When Organisations Implement Something that Makes Sense (and even better when its yours)

Microsoft UK is no different from any organisation at present in its attempt to shave off costs where possible, which can sometimes seem frustrating or insignificant i.e. does reducing the number of sweets available at the reception desks really make a big impact (NB. This might just be a rumour that they are doing this but I have noticed a distinct lack of sweets in the bowl when I walk past – and trust me, I would know being a fan of the eclairs!) but what makes this more than bearable with some examples of this is when they do something that makes real sense. Better still, this not only makes sense but is a great example of how technology can help the environment and reduce carbon footprint

So enough suspense…what I am talking about is “proximity printing” which basically means that once you send a document to be printed from your PC, it wont print until you have swiped your card (in our case just our standard RAS access cards) against one of the additional new swipe machines that have appeared next to the printers. The best part of this is that you can swipe your card wherever you are – be it another building or even another office and that document will print out there and then

I have to applaud the team set up to roll this out as the instructions were simple to use (something I often struggle with), there will people around on the changeover day to answer questions or help, and once you have done the initial set up, all you need is your swipe card to operate each time.

It has always amazed me how when you do go to a printer there is a wad of printing that seems to have gone uncollected for days or even weeks. Now we have a solution to prevent that and ensure people don’t print for the sake of it

So, my friends, this is a victory for trees in our office