I work in accounts payable. No, strike that. I am the accounts payable department. Lately a lot of companies have been sending us forms informing us that they are either cutting costs or, more commonly, “going green” and want to either e-mail or fax us our invoices. The reason why we ignore these is all invoices must come through the mail per corporate. I would have no problem getting invoices through e-mail. I’d have a copy of it just in case something happens and we can’t find it.
What’s pissing me off is those people who are calling it “going green”. That is not “going green”. That is forcing the people who are already paying you to spend more and print out the invoices themselves! How is that “going green”? Yes, if your company is advanced enough that they do everything online, then it’s a great thing and you’ve probably already been doing it. But I have to have paper copies of every invoice to code so the right things get charged and paid on the right date.
The companies, few that they are, who are honest and say that they are cutting costs by doing that have my respect. At least they’re not trying to call it something else. They’re admitting what they’re really doing and aren’t trying to greenwash it. It’s just so frustrating to see companies trying to make themselves look good by calling it “going green” instead of cutting costs.