7 Holiday Safety and Security Tips for Businesses

As we enter the holiday season, there is a 30% spike in retail theft and other criminal activities, such as robberies and break-ins. It is essential now more than ever to implement these security measures to ensure your security team is prepared, your business is secure, and your customers and team members are safe.

In this article, we’ll discuss the seven holiday safety tips you should implement to ensure a safe holiday season for your business, and how Securitime, the industry’s leading multi-vendor performance management software, can assist.

Securitime offers an invaluable solution to ensure safety and security during the holiday rush. With its comprehensive dashboard and robust analytics, Securitime gives you and your security vendors unparalleled access to features such as time and attendance data, incident reporting, and KPI reporting so you can take control of your security operations and ensure a safe environment during the busy festive season.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #1: Increase Staffing and Training

During the holiday season, a surge in foot traffic causes heightened activity and often correlates with an increased likelihood of security incidents. To safeguard your business and the well-being of your customers and employees, it’s paramount to have a well-prepared and adequately trained security staff in place.

Here are some more specific holiday safety measures you can implement:

Hire additional security personnel: One of the most direct ways to bolster security is to hire more security personnel for the holiday period. This ensures a higher presence and coverage, especially during peak hours. So your team is ready and trained before the rush, be sure to hire well in advance.
Implement crisis management training: Prepare security personnel for crises through specialized training, ensuring they are well-versed in handling incidents like shoplifting or customer violence.
Hire specialized seasonal staff: Hire seasonal security staff who are specifically trained to handle holiday-related challenges and are well-versed in crowd control, theft prevention, and emergency response.

By combining increased staffing with comprehensive training in these various aspects, businesses can significantly enhance their security measures during the holiday season and provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for their customers and staff.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime not only simplifies the management of security personnel during the holiday season but also adds an extra layer of control and insight. With its advanced time and attendance features, Securitime lets you precisely monitor when and where security officers clock in, providing a real-time overview of workforce activity.

This capability offers a comprehensive understanding of staff presence and enables immediate action in the event of vacant posts. Securitime centralizes security management across multiple locations, improving efficiency and providing peace of mind. With this level of visibility, your business can proactively address security issues, ensuring a safe and enjoyable holiday experience.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #2: Asses Your Locations

Evaluating and addressing security threats in various locations is a key component of holiday safety management. As the holiday season ushers in increased foot traffic and potentially heightened risks, it becomes essential to conduct an assessment of vulnerabilities in each location and act accordingly.

Here are steps you can take to effectively assess your locations:

Pinpoint the location with the most threats: Utilize historical incident reports to pinpoint which locations have been the most vulnerable to threats. By focusing on these areas, you can ensure a more comprehensive and effective security coverage.
Increase the number of security officers: Deploy additional personnel to these vulnerable locations to provide a more visible and effective security presence.
Monitor locations continuously: Continue to monitor these locations via incident reporting to consider taking more action in mitigating potential security threats.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime’s incident reporting feature centralizes security reporting across security vendors and enables you to gain control and oversight of your entire enterprise security program, all within one location. This consolidated view facilitates the identification of locations with a higher frequency of security threats during the holiday season, allowing for data-driven resource allocation and proactive response measures. By leveraging this tool, you can swiftly address vulnerabilities, ensuring a secure and enjoyable environment for customers and staff, even amid the holiday chaos.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #3: Conduct Security Audits

Regular security audits play a pivotal role in ensuring a robust security framework, especially during the holiday season. These audits involve an evaluation of security protocols, infrastructure, and procedures to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Once weaknesses are pinpointed, the goal is to make necessary improvements, which can include upgrading technology, enhancing staff training, or revising emergency response plans. These regular audits not only bolster your ability to respond to security threats but also instill confidence among customers and employees.

Here are some weaknesses a security audit might catch.

Emergency response plan gaps: The audit uncovers gaps in the existing emergency response plan, such as unclear evacuation procedures or inadequate communication protocols.
Inadequate incident reporting: The audit reveals that incident reporting mechanisms could be more convenient and more consistently utilized.
Access control weakness: The audit may find that access control systems are outdated and do not effectively restrict entry to sensitive areas.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime’s KPI reporting feature represents a pivotal tool for your business to not only track but also optimize your security operations, making it particularly valuable during the holiday season. By offering insights from both a client and vendor perspective, this feature enables a holistic evaluation of security performance. It highlights instances where vendors and security officers might not be meeting expectations, providing a foundation for informed decision-making and targeted improvements.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #4: Monitor Inventory

The holiday season indeed presents a prime opportunity for theft and robbery, making it imperative for your business to adopt stringent security measures to protect its assets and maintain a safe environment for customers and staff.

Here are some ways you can prevent theft and robbery for your business during the holidays:

Regularly monitor your inventory: Regularly check and monitor your business’s inventory. These checks deter potential thieves, help maintain an accurate inventory record, and swiftly identify discrepancies
Implement theft recognition and training: Train your staff in theft prevention techniques and inventory security and encourage employees to report any unusual behavior or discrepancies they notice.
Report any security incidents: Utilize an incident reporting tool as a proactive strategy to monitor theft and promptly record any suspicious activities.

