A more secure workplace is a top priority for employees returning to work after a mass work-from-home hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more threats than ever, especially to facilities producing heavily regulated products for export, such as aerospace manufacturers, organizations and employees alike are looking for ways to tighten security and boost morale.
In this uncertain post-pandemic world full of biological, cyber, and armed threats, what can your controlled export facility do to improve security measures and retain precious human resources? One operational essential is tuning up your visitor management strategy.
We’ll discuss some essential tips that can help you refine your approach to visitor management. Before that, let’s talk about how visitor management relates to security and morale and the threats your organization can’t ignore.
Post-Pandemic Threats to a Controlled Export Facility’s Safety
Companies producing highly regulated products know that their assets are always at risk. This is not new information. However, it’s crucial for organizations to continually reexamine their export facility security measures as the global trade landscape continues to shift.
For example, as technology advances, new threats appear, including cyber-attacks. As a result, many organizations are choosing to integrate cutting-edge technologies to protect physical assets and sensitive information.
Additionally, as a company grows, its security strategy must become more expansive, especially when managing facilities in multiple locations, including offshore sites.
What are some potential threats to a controlled export facility and its employees?
Potential threats to a Multi-location Security Management include:
- Theft – Your company is responsible for protecting its assets, including potentially dangerous and controlled goods. Assets also include the intangible, such as intellectual property, like trade secrets. Without proper security measures, these assets can be stolen by an outside source or even an employee.
- Attacks – With mass shootings and other shockingly violent acts on the rise, your organization needs strict security measures to prevent such attacks and protect those under your roof. Additionally, you need secure tech solutions to prevent cyber attacks, including ransomware and data breaches.
Potential threats to employees’ morale include:
- Feeling vulnerable to COVID-19 – Many employees remain on guard for the spread of disease and want to know what their employer is doing to protect them. Insufficient measures may lead to deflated morale.
- Feeling unsafe – If employees feel that their safety is not being prioritized, they may be distracted from their work and cope with increased anxiety levels.
Given these threats, ramping up security measures is a course of wisdom. Why else does your organization’s approach to security matter?
Why Prioritizing Security is Critical
Your organization’s approach to handling potential threats sets the tone for your employees, partners, and visitors.
“Workplace security has gained much attention in the last several years due to an increase in workplace violence, the necessity of background investigations of prospective and current employees, Internet- and technology-based security needs, threats of terrorism, and increased legal liability to organizations for not taking reasonable measures to safeguard the workplace due to security threats,” explains SHRM.
If your organization’s employees or even visitors get the sense that your facility does not prioritize safety, they may:
- Seek to work or do business elsewhere
- Develop a casual view of security
- Take advantage of the vulnerabilities
On the other hand, if you take measures to prove that safety is a priority, you can:
- Retain employees
- Foster trusting business relationships
- Minimize internal and external risks
The safety of your assets and your employees is a worthy investment. What can you do to address security concerns?
Improve Visitor Management to Boost Security and Morale at Your Controlled Exports Facility
A facility’s security is not about simply securing the perimeter and hiring guards. Your organization needs a system to control who is approved to come on the premises and also monitor their activity.
Here’s a list of who should be screened before entering your facility:
- Employees
- Vendors
- Contractors
- Visitors
- Temporary hires
- Trusted partners
Be sure to check individuals against the most up-to-date sanctions/denied party/watchlists to maximize safety. Of course, going through the screening process before entering the building can be time-consuming and even irritating, especially for everyday employees. How can you find the balance between tight security and over-fastidiousness?
Balancing Efficiency with Security
While security is an absolute priority, it’s also vital to promote professionalism, good customer service, and employee morale. A rigorous check-in process, especially for employees, can quickly become resented as a waste of time in the eyes of your staff.
However, you can overcome this hurdle by implementing the right technology into your security and screening processes. What tools can help you boost the efficiency, professionalism, and effectiveness of your visitor management process?
Software Tools for Better Visitor Management
OCR Global Trade Management offers a powerful software solution for failsafe authorization of facility visitors and staff. This visitor management software can simplify the process for the end user, boosting morale and saving time without compromising the security of your operation.
Our visitor management software is designed for:
- Expediting daily check-ins using pre-authorization and badge printing
- Screening potential visitors against watchlists
- Allowing self-check-in using a kiosk to free up front-desk staff
- Preventing fraud and managing identities across your organization
- Delivering user-friendly, on-brand screens
- Taking advantage of biometric technology
- Sharing information (securely) across your organization for maximum efficiency
- Eliminating the need for manual data entry
- Decreasing vulnerabilities due to human error
- Creating an auditable data trail to demonstrate your due diligence
- Tracking check-in and check-out activities of approved individuals (helpful in case of a COVID-19 outbreak)
- Signing and acknowledging documents at check-in so all visitors are on board with your policies
- Supporting walk-ins without compromising security
- Customizing entry requirements (e.g., creating a COVID-screening questionnaire)
- Integrated with human resources, security systems, and health & safety departments
OCR’s visitor management software can help your organization return to in-person work with higher security and better morale than before the pandemic. Our secure, customizable, and easy-to-use software provides a web-based solution for your organization’s complex security needs.
As industry experts in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) for international trade, OCR is trusted by Fortune 500 multinational corporations, government agencies, and small businesses worldwide.
Learn more about our visitor management software solutions, or contact our sales team to get started.
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