A majority of Australian businesses rely on paper and print to run their operations, according to new research by Forum Group, with many reporting increased paper use in the past five years.

The Australian Workplace Digital Outlook report commissioned by Forum Group has found almost three quarters of offices (73 percent) still rely on paper for record keeping and processing, while the most paper-dependent departments are Human Resources (35 per cent), Finance (33 per cent) and Sales and Marketing (22 per cent).

Peter Burr, chief operating officer, Forum Group, contends that paperless offices appeared to be moving out of reach for many businesses.

In the past five years, only a handful of offices (11 per cent) have ceased using paper, while only 16 per cent of workers report their offices are paperless.

“Workers in one in five businesses say paper use is unchanged, and 8 per cent are saying paper has increased, which suggests some businesses attempts to digitise are failing,” Burr says. 

“Good financial and customer records are fundamental to a successful business.”

At the staff level, 15 per cent of respondents revealed a preference for paper, along with 20 per cent of suppliers and customers. 

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