Businesses need to run their affairs tightly in order to succeed. They need to look towards the future while providing today’s solutions. They must be organized and efficient, yet still leave room for creative development and experimentation. Businesses must be customer-facing and keep their most important and secure assets defended. Companies must know how to secure themselves without impeding their staff’s daily functioning to an excessively harsh degree, which can hinder output.
Ensuring your business security and defense can be challenging. It can be hard to know what boundaries to draw, what lines are respected, and what authority is given. It can sometimes feel overly complex to implement as a boss. This is especially so if an entrepreneur wishes to establish a comfortable environment for their staff.
A business owes itself the ability to secure whatever operations it holds. This is a duty the business has to itself, its future development, and its clients and customers. With the following advice, you can fulfill this vital duty.
Hire Professionals
It can be troubling when your staff does not follow proper safety protocols. But this ‘safety protocol’ can be defined in many ways. Impeding your firm need not only be a matter of a security breach. It could be a matter of how your staff’s behavior impacts your business. Take the CEO of Gearbox (a celebrated and major video game developer) leaving his USB key, filled with explicit material and important business documents, behind at a restaurant. Consider how an employee’s use of Twitter could lead to a PR nightmare.
Of course, part of hiring professionals is encouraging professionalism through training. But if there’s no clay to work with, you’ll have a hard time crafting a teapot. Regardless of whether your staff you are hiring is in the IT or human resources department, don’t rush through the hiring process. If you go too fast, you may overlook critical signals that show they are not a match for your company.
Secure the Premises
If your business operates out of an office building or another type of storefront, you also want to think about securing the premises. How well lit and secure are your entryways? Do you need a security guard on site 24 hours a day? How outdated are the locks on the doors and windows?
With recent advances in technology, a cellular keyless gate entry system may be just what you need. A cellular keyless entry system lets you control access from anywhere, all from your phone. No internet is required, and the system can be installed on a gate, door, buzzer building, or most locked entry points. It’s convenient for team members while adding an extra layer of security.
Ensure Accountability
You need to ensure accountability in your business from all angles. Let’s say your employee went on a business trip and submitted a claim to the company for a significant amount of their expenses. You find out that the expenses they claimed were not business expenses. They spent company money on things like dinner with their girlfriend, renting a sports car, etc. Covered expenses are specified in the company policy. It would be best if you held this employee accountable. Whether you use an effective WatchCard to ensure fuel miles are used appropriately within the logistics network or to investigate customer support representatives for using offensive terminology toward a problematic client, it can be important to know how and when to hold people accountable for their violations.
Accountability can also become important when an employee discovers serious wrongdoing within the business. If internal concerns involve fraud, safety violations, or other unlawful conduct, employees may need to understand how to report what they have witnessed without putting their own rights at risk. A whistleblower attorney can help explain the protections and legal options available to someone considering coming forward.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to be a draconian company, making employees second-guess themselves time and time again and laying blame wherever possible. In fact, having more tangible accountability and disciplinary systems can help you resolve issues fairly.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to be a draconian company, making employees second-guess themselves time and time again and laying blame wherever possible. In fact, having more tangible accountability and disciplinary systems can help you resolve issues fairly. It will also give employees who may have made a mistake the opportunity to learn from their actions.
Keep Your Suites Updated
It is often the case that businesses delay updating their computer systems because they dislike the changes that might occur. For example, it’s not uncommon for creative professionals to feel critical of Adobe Creative Suite changes that occur from time to time. But of course, especially with the cohesive packages in your IT suite, it’s essential to keep everything up to date. This can prevent you from encountering the latest infiltrating viruses or other difficulties that could catch your staff off guard. This also means updating your VPN software and ensuring your operating systems are up to date. If that means renewing a license, then so be it; the cost is absolutely worth the return.
Hire A Competent Attorney
No matter how well-meaning, how transparent, and how careful your business is, at some point you may need the services of an attorney. They could be needed for many reasons. For example, you might be operating well as a business, only to face a lawsuit from someone who claims they cut their finger deeply on one of your drink-can pulleys. When I was working to obtain a trademark for my company, some complications arose. I chose to hire an attorney familiar with the process to draft all of the paperwork. No matter how small or strange a case may seem, it is worth having a competent lawyer on your side.
Consider hiring a competent attorney, preferably one from the outset, who can remain familiar with your business over the years rather than continually contacting sporadic law firms. They can also provide valuable advice that can help you gain the most strength when it comes to the fundamental operation of your firm. Of course, the peace of mind that also comes with this is hard to overstate.
Insure Yourself
Look into what type of insurance your business needs to protect itself. Building, contents, employment, health, and safety insurance are just a few of the many insurance packages you may need. Most businesses can reach a prearranged agreement with insurance companies to bundle these packages. This can help you avoid significant financial pitfalls, particularly ones you aren’t expecting. For example, your staff member might damage your manufacturing line. With liability insurance, that needn’t be such a harrowing prospect to potentially put your business under.
The same could be said for insurance that prevents your up-to-date products or services from unintentionally causing harm. The business would be able to survive a product recall while you handle the legal and PR ramifications. Without competent insurance, it’s only a matter of time before something large enough comes and knocks your business out of play. For some companies, insurance is a legal requirement, which doubles the importance of getting it right.
When it comes to the security and defense of your business, you often think only of the physical requirements, like hiring security guards to keep you safe. While this is important,y you must keep in mind other aspects of security. Learn what is needed to protect your investors, customers, and employees, and you will not only strengthen the trust you have with them but also gain some peace of mind. Here’s to YOUR success!
Carolyn R. Owens has over 25 years of proven experience and serves as a Career Strategist, Executive and Leadership Coach. She is the President of Infinity Coaching, Inc., where she helps you up-level your skills so you can up-level your income, career, business, or life. Infinity Coaching, Inc. provides coaching, organizational training, personality assessments, and a signature program, the Infinity Coaching Inner Circle. Carolyn is certified to give both the Energy Leadership Index Assessment and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment. You can find out more about both assessments and other products and services at https://infinitycoaching.net.
