In Q1 the success of the four-day week pilot dominated UK headlines and likely piqued the interest of more businesses to test the model themselves. The potential benefits to staff productivity and wellbeing thanks to having more time to ourselves were key factors in the trial’s success but for any businesses considering changes to their working hours or shift patterns, a review of their security provision is crucial to assess whether they are ready for this next step of hybrid working.

With the trend seeing more businesses taking Friday (or Monday) off, reviewing their security throughout an adapted scheduled could be critical not only to keeping employees, assets and premises safe, but also result in compelling cost savings. Whichever operating pattern you may be considering, a strategic review of your security programme could be a lifesaver.

And if the benefits to overall health and wellbeing, productivity and staff retention weren’t enough, insurance providers could require your business’s security schedule to be reviewed before shifting to a new work pattern too.

Constant security

Whatever your core operating hours, security is always a round-the-clock requirement, however, your security programme can be strategically adapted to your business to suite the particulars of your location and site vulnerabilities site and your occupancy levels throughout a 24-hour period.

CCTV monitoring services and remote access control continue to lead the ways that property and asset are protected. Along with changes to your business operating hours, a considerate adaptation of CCTV monitoring schedules, mobile patrol shifts and the levels of security resource dedicated to your site over a seven-day cycle should be undertaken.

Outside of office hours, AI security monitoring and machine learning technology can keep constant guard over your premises and create a cost saving through the opportunity to reduce physical site patrols to twice daily, for example, leaving CCTV monitoring to do the rest.

Cost savings through tech

Energy consumption within a typical commercial building differs significantly depending on its use. Unsurprisingly, factories are the greatest non-domestic building consumers of gas and electric energy, followed by offices, retail buildings and warehouses. In fact, earlier this year, proposals have been submitted by the City of London to switch off or dim lights on skyscrapers at night as an energy saving scheme.

Many modern sites have the benefit of being equipped for the integration of remote monitoring and digital security (access control, alarms, and CCTV), sustainability systems and building management systems, which carries greater potential for efficiency savings in security.

Your site’s occupancy sensors should be programmed to cover your new operational schedule to make sure lights are not left on for the up-to-80+ hours while your building is unoccupied. And since building usage is monitored, the security system’s inherent data management can inform and control sustainability targets including cooling, heating and lighting.

Guardianship

Guardianship is the central pillar of security service. Among security personnel, the widely understood broken window principle describes that a disturbance or irregularity at your site, like a broken window, must be addressed and resolved quickly. Left unattended, the likelihood of escalation quickly increases with the added potential for more serious problems – an unfixed window can be a signal to would-be intruders of a lack of vigilance or reaction time, providing offenders with opportunity.

In the absence of 360-degree CCTV coverage, your site may require mobile patrols twice daily when employees are not around. Similarly, analytics provided by CCTV monitoring systems can identify movement trends across changing shift patterns to provide important data about actual building usage and occupancy.

FM and maintenance

Your business may find added benefit in having asset maintenance or cleaning services scheduled to occur outside of your working hours to reduce the impact on daily productivity. Operating a four-day week allows more time to be made available for scheduling cleaners or maintenance engineers to access your premises and this can be controlled remotely in conjunction with your CCTV security monitoring system.

Fire and intruder alarm monitoring systems as well as environment and occupancy sensors should be regularly serviced and maintained, which can also be scheduled to take place outside of your adjusted working hours, leaving your workforce’s operations undisturbed when it counts.

Access control

Changing your site’s bin collection days without remote security features could present a challenge for your facilities manager. But remote access and egress control means your bin collection each Friday can continue smoothly regardless of personnel being onsite – all you need is an access schedule to be shared with your remote security services provider.

The ways in which we can control secure site access are becoming more advanced through biometrics. Thought iris scanning and fingerprint recognition technology is improving, contactless biometric systems that require only the swipe of a hand actually draw on a larger sample than traditional fingerprint scanning technology, meaning a greater pool of data is created without multifactor identification.

Flood alarms and other environmental monitoring sensors can also link to your site’s video management systems. The data collected from these can be used to improve their usage and help to define better emergency protocols.

Site vulnerability

Multitenancy buildings, however, will require the consideration of a more complex security strategy. Ensuring your section of the business is secured and monitored in your absence is key.

Key to your business’s security are the professionalism of your installers and your consultant expert working alongside you to analyse your risk and ensure correct provisions are in place. Having an outsider perspective on the of your premises will likely highlight the opportunities for assailants that you will might miss. Expensive artwork in your reception areas, for example, could be a target if they are not properly protected. It’s easy to become blinded by your own experiences and expectations, so asking the professionals could save you future headaches.

Corps Monitoring is a division of Corps Security – the UK’s longest running security company. Corps Monitoring offer a range of technology solutions including CCTV Monitoring Services, CCTV Sensor Activated Monitoring, CCTV Live Surveillance, Fire Alarm Monitoring, Intruder Alarm Monitoring, Personal Protection Services, Key Holding, Call Centre Monitoring, Lone Worker Monitoring and more.