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As you’ll probably agree, one of the most valuable assets of a company or institution is its records. How the records are maintained and organized can affect its competitiveness in the market. Records management has to comply with government and industry regulations and above all, it must aid in the every day operations of a business to help it run efficiently.
In simple terms, records management is the keeping, maintenance, disposal or archiving of records; it’s the “management” of the records from the time of their acquisition to when they’re no longer needed. In a physician’s office, for instance, they’re the patients’ medical history, progress notes, prescriptions, diagnostic tests and bills among others. In a law firm they consist of items such as corporate minutes, wills, correspondence to and from attorneys and pleadings to name a few.
With advances in technology, our files now include electronic records such as emails, data that’s stored in PDAs, servers and flash drives. In fact, recent legislation requires that both paper and electronic data be provided as evidence, when records are requested in a law suit.
Maintaining records properly ensures that everyone who has a stake in the organizations’ welfare comes out a winner. With the right records management, a company can achieve increased profitability, reduction of costs, accuracy of information and most importantly, remarkable efficiency.
So what does proper records management entail? First, it requires the designing of a plan that will adhere to the laws and mandates of a particular industry. Second, it involves the creation of administrative procedures; third, it involves hiring a professional individual or group of individuals who possess the right managerial skills; fourth, it needs for the proper communications system to be established so that records acquisition runs smoothly; and finally, it warrants a scheme that simplifies the disposal or archival of files.
Records management also involves having a back-up plan in the event of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or an earthquake. Ensuring the continuity of business is of the outmost importance. After all, records are used to serve clients, deliver goods, dispense legal advice, deliver medical treatment, develop new products and comply with legal requirements.
A manager has to be knowledgeable enough in order to assess whether the files can be disposed of or archived. He or she must know how long the law requires that the records be available or how they should be stored to meet legal mandates.
And today, a manager must decide on how the content of social media such as blogs, tweets and certain websites are to become records. All this and the above procedures for records management must be written and included as part of the office procedure manuals.
But the records manager is not the only person responsible for the preservation and maintenance of files. An organization that works together prospers. So everyone is responsible for ensuring that records are kept up to date, filed in the proper place and above all, kept confidential.
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