Filing and Records Management

6. In the Longer Term

6.1 Be clear about how long you want to keep different types of file - for your own business reasons - and how long you are compelled by law to keep them (see 7).

• Keep long-term records in good condition by storing them in boxes.
• Move old records out of the main filing system and into an archive to cut costs and storage requirements. This helps keep the filing system efficient and uncluttered.

6.2 Apply sensible disposal schedules that encourage people to get rid of material as soon as it is clearly not going to be needed.

6.3 For long-term storage, consider scanning paper files into computer files.

• This will incur costs initially, but reduce your storage costs.

6.4 If you are in expensive office space and need access to a lot of archive files, consider using a records management company.

• Each file is bar-coded and stored ready for immediate delivery to you when required.
• The legal, accounting and insurance sectors are all users of this service, as they cannot afford to mislay customer records.