Regularly monitoring your inventory and implementing timely theft recognition can mean the difference between minimal losses and significant financial setbacks, while also fostering accountability among employees and promoting a culture of trust and transparency.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime offers a comprehensive security solution that empowers your business with robust incident reporting and provides critical insights into the average cost associated with robberies and security incidents. By utilizing Securitime’s incident reporting features, you can promptly document and analyze security events, enabling a swift and effective response to any potential threats during the holiday season. In doing so, Securitime goes beyond incident management to offer a proactive approach to safeguarding both the financial and physical well-being of businesses during a time of heightened security concerns.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #5: Enable Real-Time Alerts

The ability to receive real-time security notifications is a game-changer for your business looking to maintain security and operational efficiency, especially during the busy holiday season, here’s how:

Stay informed: Whether it’s a security officer calling in sick, an incident requiring immediate attention, or an important update on a security situation, real-time notifications guarantee that the right people are aware of the situation, enabling them to take swift and appropriate action.
Reduce vulnerabilities: Timely communication of the status of open posts, security incidents, and other essential updates ensures a swift resolution, reducing vulnerabilities and the risk of security breaches.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime’s vendor portal represents a tool for you seeking to elevate your security management, particularly during the bustling holiday season. Securitime sends location-based tardy alerts to key stakeholders every 15 minutes when a post remains unattended, facilitating a rapid response to areas requiring immediate security coverage to mitigate risk. Additionally, Securitime provides real-time incident notifications to key stakeholders, ensuring swift responses and efficient incident management.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #6: Implement Incident Reporting

Incident reporting serves as an effective tool for identifying high-risk areas and times, which is especially critical during the holiday chaos.

Here is how you can implement incident reporting to ensure safety and security during the holidays:

Analyze collected data: Through incident reports, you can recognize patterns and trends related to security breaches.
Pinpoint vulnerable locations: By directing attention to these specific areas, you can guarantee security coverage that is both thorough and efficient.
Take targeted security measures: Armed with this knowledge, you can take targeted measures to bolster security in these areas, deploy additional personnel when needed, and implement preventive measures to mitigate future risks.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime’s incident reporting feature is a valuable asset when it comes to managing security breaches and issues. This feature simplifies the process of logging and tracking events, ensuring that any breach or issue is promptly documented and sent to key stakeholders to be assessed. The immediate availability of a comprehensive incident report allows you to gain valuable insights into the nature of the incident, the location, and even the time it occurred.

This level of detail not only assists in understanding the incident but also provides a basis for proactive response and mitigation strategies. One of the key advantages of Securitime’s incident reporting is the availability of templates. These templates are designed to standardize and simplify the reporting process, ensuring that all crucial information is captured consistently. This streamlining not only saves valuable time but also helps maintain the accuracy and completeness of the incident reports.

Holiday Safety Tips for Businesses #7: Ensure Accurate Timekeeping

The punctuality and presence of security staff during their shifts are fundamental to maintaining a secure and reliable security program.

Below are some tips to ensure accurate timekeeping of your security team during the busy holidays.

Utilize a schedule tracking system: A schedule management system is a great way to manage all security officer schedules in one place. Electronically establish start and end times for each officer so you can keep track of when your security team should be on post.
Access accurate punch data: Implement a time tracking system to gather accurate geofence punch data and verify security officers are at their posts when they should be.
Set up notifications: Set up real-time notifications when an officer is tardy, so your vendors can see which posts are unattended and can fill the position quickly.

Securitime’s Solution

Securitime’s accurate time and attendance features play a pivotal role in maintaining the safety and integrity of businesses. This feature encompasses precise tracking of when security personnel arrive, go on break, and leave for the day, ensuring shifts are adequately staffed during the busy holiday season.

This also ties into the importance of accurate billing and paying only for the actual hours worked by your security staff. Accurate billing enables you to maximize your business’s security investments, ensuring every dollar spent translates into effective protection. This approach not only safeguards the bottom line but also positions you to end the year on a strong financial note.

Key Takeaways

Incorporating these holiday safety tips for your business represents a proactive commitment to safeguarding both physical assets and the collective welfare of the community. Businesses, in particular, have a critical role in this endeavor. They serve as the cornerstone of local holiday festivities, providing an array of services and products that enrich the season.

By leveraging advanced tools like Securitime, your business is empowered to maintain a vigilant watch over its operations, monitor security in real time, and optimize its security protocols. This not only ensures a safer environment for patrons and employees but also positions businesses to respond swiftly and effectively to any security needs that may arise during the holiday rush. In this way, security isn’t just a precaution but a foundation upon which the holiday season’s joy and celebration can securely thrive.

Interested in implementing these holiday safety tips for businesses during the holiday season? Request a demo today to utilize the power of Securitime.