Small Business Security Checklist

Crime costs businesses billions of dollars each year. From burglary and vandalism to shoplifting and employee theft, the list goes on and on. These crimes, while upsetting for all are particularly devastating to small business owners—who lose both loyal customers and employees when fear and crime claim a community.

While there is never a guarantee that your business won’t run into crime in the future, instituting proper workplace security measures and planning for the worst—combined with the right insurance coverage—are crucial components to minimize the risk to your business.

Small Business Watch Group

It takes a community effort to help small businesses reduce and prevent crime. Often, businesses will band together to form neighborhood watch groups in order to alert each other to suspicious activity and crime patterns.

Building and property tips

• Good lighting that doesn’t allow any hiding spots on your property is a solid, cheap preventative measure.
• Consider having your interior lights on a timer at night to keep thieves guessing if the office is still occupied by a night owl.
• Try to limit the amount of valuable visible from peering in windows or cover the windows during non-business hours.
• Don’t leave your valuable unattended. Secure all purses, wallets, backpacks, etc. in locked drawers or cabinets when leaving your workspace—or just leave them in the trunk of your car.
• Motion-activated lights near entry points to your business serve to both deter thieves and provide light for a safer approach for employees.
• Install a closed-circuit camera system to monitor people coming in all building entrances.

Management tips

• Don’t count money in front of people outside the business—even a spouse or relative of an employee.
• Invest in a keyless entry system to limit the amount of keys available for your office—especially if staff turnover is high.
• Make bank deposits often and during business hours to limit the amount of cash on hand.
• Have two people sign off on checks.
• Take payroll precautions and have more than one person prepare or oversee the process.
• Encourage employees to speak up if they see anything suspicious.
• Employees should always report if anyone is requesting details about security, money, or who is responsible for opening/closing.
• Ensure all employees and managers have a systematic procedure for locking doors and setting the alarm.
• Draft a security policy to include in your employee handbook that includes details such as: areas of limited access, restrictions on visitors, policies regarding removal of company property, and steps to take if a threatening or violent incident occurs.
• Record serial numbers of all valuable office items and equipment.
• Perform background checks for all new employees. More info here.
• Establish a code word to alert supervisors and coworkers to an immediate danger.
• Establish an area of the office where employees and/or customers can gather to escape or take refuge from a dangerous situation.

Security Tools for Business