Whether you are part of a large company campus with multiple buildings, a hospital, school or university, or a small business, you are responsible for the safety of everyone on site. This includes not only employees and students but contractors, guests, delivery personnel, and others as well. Today's reality is that you must keep your workplace, school, hospital, etc., safe from violence. Your first safety measure should be a visitor management system. These systems are comprehensive and include plenty of safeguards to help you manage, track, and identify everyone in your facility. But that's not all you need.
You also need a visitor management policy that details every aspect of your visitor management program so nothing is left to chance or interpretation.
What is a visitor management policy?
Who in your company can authorize and admit guests? Is non-employee access restricted to certain areas? Does a sponsoring employee need to escort his or her guest everywhere? How will you identify visitors when they're on site? Will you have restricted hours for guests to visit? What about guests' access to your company's wi-fi and other technology/equipment? Do guests need to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before they're allowed on site? Do they need to sign out at the end of their visit?
These are just a few of the questions you must answer when setting up a secure visitor management program. You need a visitor management policy that addresses these and other issues so everyone is on the same page.
Why is visitor management important?
Feelings of safety and comfort mean your employees and students can focus on productivity and success. Those under your protection expect that strangers are met, identified, and approved before allowed on the premises. If you don't communicate that layer of security through a visitor management policy, your employees might not feel as secure as they should.
At a basic level, visitor management means you're tracking who is on site. Employees can feel comfortable knowing that when guests arrive, they're restricted where they're allowed to go, they're restricted to a length of visit, and they've been cleared and authorized by responsible individuals. Visitor management is the key aspect to keep your facilities safe and secure.
How can a visitor management policy help you?
If you're a school system, a visitor management policy details who is allowed on site and lays out procedures to clear visitors before they gain access to your building. For example, part of a sound visitor management policy for schools would be to scan school visitors against "watch lists" and sexual predator registries to make sure someone suspicious doesn't sneak by your gate keepers.
Another example is medium- to large-sized corporations with several visitors coming and going on a daily basis. Requiring self-expiring guests’ badges as part of your visitor management policy means it's immediately apparent when a guest's visiting period is over. Also, for larger companies with multiple restricted areas, you may require visitors to have specialized ID badges that limits their access to a few areas.
Your visitor management policy helps you define exactly what employees, students, and guests can expect when on company premises. Without one, it would leave too much up to speculation and interpretation.
Final thoughts
A solid visitor management policy protects both your employees and your facilities. It minimizes the risks of intruders or those bent on violence from gaining access. And it makes sure everyone understands what's expected.
As with all business processes, document the policies and procedures you come up with, train all employees, and make sure they have access to the document for future reference.
If you're just getting started with a visitor management program, call Idesco's ID Experts at 212-889-2530 to go over all your options. We can help you find the right solution for your needs regardless of your industry or budget.