Too Much Paperwork?

A topic: how to make the higher ups see that the paperwork they think is efficient is anything but, when implemented.  Example, in our office all job applicants fill out an application form.  Our national office wants us to interview the applicant and fill out the forms on the computer.  Our assessment form alone is three pages long and we will have to ask every question on it--a time consuming, needless task.  Anonymous

Joseph Campbell a well known mythologist spoke many years ago about how every organization creates its own Frankenstein.  He refers to the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey as a great teacher of the Frankenstein lesson.  In the movie humanity creates a computer called HAL and its purpose is to protect humanity from the elements.  During the journey HAL becomes a monster and starts killing the people he was suppose to protect.  The only way that the survivors can stay alive is to dismantle HAL.  In 2000 we all experienced this with Y2K.  We created the computer and it was going to turn on us.  

There is a book Reinventing Government that Key West uses as a philosophy for running our city government.  The book looks at how governments can become efficient and friendly to both customer and staff and keeps it integrity.  The book leads us to the conclusion that government is built around the idea that you can not trust workers and everything has to be documented.  Everything has to have everyone sign on everything so you might have several supervisors sign off on the same document.

I understand the need for documentation but some case workers are spending more time documenting the clients then they are working with the clients.  The paperwork now controls the worker.  When I was a JTPA Director I realized how we spend most of our time thinking about the AUDITOR.  I do believe records need to be kept but I am not sure if we have to have so many.  What has your office done to cut down on paper work or how have you learned to make yourself more efficient with your paperwork?

RESPONSES:

Everyone complains that there is too much paperwork but I, for one, believe in the power of paperwork in order to run any organization smoothly and efficiently.

Gone are the days of trying to remember every detail of a job. Gone are the days of relying on the "other guy" to remember to do his job correctly.

Now, we must reduce everything to writing. That is the way it is. Whether it is hard copy or on line...paper makes the entire world go round!

I couldn't do my job with out it!

Ruth

Hmm paperwork. That is something my colleagues and I struggle with. It has become burdensome. We use boil plating as much as possible so we're not typing the same thing over and over again. I type as much of the repetitive information in a form as much as possible and then copy the form.  Then I only have to fill in new data as it comes in which saves time. When we have reviews due on a certain date, I have set up a "tickle file" in the back of my appointment book to jog my memory of which ones have to be done that month so I can plan ahead.  Paula

I think redundant paperwork is the bane of all govt. agencies.  However, I'm not sure heavy paperwork is the problem, so much as having a heavy caseload.  I have about 300 people on my caseload---that's an awful lot of people to service correctly.  Were my caseload to be reduced to a manageable #, such as 80, I doubt the paperwork would be such a problem.  On top of this, we have to update client info in the state computer system, as well.  Usually, this system is down when you try to access it, or it shuts off while you're in it.  I decided one day that I can only go so fast without losing accuracy, and it's better to be sane and behind in paperwork/data entry, than to be up-to-date and do a messy job that must be redone---haste makes waste! 

Josette

As a person with a disability in a bureaucratic position and always
inundated with paper this is an all consuming mind boggling issue for me. I
have finally learned to remind myself to reduce everything to smaller
increments so do things like paperwork in hour long segments. I never leave
on Friday without having employer job orders filed away in appropriate
folders along with whatever else is left in file box. I try to use same
method with special projects that are active - in process so I don't have
to face them in disarray on Monday. Notebooks seem to also be a good way to
control projects or special assignments. File space is at a premium here
so periodically, I purge old files to be up to date. It is a never ending
dilemma and I'll welcome other folks perspective and suggestions. Aloha to
all, Joy

Hey Paul, being somewhat of a rebel myself I often like to simply not do or forward all of the traditional paperwork that has been sent up the ladder in the past.  It can be very eye-opening for a senior manager to suddenly realize that s/he's not received your report, attempt to follow up with you only to discover that last week wasn't the first week you failed to send it....in fact you haven't done or forwarded "that report" for three or four months now!  Oops....how critical was that report anyway....really?? (I advise some forethought and caution with this suggestion though...not everyone recognizes the irony as quickly as you do!)

Another thing I've observed about paperwork is that our fear of doing it is far greater than the time spent just getting down to it and getting it done.  Take performance reviews for example.  Nearly everyone hates doing them.  Hey, they're time consuming, open us to liability issues and if done correctly can flat make employees cranky.  Do you make your employees sound like they're walking on water ultimately skipping over the issues that really irk you (or may be holding your employee back) or do you focus on those isolated issues and run the risk of breaking their spirit?  The simple answer....delegate or to put it nicer...."seek help."  Sell (don't demand) the idea that it makes more sense for the employee to take the first crack at the review paperwork.  How can you possibly remember the one (or two, or three) thing(s) the employee accomplished over the past year and is most proud of?  Now, instead of fussing over how to draft that performance review you allow the employee to share his/her thoughts with you focusing on the highlights and working through the rough spots (most employees will be harder on themselves than you would anyway.)  The focus is that you are now putting the paperwork into the right hands.  Trust me it will get done because the employee really wants the feedback.  (Don't we all want to know that we're doing a good job or what we need to be doing to do an even better job?)

Finally, find ways to make the paperwork function for you and avoid becoming a slave to it.  If the report makes sense then do it and if not then try to figure out what (if anything) would be better in its place. 

 Anonymous