Poor Paperwork Management Blamed for FSA Sting
A respected hotel in the Isle of Wight was recently shocked when the Food Standards Agency gave them a rating of zero – and has said that a paperwork error was to blame. The George Hotel in Yarmouth used to be a Michelin starred restaurant and has played hosts to celebrity guests.
A rating of zero means that an establishment requires ‘urgent improvement.’ A manager at the hotel has said that an administration problem was the main contributing factor to the unforgiving rating, after the inspection in September. The paperwork error is said to be resolved, but the hotel will have to wait until the next visit to be rated again.
Poor paperwork management has obviously been a recipe for disaster for The George Hotel. Unorganised paperwork can be a problem in all businesses, but to many it would seem unlikely to affect a hospitality establishment. But all businesses have files to keep and standards to upkeep, so having an efficient system is a must.
In November, a spokeswoman for The George Hotel said that the administrative problem had been rectified, to the satisfaction of Environmental Health Officers. She said, "Although we now have a clean bill of health we have to wait until the New Year to be given our official new rating which we are confident will be back to our previous high standards. We apologise to our customers for any concern caused by these administrative errors."
Improving Document Management
If your paperwork was to be inspected by an industry body, do you think you’d pass? Businesses drowning in paperwork should take action before it starts to affect quality of work and compliance. Electronic document management has already been embraced by many organisations, and these forward thinking companies have seen results.
Firstly, using digital files instead of paper frees up lots of space, which can be put to better use. Some businesses can even save on storage costs or choose to move to a smaller office.
Implementing an electronic document storage system also increases productivity and efficiency. Your staff will no longer have to search through filing cabinets to retrieve information – it’s all available at the click of a button. Basic admin tasks will take less time which means that valuable time can be spent on other important jobs or business development.
If you think you need to improve your document management, see how Pearl Scan’s scanning services can help.
