"With so much technology at our fingertips, it’s surprising and disappointing to see that companies are still relying so heavily on paper-based processes"
Employees in the finance sector were the second highest group of paper users, behind education but above construction and utilities.
However the finance industry is trying to become less reliant on paper, with 77% of companies implementing paper-saving processes.
The legal sector, which is often perceived as traditional in its processes, is ahead of other sectors with four-fifths (80%) of employees saying their bosses have introduced paperless working.
Colin Yates, chief support officer at WorkMobile, said: “With so much technology at our fingertips, it’s surprising and disappointing to see that companies are still relying so heavily on paper-based processes like printing documents and posting mail, and are not introducing the most basic of steps to reduce the use of paper.
“Over recent years, there has been a lot of focus on becoming more environmentally friendly as a society and reducing wastage to protect the planet. But despite attempts by government organisations and campaigners to raise awareness around the implications of using paper and cutting down trees, it’s clear that a large number of businesses are still not taking note.
“Technology has advanced way beyond clunky fax machines and printing out hundreds of documents on a daily basis. And with more and more employees now working remotely using mobile devices, we shouldn’t be using so much paper. Companies must look to introduce paper-less policies to improve internal processes and make for greater efficiencies and accuracies. The future of their businesses could well depend on it.”
