1.6 WHY RECORDS MANAGEMENT IS NECESSARY
A close correlation exists between an institutions ability to operate sound and satisfactorily with the quality of its records management service. It is therefore practically impossible for a body to function purposefully if its records management service is insufficient. An efficient records management service requires the following:
- That staff responsible for the administration of records be properly trained.
- That efficient classification system be implemented and maintained
- That records be disposed of in systematic and responsible manner.
(I) Supports better decision making
- Information in its recorded form is found easily
(II) Controls the creation and growth of records.
- Creating and storing records costs money
- Records management allows only the creation and storage of only those records that are required by the organization and the rest destroyed.
- Enormous amounts of money hence saved.
(III) Reduces operating costs
- Without records management records will accumulate demanding more storage units, personnel, office space and other overheads.
- Records will be retained longer than they ought to be.
- V) Improves efficiency and productivity
- Retrieval is normally enhanced if records management is in place.
- Efficiency means that the correct information will be relayed to to the correct person at the correct time in the correct format and in the correct amount.
- You take minimal time to locate and retrieve.
(V) Ensures regulatory compliance
- Various regulations or legislations govern how long records should be kept.
- To ensure that all regulations are compiled with, records management principles must be adhered to.
(VI) Preserves the corporate memory
- Corporate memory is the accumulated knowledge and information found within an organization
- Memory is the history of the organization, the background to decisions that have been made and the decision which will be made in the future.
- Such preservation is essential to ensure that the identity of an organization is protected.
(VII) Fosters professionalism in the business.
- When office records and files are poorly maintained, the pride and morale of the employees suffer.
- Such ensures that every record is exactly where it should be all the time.
- Information becomes readily available.
(VIII) Facilitates the implementation of new records management technologies
- Before automation is made possible the entire manual systems must be up to scratch.
- If the manual system is chaotic, chaos will reign even after automation.
