Top Security Tips To Discuss With Your Employees

There are two types of security issues to cover when it comes to your employees: things they can do to help protect the company and things they can do to help protect themselves. From a security perspective, you want to educate them on both. After all, your employees are one of your most valuable investments. 

Depending on the role, onboarding a new employee costs an average of $4,000. That number can quickly balloon upwards if you have an executive role to fill. Poor building security can lead to burglary and theft in public areas, which puts your employees at risk. 

At Bates Security, we recommend educating your employees about safety best practices and creating policies designed to help support safety and security. 

Here are some of our best employee security tips for keeping your business and employees safe:

Protect the Build­ing’s Exterior

Media stories often focus on the alarming incidents of workplace violence perpe­trated by disgruntled ex-employees, and right­fully so. However, it’s important to recognize that there are other equally concerning occur­rences that happen far more frequently just outside the workplace.

To keep your workers safe during their morning and evening travels, visual deter­rence is your first line of defense. Most thieves are just looking for an easy oppor­tunity and will likely think twice if committing a crime seems too difficult. There are a bunch of simple yet effective deter­rents you can use, like sturdy gates, visible surveil­lance cameras, and outdoor lights with motion sensors. Even putting up signs warning about surveil­lance can make a thief think twice. 

Additionally, many multi-tenant buildings have guards to control access and respond to emergencies, so coordinate with existing security when creating safety plans.

Initiate Security Training

The more workers know about employee security best practices, the more equipped they are to notice things out of place, report suspi­cious activity, and protect themselves and the business. The problem you can stop before it starts is the type of problem you want to have. With the right training, you can turn every employee into an extra pair of eyes, watching out for each other and simply watching each other.

Add Security to Employee Parking Areas

Parking garages and lots are frequent targets for oppor­tunistic crime. Returning from work to a broken window and missing items is shocking and can traumatize an employee. Make sure any security sweeps cover your parking area and that you have video surveil­lance for the area. Pay particular attention to workers who may arrive or leave at unusual times.

Initiate Buddy Systems for In and Out of Office Travel

To minimize sexual harassment alone, buddy systems are a critical piece of employee security. Did you know that approx­i­mately 4 out of 5 women and 2 out of 5 men have experi­enced verbal sexual harassment at work? Often, sexual harassment comes from a customer and is aimed at the employee. 

Traveling in groups of at least two reduces the risk of a mugging and of an unpleasant experience with another person. In addition, making sure no one is alone in the office reduces the risk of employee theft and adds an extra layer of account­ability for everyone to finish their tasks timely. There’s no downside to ensuring every employee has an escort while making their way in and out of the building.

Have a Disaster Plan in Place

Do you know what to do in case of a fire, bad storm, or other issues that mean closing up the office quickly and with little warning? A disaster plan should cover all of the most likely scenarios that could occur. Depending on your location, this could include hurri­canes, flooding, tornadoes, health emergencies, or armed intruders. The list of things that can go wrong is long, but you can be prepared. 

Make sure your disaster plan includes active responses based on the problem. For an intruder, sheltering in place is often the best solution, while an incoming hurricane might mean evacu­ation. Develop a plan for both actions and ensure your employees know what each looks like.

Perform Regular Tests and Security Reviews

When an emergency happens, well-rehearsed actions are more likely to achieve your desired results. If you’ve only ever given your employees a handbook with the disaster plan, don’t expect everyone to respond as needed when things go wrong. Action plans rarely come across as clearly as the person writing them might like. 

Instead of giving people written direc­tions, schedule practice drills. Practice sheltering in place for limited time frames, so employees have a personal plan and experience with that outcome. 

Don’t depend on wall markings for evacu­ation routes. Run the occasional fire drill and ensure everyone knows where several emergency exits are located. Keep track of your hiring and firing to determine when you need your next drill. You don’t want hundreds of employees that don’t know where the exits are. 

By keeping your employees in practice and testing your equipment, you’re better positioned to keep your workers and business safe.