Be A Green Business And Mean It

Read time: more than two minutes

Environmental consciousness is a buzz phrase that has become part of the mission statement for a lot of businesses in recent years. Businesses claim to be green and eco-conscious, with a mandate to follow environmentally-friendly best practices, but there seems to be an emptiness in a lot of these statements. There is a big difference between claiming to be green and actually being green.

As a new employee, I am impressed with Metrics’ commitment to a paperless system (among other green measures) and I began to wonder what other businesses, large and small, are doing to incorporate green practices into their office culture. I decided to do a broad survey, based on internet research, to find out more. Here’s what came up: an abundance of articles on buying energy-efficient light-bulbs, advice on switching to green cleaning products and, of course, buying 100% post-consumer recycled waste paper; it’s a bit more expensive, but hey, you gotta think about the environment! While these articles are informative and offer value, there is so much more that can be done to create a green office with minimal effort. With the average office worker using up to 10,000 sheets of paper per year*, a paperless system is a logical integration that can immediately lead to financial savings and reduced consumption. A win all around!

My research also led me to question why so many self-proclaimed green businesses are still using old-school accounting practices with paper: printed monthly bank statements, receipts matched to paper credit card statements or payroll records and emails printed from an online system or payroll company, at a minimum. In the past, the mentality, and reality, was that having a hard, paper copy was the only reliable, permanent record in case the taxman came knocking. Flawless; unless there was a fire, flood, sprinkler malfunction, or if an employee was a little too gung-ho about spring cleaning! Times have definitely changed and it is essential to move away from these archaic methods and to put a real commitment toward being green into action. To me, it is hypocritical and off-mission for businesses to implement minor eco-friendly practices while ignoring another resource-heavy aspect that can be switched to a paperless system seamlessly and effectively.

Luckily, there are businesses like Metrics, at the forefront of change and leading the way to elicit better methods. Metrics’ accounting systems are built for the digital era and are paperless, efficient, secure and provide seamless integration, archival integrity and an audit-proof trail. Being green is easy! As we sit on the threshold of a paperless revolution, it is time for businesses to practice what they preach, to audit their current systems and to integrate measures that will ensure the integrity of an eco-friendly mandate.