Being seen as a trusted employer is integral to your brand reputation. If employees don’t see you as having their safety as a priority, they might be more inclined to leave, meaning that you could be struggling with a high staff turnover. Furthermore, this perception might feed into your greater brand awareness, potentially damaging your relationship with customers as well.
It all begins at home, and designing a secure work environment means meeting some essential guidelines. While this can seem like an inconvenience at first, neglecting this could be disastrous for your business.
Safety Training
Health and safety training is going to be an absolute must for any work environment. Even if you feel your employees’ day-to-day work isn’t anything that causes substantial risk to their wellbeing, you need to prepare for the outcome where a dangerous situation arises – such as a fire. This means both having the suitable equipment to deal with a fire if one were to break out, but it also means training all of your employees so that they know how to respond in that situation. This can help to reduce panic, get everyone to safety as quickly as possible, and reassure your staff that you have the situation under control.
This also applies to equipment that your team uses regularly. Even if it feels self-explanatory, such as with step stools, it’s important that clear guidance is given on how to use them safely and that these standards are always met.
Classified or Secure Information
If you or your team are dealing with sensitive information – either due to being your clients’ personal data or due to it being under NDA or something similar – you have a responsibility to protect that information. This might be something that you go about doing in a myriad of ways, reflecting all of the different forms that this information might take.
For example, if it comes in physical forms, ensuring that your staff members don’t take them out of the office can prevent them from being lost out in public and being seen by others. However, when it comes to digital information, a robust security system can keep your business, your customers, and your employees safe from malicious threats and add a sense of reassurance to your whole team.
Reporting Abuse or Harassment
It’s important that your employees understand the right action to take if they feel as though they’re being harassed in the workplace. It might be as straightforward as having an HR department present in your office that they can address all complaints to, but alternatively, spelling out a pathway for these kinds of complaints can help to deter this kind of action and keep your office comfortable and positive for those who work there. While it can be difficult to detect this kind of behaviour, keeping on top of it can let your employees know that you’re serious about keeping them safe, and could encourage them to consider a long-term career with you.
<p>The post Essential Guidelines for a Secure Work Environment first appeared on CCR-Mag.com.</p>
