Small business owners are our heroes. You've seen it all. Done it all. With fewer resources than the competition. And that requires you and your team members to become experts in a multitude of disciplines outside of your primary expertise - human resources, finance, marketing, security, IT, tax strategy, document management, and more. At Shred America, we believe in taking one of those things off of your plate by making records retention and destruction affordable and accessible for small business owners. Some of the ways we do that is by providing step-by-step guidance at no cost through our blog, by coming directly to you and shredding on-site for convenience, and by sharing our expertise along with our services, so you don't have to learn the ropes in order to choose a provider or the right service to meet your needs.
Small businesses have different paper shredding, paper recycling, and records management needs than large businesses. If your organization is new to paper destruction, recycling paper, or records retention, developing a records management policy serves a number of important purposes:
Wondering how to begin the process of creating a records retention policy? We're happy to help! First, locate records retention rules and regulations for your industry, if any exist. Be sure to check for both federal and state guidelines and follow whichever is more stringent.
Then, begin drafting your policy. Include the purpose of the policy, the records covered in your policy, how long each type of record should be retained, how record security will be maintained while records are in the building, and how records will be destroyed when they've surpassed their retention date. Be sure to discuss the qualifications that a vendor should possess in order to meet confidentiality guidelines and how the organization will prove in an audit (if applicable) that vendors were compliant. Don't forget to include the disposal of old technology in your policy.
Having a records retention and document shredding policy in place can help protect proprietary information, safeguard your employees' and clients' personal information, and help you establish a trustworthy reputation in your industry. It can also help you defend yourself against any lawsuits that arise in the future.
Ready to get started? Contact Shred America today - we have locations that cater to small businesses throughout the United States.