Your office security is more important than ever. There will always be potential threats of burglary, crimes, and injuries in any industry and establishment. While there may be a lot of other priorities your business needs to invest in, one shouldn’t overlook the importance of workplace security. After all, when your employees and assets are secure, everyone can work more productively for the benefit of your company.
Risks are everywhere, and even exclusive-to-employees business offices face theft and internal incidents risks. Creating a solid workplace security system and approach to mitigate such risks is critical. While you may have set up security measures for your data assets, now is the time to consider the physical security of your workplace.
Here are some pointers to establish a secure workplace for all your employees:
- Invest In Security Tools
There are no businesses free from or exempted from break-ins, thefts, and losses. At some point, business and office establishments are exposed to these threats. Even more so for the banking, schools, and hospitality industries. Nonetheless, whatever industry your business is partaking in, it’s crucial to secure your office perimeters. Hence, here are some security tools that are worth investing in:
- Sturdy Door Locks And Barriers
Robberies, thefts, data breaches, and many other threats could happen anytime and anywhere. Although sturdy doors and locks effectively protect your properties from dangerous people, it’s wise to barricade your doors with a sleeve.
Enhance your door security with products and systems offered by Fighting Chance Solutions. They offer security and safety unlike any other appliance or tool on the market. Your facility and workspace are kept safe and private with this barrier. The additional layer of protection makes the premises safer and allows you to control who enters and leaves the premises at any given time.
- Fence
Installing a fence around your property is also a great way to increase your security, and hiring a commercial fencing contractor can help your business achieve unparalleled security and privacy. It will prevent outsiders from quickly accessing your property and act as a first line of defense against intruders preventing potential theft or damage.
- CCTV
One of the most effective ways of increasing office security is by utilizing CCTV cameras. They effectively deter potential criminals, and they could track any abnormal incidents in your facilities. A great-quality camera can record everyone’s movement and intentions, so you can quickly tell if anyone’s doing something fishy.
Although your office may not encounter a lot of visitors, a camera is still essential to observe your internal staff and ensure that no one is doing something unethical. It is critical to install the best security technology for your office, including back alleys, garages, and corridors that are not easily accessible to avoid any trouble from happening.
- Access Control Systems
Systems for access control that use electronic means are far more sophisticated than door locks. It’s time to upgrade your access control systems to ensure your office security against outsiders. Access can be controlled at different levels to one or more sites, allowing you to control who enters the workplace. When you limit who enters, you also reduce the possibility of theft and robbery.
- Alarm System
The impact of alarms on your business premises is similar to that of CCTV; therefore, they have the added benefit of deterring criminal activity. Their primary purpose is to detect perimeter breaches automatically, which elevates your security to a great level. Your facility can be safe from burglars and trespassers without employees and security guards. An alarm system can automatically notify you and the authorities of any break-ins. Security alarms are among the oldest tools to increase office security, and they remain a top choice.
- Employ Security Guards
Understandably, your staff would be more productive when they’re more satisfied and happier with their work environment. Employee satisfaction is actually more important than you may think. One aspect that can increase the contentment of your organization is to improve office security. You can enhance your workplace’s perceived level of protection by employing security guards. It can be an additional workforce expense, but their benefits surely outweigh such costs.
The company’s employees will feel safer and more confident knowing that they are protected – that if an incident occurred, a security guard would be on site. Ensure that your hired security guards are well-trained and well-equipped in dealing with any potential threat. Implement different strategies so your security guards can fully take care of your office security.
- Report Unsafe Conditions
Workers may hesitate to speak up about specific unsafe conditions or hazards to their superiors, fearing that they may get themselves or others into trouble. However, this shouldn’t be the case. Reporting unsafe conditions to supervisors as soon as you see them is the only way to stop it from getting worse or recurring in the future. Encourage everyone to be communicative with their team leaders or managers if they see any suspicious person or incidents happening.
If there are any unsafe situations, your supervisor has a legal obligation to take care of them and ensure safety. However, they need to carefully assess the situation before acting upon them. Once a hazard or risk is identified, inform key players quickly and effectively to help mitigate it. If necessary, get a lawyer to protect your rights and safety. Together, everyone can help determine a way to prevent the unsafe situation from recurring.
- Create An Emergency Plan And Prepare Emergency Exits
Creating or updating an emergency plan is vital for improving your workplace security. In case of any unlikely incident, everyone must know where to go and what to do. It helps businesses survive and recover in an emergency or disaster, thereby improving long-term workplace security. An emergency plan can include your evacuation plan, emergency exit locations, data backups, and emergency authority contact information. Ensure to share all these details with all employees.
As for your emergency exits, everyone should be informed where they are. And there should be clear pathways toward these exits. In the event that the power and elevator are down, all employees should know where to go and how to access the exit of your premises.
Additionally, it is essential to conduct periodic drills so new staff can become familiar with both evacuation and emergency procedures. Aside from ensuring emergency exits, your office should also have emergency tools such as a door barrier and fire extinguisher should there be any fire or intruder in the office.
- Double-Check Candidates Before Hiring
Another essential tip to ensure workplace security is to carefully assess the people you hire. You can’t risk the entire company’s security simply because you fail to conduct a thorough background check on a newbie. No matter the position, always perform a background check on new hires. Use an agency that specializes in this type of investigation or background checking to determine whether the candidate has a criminal record or has gone through a legal process under record expungement law. Your human resource department should administer effective screening, interviewing, and testing to know whether a candidate is ethically and morally fit for your company. If necessary, they should look into the arkansas state records to find out more information on any candidate in the state.
Conclusion
Office security measures cannot be standardized. Security practices may differ depending on your office, business nature, and staff. But the suggestions mentioned above are valuable and helpful for many offices, no matter what scale of business they have. You can use these recommendations to create a foundation for protecting your employees effectively.