8 Effective Ways to Keep Your Business Safe from Theft

You’re probably aware that burglary and theft may be extremely costly if you’re a business owner. While you can’t entirely secure your business against all types of theft and break-ins, you can take precautions to preserve your assets and limit the damage if something goes wrong. Here are eight measures to reduce your chances of being robbed or stolen.

1. Install Surveillance Cameras

CCTV cameras assist businesses with video surveillance and collect images or recordings of what happens when you’re not around.

Surveillance cameras can protect your business during operational and non-operational hours and boost staff productivity. Place cameras in key areas to recognize faces of consumers and personnel and store film off-site.

If you decide to install CCTV cameras at your place of business, make sure you know the legal and privacy implications.

Employees should be informed about the cameras and why they’ve been set up in the workplace. Break rooms, restrooms, staff lounges, and other areas with a legitimate expectation of privacy should not have cameras installed.

2. Install Security Alarm System

One of the most effective methods to protect your company against theft, vandalism, and burglary is to install an alarm system.

An alarm system can scare away robbers, and it can also assist you in keeping track of both outer and internal dangers.

Alarm systems do not have to be expensive. Most installations can be tweaked, and several low-cost choices are available.

Ensure that the system can be operated and monitored remotely through smartphone, tablet, or PC and that your alarm system is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a UL-certified central monitoring station.

You should also consider installing GPS tracking on valuable assets such as company vehicles or other items which allow you to track these items in real-time.

3. Conduct Background Checks

While it may seem surprising, employees who commit workplace fraud are often the most trusted by their coworkers.

That’s why doing criminal record checks on newly hired workers, and contractors are crucial, especially if they’ll be managing transactions or sensitive financial details about customers or your company.

A backgrounds check will not only help you make better-recruiting selections but will also protect you from employee theft.

4. Ensure that Your Property is Well Lit

Lighting is a critical component of a successful security approach. Dark corners, blind areas, and dimly illuminated facilities attract criminals.

Trespassing, theft, and property destruction can all be deterred with the right combination of interior and external lights.

When combined with remote monitoring and surveillance that uses smart sensors to identify suspicious activity in corners and hidden places, lighting is extremely useful as a deterrent.

Ensure that all of your precious goods, entrances and exits, and parking lots are well-lit with lighting appropriate for your company’s size and scale.

5. Examine the Landscaping and Elements of the Outdoors

You should remain alert to the exterior of your property in addition to the interior. Remove any obstructing elements that could allow a person to hide if at all possible.

Tall bushes or huge trees can hide your property from police agencies and cover criminals. Make sure your building’s outside is well-lit, especially around entrances and windows, and put motion-detection lighting in any unusually dark locations.

6. Double-Check All Access Points when Leaving

Lock and double-check all access points, such as doors and windows, before leaving your building, and make sure your work car is properly sealed and keys are safely stored. Most burglars will move to the next easy target if no open windows or unlocked doors are found.

7. Clear Communication and Training

Make loss prevention a component of your recruitment process for new employees. Explain that your company values its workers and wants them to work in a secure atmosphere.

You’ll need your employees’ support to get folks stealing out of the office before they become a threat to their colleagues or the company. They must also notify supervisors as quickly as they discover any accounting irregularities.

Ensure that loss prevention remains at the forefront of your employees’ minds following orientation. Managers should get regular status reports on how their section, store, or staff is taking precautions. Inform everyone of the need for loss prevention frequently, possibly through a company-wide email.

Closing Thoughts

Your company is a long-term investment. To keep your business safe, you must protect your property against people who wish to steal from you. When protecting commercial property, you must take every precaution from thieves away.