Investing in a video surveillance system may seem unimportant to businesses that don’t operate in the retail sphere. However, such beliefs are mistaken. Surveillance cameras can protect your business against employee theft and bogus claims. If any of your employees do steal from your corporation, or engage in other activity that is deemed suspicious, you now have the means to spot it. On top of identifying cases of internal theft and fraud, surveillance video can be used to monitor operations and employee productivity. The notion that security equipment is expensive and cumbersome is also false: the advancements in surveillance technology have made it incredibly easy to install, power, and view surveillance footage. Here, let’s discuss in greater detail the positive impact surveillance systems have on your business.
Reclaim Losses: The last thing you need is to fall victim to employee theft. These types of crimes can occur in areas where precious cargo is stored or passes through such as warehouses. Just as hotel guests steal bath towels and other items from their hotel rooms, employees can take advantage of you by stealing miscellaneous office items that significantly add up at the end of the year. All of this tends not to happen in front of your eyes. How do you not only prevent it from happening but catch it when it does? The answer is with high quality surveillance cameras. You’ll have the video evidence you need to provide to your insurance company, so you can fully reclaim any losses.
Increase Productivity: Just the presence of surveillance cameras can make employees more aware of how their time is spent. Installing one or more cameras above a group of cubicles is ideal for monitoring employees, especially if you suspect that someone is constantly leaving the office or is on the phone for inordinate amounts of time. You should also mount one security camera in the break room or kitchen for the same reasons. Don’t (not even for one second) feel guilty or bad about taking such measures; better employee productivity plays a significant role in the way your business performs. When your employees accept a job offer, they know that there may be surveillance cameras in common areas.
Improve Operations: Monitoring the way tasks are executed gives you insight to which practices and strategies are most effective. For example, if your company recently made changes to how a specific procedure is carried out, you will want to look closely at how the new one does. You’ll collect information on which procedures work and which don’t by simply reviewing video footage.
Protect Your Business From False Claims: If an employee is hurt while on the job, it’s critical to have video surveillance footage of the incident. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, fraudulent slip-and-falls went up by 12% in 2011. Anything involving harassment and on-premise arguments between employees should also be reviewed through video as well. Understanding more about the incident, and finding out if the claim actually has any merit is something you won’t have access to unless you have a security camera system in place. If an employee reports that they fell while onsite, you can review previously recorded video, and submit it to your insurance company as evidence that it did or did not happen.
Prevent Break-ins: It doesn’t matter if you’re running a B2B or B2C business; break-ins can occur in both environments, and more so when there’s valuable equipment on the premises (yes, I’m referring to those computers we do our work from). If possible, install a security camera on the exterior of your business or make certain that any building that you lease from is equipped with video surveillance cameras.
When it comes to assets and internal operations, you should be diligent in taking every step to secure your business. Recent advancements in video surveillance technology allow you to tap into your cameras from remote locations so you can view footage while on a business trip or at home. This is made possible with IP, or network surveillance, which gives you access to your cameras on virtually any device with internet access. It’s convenient and aligns with your busy lifestyle. Oh, and did I mention that having surveillance cameras can lower your liability insurance rates? Because it can do that too!
VideoSurveillance.com is an online retailer of security cameras and home surveillance systems with over 50 years of experience in business and home security.
