Workplace experience is a vital component for employee and visitor satisfaction. Not only does it help in retaining talent, but it also encourages employees to come back into the office – regardless of whether they return completely or utilise a hybrid model. A big factor of employee and visitor experience is physical security and whilst many buildings focus on the traditional methods, automating physical security can lead to even greater tenant, employee and visitor satisfaction, as well as providing further positive impact for facility managers and building owners.
Whilst all buildings require physical security to keep unwanted guests out and restrict access to certain areas, it usually has a more traditional methodology – a security guard stationed in the reception area, watching CCTV and occasionally patrolling the building. But taking advantage of all the benefits of a modern security system allows facility managers to enhance and improve existing protocols and help to protect against many common security risks.
For many buildings, the two common threats to security are the following:
- Outdated access control combined with human error
- Unauthorised visitors
Manually checking access credentials is a big drain on time – not only is it repetitive, but there is also an increased risk of human error if the system has not been updated correctly or on time. In addition, no receptionist can know who everyone is, especially in multi-occupancy buildings. They may also not have the time or even the capacity to thoroughly check each person and that means you run the risk of unwanted people potentially gaining access to restricted areas.
It’s also common for many systems to be siloed – your security team’s software may be different to that of your receptionist, with no link up or sharing of data. If that’s the case, the risk of a physical security breach increases and the response rate to an incident may be delayed.
However, automated solutions for physical security can help mitigate these threats. Not only do they enable you to take a more efficient approach to building security, but they can also promote a better experience all-round for tenants, employees and visitors.
Automated visitor tracking and access control
RFID cards, unique QR codes and biometric authentication all ensure that anyone entering the building has the correct credentials.
Digital receptionists
If your reception team are consistently overwhelmed with visitors or you’re relying on a security guard to admit guests (in between patrolling the building), then a digital receptionist can help enhance your security protocols. Our software can link up to your access control meaning that once a visitor is verified, they will only be allowed access to the relevant areas. If your set-up allows, the receptionist can even call the lift and automatically send your guest to the correct floor without them being able to over-ride the system.
Integrating security solutions
A well-connected tech ecosystem has many benefits – bringing your access control and visitor management together, alongside CCTV and other security methods, you build up a complete picture of security data. Your system can then send out specific instructions to staff affected by a security incident, as well as real-time tracking of visitors and employees, vital for evacuation or lockdown procedures.
So how does this help with promoting a positive workplace experience for your staff, tenants and visitors? The physical work environment is one of the biggest elements of employee and visitor experience. By making sure your employees, your tenant’s employees and visitors feel safe and that they’re possessions are safe, it promotes a healthy relationship at work and boosts user satisfaction and employee productivity. Not only that, but studies also show that high employee engagement results in lower turnover of staff and up to 48% fewer safety incidents.
The workplace is somewhere employees should want to come to and the best way to start is making sure it’s a safe place to work. Tech innovation has been a huge factor in improving workplaces and their processes. Combining elements of traditional security, along with modern developments such as automated access control, digital receptionists and visitor management software, can all have a positive impact on the overall workplace experience, as well as greatly improve security measures.
By allowing integration between different systems, such as Lares Digital and your access control system of choice, you can also create a central database full of actionable insights about your building’s occupancy and visitor traffic. And from that, you can further improve the workplace experience for your tenants, their employees and visitors as well as your own staff too.
