5 Ways to Improve Security in Your Place of Business
Whether you’re a business owner, a shift manager or just a rank-and-file employee, you know how important it is for your place of business to have adequate if not the best security it can afford. After all, we hear it all over the news—crimes happening to businesses all over, from burglaries and petty shoplifting to armed robbery and battery. And such offences are being carried out not just by outsiders but also by employees and other personnel.
Crimes are a fact of life that business owners have to accept and a constant risk they have to deal with. Thankfully, by ensuring that your place of business is well-prepared and secured against criminal behavior, you do not only limit the effect that such an occurrence would have on your finances and operations, but also minimize the risk of it happening to you entirely.
With that said, here are five ways to improve security in your workplace, office, or general place of business, whether or not it already has some anti-crime measures implemented:
Get a risk assessment done on your business premises
Before you can even think of placing or adding security measures in your place of business, you have to first figure out where they’re needed the most—i.e. where the workplace is most vulnerable. Are there any blind spots? Unguarded or unmonitored access points in the building where anyone can walk in and out of? Afterwards, you also have to assess what kind of hazards you may have deal with. For instance, besides criminal activity, there are also such things as environmental, fire, and other safety hazards. Finally, you also need to identify the assets in the company or workplace that require protecting and what kind of harm could possibly be done to those assets and the company as a whole.
Harden/secure identified weak points
Whether you conduct the risk assessment on your own or hire a local risk assessment agency or firm to run it for you, by the end of the process, you should be able to point out just where your workplace is lacking in security. It’s time, then, to secure those weak points. Make sure to strengthen flimsy or weak doors and walls, fit deadbolts and locks on windows and other potential entry points, have security and emergency lights installed in key areas. Security mirrors and cameras can work to cover blind spots as well.
Establish electronic access and surveillance in your workplace
Should you have room in the budget for it, choose to have electronic access security doors in the critical, employee-only areas of your workplace. These state-of-the-art security doors have automatic locking mechanisms powered by energy-efficient high-quality micro brushless motors that ensure a firm and reliable lockdown of any access point, along with a quick and hassle-free unlocking when access is authorized.
CCTV cameras, which also benefit from these miniature brushless motors for their accurate lens movement and tracking, should also be installed in tandem with the electronic security doors, not just to keep a close watch on those attempting to gain unauthorized access to your business premises, but also to watch for suspicious parties masquerading as customers.
Invest in self-defense equipment and programs for you and your staff
Crime comes in all forms and in many intensities. While a shoplifter may leave you and your staff mostly unharmed (except your bottom line) and a burglar may only work in the dead of night when no one’s around—certain criminal elements, such as an armed robber, places everyone present at risk.
Invest in security training programs for you and your staff so that everyone knows what to do during events like robberies and assaults. Train them and yourself to identify suspicious behavior and how to report crime without tipping off the culprits. Armed and licensed security personnel can also be a great investment in this regard. Supplement all of these with a functioning alarm system so that even in times of true panic, an automated emergency response to the event will be sent out to the proper authorities.
Secure your computers and computer network
In today’s interconnected world, cybercrime is just as dangerous and impactful to a company as regular offline crime is. From hackers to disgruntled employees and ex-employees, there are many individuals who can rob your business blind through your computers and network if they are not sufficiently hardened and secured against such intrusions.
Invest not only in information and data security solutions, but also in training programs that should also teach your employees proper security practices when it comes to handling customer and business information. Also make it a habit to shred documents instead of leaving them out in the open, or directly tossing them in the trash, as having them fall into strangers’ hands could lead to computer network compromise.
While there are definitely more ways to improving the security level of your workplace or business premises, the five ways above should be considered as the bare minimum for a safer and more secure work environment.
