Workplace security is paramount as it is the level of security and safety your workplace can provide its employees, equipment, and buildings. It is essential to ensure that all employees are protected and feel safe in their working environment and that the building, equipment, and goods are secure and protected from damage or burglary.
Taking workplace security seriously will have a hugely positive impact on your day-to-day operations and is a preventative measure to ensure you keep your expenses down and your business running and functioning. Take, for example, your stock; should it be damaged or stolen, it will cost you not only to replace the items but will also impact the workplace's productivity until the items have been replaced or restored. Moreover, it will negatively affect your employees, who may feel unsafe and vulnerable.
Alarm systems
Alarm systems are an easy and effective way to improve workplace security. Alarm systems deter potential intruders, making it less likely your business will fall victim to a break-in or burglary. This, in turn, will promote the safety of your employees and business assets. Further, should an alarm system be sounded during a break, it should alert the intruders and stop them from proceeding, thus further protecting your business.
Alarm systems come in many formats and have different capabilities. You can have a basic model that sounds like an alarm or one linked to a monitoring system or alerts the police or security personnel who attend the scene once triggered.
CCTV
CCTV is another incredibly effective means of enhancing your security protocols. CCTV will catch intruders or trespassers on video, which will act as a deterrent in itself and make criminals more prone to being caught or identified. CCTV can also help to catch suspicious behavior and put a company on alert should anything untoward be detected.
Another by-product of installing CCTV, other than preventing break-ins, is that it can help to identify any risks or flaws in security that are currently experienced by your business or staff. CCTV can be used to provide evidence of safe or unsafe business practices or help to settle internal disputes arising from workplace related accidents, injuries, or incidents.
If you plan on installing CCTV in and around your building, you might think that doing it yourself would be optimal, however, before you do this, you should look at Comparing DIY and Professional CCTV Installation so that you can see which is the best way to go about it so your business is tightly secure.
Regular maintenance of your security systems
Whatever means of security you opt for, whether it is alarming, CCTV, or both, you should always stay on top of the maintenance of these systems to ensure they are working effectively. Any form of technology can fall victim to system faults, downtime, or poor security, so by carrying out regular maintenance checks; you should be able to minimize the chance of your security system letting you down when you need it most.
ID badges
Employee ID badges are handy in larger organizations or businesses that involve a high number of staff, a lot of foot traffic, or a high turnover of visitors and guests. Allowing anyone to roam around the interiors of your business could pose a real security risk to staff, equipment, and visitors. Every effort should be made to provide anyone on the premises with ID badges or a means of identification. They should also be required to sign in and out of the premises to ensure that a record of their presence is kept. Finally, if your ID badges double up as access keycards, could you make sure you grant only necessary access to personnel?
Employee education
Another critical component to ensuring the security and safety of your workplace is ensuring that all employees are fully active and have safety and security procedures in place. Could you set up a written procedure or list of responsibilities for employees to ensure they are fully aware of what is expected of them? Having a written resource that employees can refer to can help them avoid key security steps, such as locking away essential products or preventing alarm systems from being missed, forgotten, or overlooked.
However, before you do this, your employees must undergo the relevant training to ensure they fully understand, know, and appreciate the expected safety and security standards and how to achieve them. Training should be highly standard and offered continually to ensure it is always up-to-date and relevant to the workplace.
