How To Implement an Employee Access Control Card Policy

How To Implement an Employee Access Control Card Policy

by Mike Boehm on September 09, 2022

Access control card systems are extremely powerful tools for protecting both your business and your employees. However, improper utilization of these systems can give access to those who don’t have permission. That’s why implementing a good employee access control card policy is important for your system’s performance. Here are some of the policy changes and implementations you should make to help protect your business with these card systems.

 

Physical Installation

Starting with the physical layout of your access control system should help you create a system with the least number of problems. This means figuring out where you should put the key readers inside and around your building to be both accessible and limiting for people without access. There are two main places you need to focus on when installing your system: the entrances of rooms and any vital spots you want to keep safe.

 

Entrance Locks

The entrance of any room or building is the best place to prevent access, as it naturally stops people already, and everyone must go through it to proceed. That’s why putting up locks that need the proper keycard to open your doors can prevent people from accessing the area. You can put these locks up to protect whole rooms and prevent access as you need. Additionally, you can give permission to the people you want coming in, and they can use the area as they need while preventing others from accessing it.

 

Vital Point Locks

You need to put up locks on places other than just the entrances of buildings and rooms, as you may need to put them up to protect vital points in your building. This includes using them as locks for computers or storage, preventing people from accessing anything important. You can also use these systems to section off whole areas to keep people out. For example, many businesses do this to separate their clientele from their storage and office area.

 

Digital System Programming

Another large part of making sure your access system provides the safety you and your employees need is choosing one with easy software programming. These card systems are modifiable, so you can change how they function with just a few moments at the computer. Here’s a look at some of the things you can do by programming your access system.

 

Limiting Access

The first thing you can do is limit who can access what area in your building. Keycards have the potential to open every lock in your building, which is a simple and easy system but doesn’t offer a lot of protection. It’s much safer for your business if you limit what the proximity cards can open so that you can protect vital information needed.

 

Granting Permissions

Just as you can limit the access of the proximity cards, you can also grant them access to specific areas. This is important as you can create different access cards with separate permissions. This can help you control who in your company can access what area, separating departments and protecting information while still giving access to the people who need it. This is useful for any business that has information or valuables that not every employee should have access to.

 

Tracking Access

Another benefit that can help you control employee access is tracking access data. You can record anytime someone uses a proximity card to open a lock or access an area. This means you can track any misuse and improper usage of your cards. This can be useful for ensuring everyone uses the system correctly and also helps you figure out some key analytics about your business.

 

Training Your Employees

To maximize the benefits of your proximity card system, it’s a great idea to train employees on how to use it. These control systems are pretty simple but explaining best practices and what you can do with the system can help employees use the system without issue. If your employees have a proper understanding of the system, you’ll make fewer mistakes.

 

What They Can Access

One of the first things you should teach them is how to access certain areas and what they can access. If they get this information upfront, they’re a lot less likely to make mistakes. These new systems can be confusing during the first few weeks as new rules and regulations come into play, but training can help alleviate that confusion.

 

How the System Works

Whenever you make a change in your company, you should take the time to explain how it works and why it matters to your employees. Since these systems will impact them, explaining what they can do with these systems and why you’re installing them can motivate the workers to follow the new system. Help your employees see the safety benefits the system will bring to the company and how it can improve their safety. This way, they’ll take the new access control more seriously.

 

Policies for the System

Even if your employees understand the system, it’s still a good idea to implement policies for your employee access control card system. These policies will help workers keep up with best practices and prevent issues down the line. Putting your policies in black and white will help everyone stay up-to-date and eliminate confusion.

 

Punishments for Trading Cards

One of the biggest faults of these systems is that employees can give their proximity cards to others to open locks, even if they don’t have the correct permissions. This is dangerous and can be a huge breach of security, so laying out rules about punishing this behavior can prevent future card trading. You can also use the tracking data to catch these situations in many cases, which can help you manage card trades.

 

Best Practices To Protect Cards

Putting policies in place to help encourage certain safety practices to protect cards can help employees. Things like storage practices and issuing out lanyards or other measures can help employees keep their key cards safe and secure.

This is how you should handle the installation of a new card access control system and how you can implement policies to help employees with the new system. There are many ways you can improve your company with this system, and following this advice will help you see those benefits quickly.

How To Implement an Employee Access Control Card Policy
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