b'The YCC FrontGoing PaperlessBy Michael Waldo, Kreiling Roofing Co.Peoria, ILT hatseasilyoneofthefully immersed with technology.You can probably mostcommonphrasesspot the digital immigrants in your office by finding thrown around by softwarethe employees who prefer to print out a document companies at roofing trade shows,and edit it with a physical pen versus the digital but is it actually feasible for yournatives who simply edit a document on the screen company?The short answer isof their computer.YES!The long answer is a little moreSo why do these differences matter when thinking complicated. about going paperless? The migration from paper to digital hasAs a leader in your company, its important to provide been accelerated by companies across the countryall your employees with an environment where they in light of COVID-19 and the related remote workingcan thrive.Simply forcing your digital immigrants recommendations by some states.Despite theto ditch their pens and paper and edit on screen is pressure most of us faced earlier this year, goingrecipe for an inefficient workforce.Luckily, there are paperless isnt something you can do in a spanways to accomplish both the goal of an all-digital of a few weeks and its not as simple as merelyfile structure while maintaining an environment ripping up your paper time sheets and handing yourconducive to the learning styles of everyone in your foreman iPads. organization, and this is why getting your employees The benefits of making your paperwork digital areinvolved in the decision making is so important.enticingconsistent data collection, increasedMost companies already have several different types efficiency,dependablebackupsinthecloud,of software they use on a regular basis.The goal improved data security and many more.On theof going paperless isnt necessarily to replace these conference trade floor, its these benefits that makeexisting systems, its more so to find a way for going paperless such a highly utilized buzz word.each of those programs to share information with These software companies succeed and make salesone another, if needed.What might be a printed by selling you a dreama dream thats certainlyreport from one and a manual entry into another in attainable, but its a dream that requires serioustodays workflow, could be a .csv file export from thought by your project leaders, collaboration byone and template import into another in tomorrows your employees andmost importantly, buy-in frompaperless world.everyone involved.This isnt the kind of projectSo, lets say youre ready to try going paperless that can be completed by simply mailing a check toor at least mostly paperless.Whats the roadmap a team of consultantsyoull want and need yourlook like?seasoned employees to help design and implement the new processes. 1.Create an implementation team - Regardless Generational differences have always been presentifyourehiringaconsultanttohelpyour in the labor force, but the current clash betweencompany navigate the process or not, creating Baby Boomers and Generation X versus Millennialsan implementation team is extremely important. and Generation Z has been particularly apparentYour goal for this group is not to take the most and its paramount to understand these differencestech-savvy individuals in your company (although before making any changes.At the core of thesehaving at least one who also has familiarity disparities, the two former generations grew up inwith your companys operations is helpful), but an analog era and probably used their first computerinstead create a diverse group of employees when they were already adults.In other words, theywho can provide a representable sample of the are digital immigrants.On the flipside, Millennialsthoughts and opinions of all your employees. and Generation Z are digital natives, growing upDont forget to get your employees in the field involved!26 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'