maintain confidentiality by shredding these documents when they pass their retention period.
Employee Records
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires businesses to retain employee records for at least three years. This includes contracts and performance reviews that hold contact and personal information on your staff.
After this period, shredding these documents protects employee privacy and prevents unauthorized access to personal data. Destroy these documents thoroughly to manage your business’s paperwork and protect your employees.
Customer Information
You should frequently shred documents with customer data, such as contact details and purchase records, to maintain customer trust and comply with privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Establish a shredding schedule to review and destroy outdated or unnecessary customer files.
Mark your schedule for a quarterly or bi-annual shredding date for your company. This practice protects customer information and improves your company’s reputation in the eyes of new clients.
Marketing Materials and Drafts
Shred old marketing materials and outdated business strategies as soon as you no longer need them. This saves you from unintentionally disclosing proprietary business information to unauthorized users. Implementing a monthly shredding routine for these materials keeps sensitive business strategies confidential and reduces the risk of information leaks.
General Office Documents
Regularly shredding general office documents helps to declutter your office space and prevents potential information leaks. Establish a bi-weekly shredding schedule to destroy meeting notes or internal memos and maintain organization in your workspace.
Each document serves a purpose for your company, but outdated or unused information could fall into the wrong hands if not disposed of properly. Set appropriate timelines, and organize your paperwork to determine when it’s time to shred these documents.
The best way to destroy outdated documents is by using a paper shredder to finely chop these papers beyond reconstruction. Browse paper shredder companies, such as Capital Shredder, to find a high-quality industrial shredder for your business.
