How to Keep your Business Safe & Secure Even with Staffing Shortages

Protecting your Business Despite Staffing Shortages

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lives and their businesses in so many ways, some of which we couldn’t have expected when it began. Many businesses have suffered through serious losses, and some have unfortunately been forced to close their doors. Now that things are opening up again in many areas across North America, most businesses are anxious to get back to work.

However, depending on your industry, you could find yourself faced with staffing shortages. There are a lot of reasons for these shortages, but the result is that many businesses are having trouble finding enough workers. In addition to making a company less productive, this can make a business less safe and less secure.

How Staffing Shortages Affect Safety & Security

When a business has fewer employees than usual, this opens them up to safety and security threats. For instance, if you have fewer people at your property, this means there will be more areas that will be left empty. There will be fewer people to watch out for threats. In some cases, businesses that used to operate 24/7 are now having to cut shifts and use a modified schedule. This means more times where no one is on site at all. 

Criminals know that businesses are short-staffed, and they’ll look to exploit these situations by striking when there are fewer (or zero) employees on site.

Dealing with Security Guard Staffing Shortages

Even worse, staffing shortages are even making it difficult to hire physical security guards. Many businesses are having a hard time finding enough qualified security guards to protect their properties. In some cases, companies are needing to pay a premium to attract qualified guards to their properties.

Unfortunately, coming out of the pandemic, most businesses can’t afford these additional expenses. These are difficult economic times, and any additional costs can be truly harmful to a business.

However, not having proper security is also a significant threat. If a business isn’t secure, criminals notice, and they will strike. This will cost the business in many ways. Not only will they have to pay to repair or replace damaged or stolen assets but dealing with and recovering from a crime takes time. It will disrupt your day-to-day business activity, and that can be devastating during an economic recovery.

Keeping a Business Safe & Secure During Staffing Shortages

The good news is that there are ways to keep properties safe and secure even when there are staffing issues. A powerful way to do this is to use live remote monitoring. A live remote monitoring service can function as a “virtual security guard” and even perform duties above and beyond this role.

With remote monitoring, cameras, two-way speakers, and other security tools are installed at a property. They make it possible for trained security agents to watch over a property remotely. Cameras can be positioned so agents can see the entire property at once. In many ways, this can actually be more effective than using guards. It can also reduce your security budget. 

To ensure that a whole site is covered at once, you’d need to hire a large number of guards. But with remote monitoring, it can be done in a much more cost-effective manner. Plus, cameras utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to spot situations that may be otherwise missed by human eyes. They can alert the agents who can react right away.

Monitoring agents can watch the property inside and out and react to suspicious situations, interjecting before they can turn into crimes. For example, if an agent notices someone lurking outside a property, they can speak to the person over the two-way speaker system or use lights or other tools to let them know they’re being watched. This will deter the criminal from striking.

Remote monitoring systems can improve overall safety at a property as well. For instance, monitoring agents can ensure that all staff are following safety protocols and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). If agents notice someone using equipment unsafely or working without a visibility vest, for example, they can communicate with the person directly and correct the behavior before there is an incident or injury.

This can help at any property, but especially one that is facing a staffing shortage. Managers and supervisors won’t need to spend their time focusing on these issues, so they’ll be able to do other work that needs to be completed, knowing that the site is still safe.

Birdseye Security Solutions is a North American leader in remote security and facility monitoring. For more information on how our systems can help keep your business safe and secure, please do not hesitate to contact us today.