Why HR Needs A Seat At The Security Table

The physical security and IT decision-makers have been joined by a third force: Human Resources

One thing that has changed with the current pandemic situation is the emergence of a third powerful decision-maker in the security landscape. For many years, the security industry has discussed the convergence in the physical and IT security domains and how they need to work together to make the right security decisions for their companies. Security is not just guards and alarms in today’s workplace. It is now as much an IT solution as it is a security solution. 

With a strong push from Covid-19, this convergence has rapidly evolved into a “trivergence” where the physical security and IT decision-makers have been joined by a third force: human resources. Human resources has been brought to the table by the complex web of concerns about worker safety and corporate liability related to the return to work effort and the pandemic in general. This article will discuss this evolution as well as the challenges and opportunities it brings.

Human resources has always been at the helm helping companies to decide on safety and security measures for their company. Now as companies decide how to re-open offices and navigate the human implications, everyone is looking at HR professionals for their advice and guidance. 

Since the start of Covid-19, security and specifically physical security and access control has moved from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have’ for all organizations. Access control fundamentally is a form of physical security to help you manage who has access to an area at any time. As we consider how we re-open offices, HR is an important decision-maker on how we grant and restrict access to authorized users, keep track of who enters, and who comes in contact with each other in the workplace.

HR leaders need to be aware of the options and capabilities that cloud-based access control solutions can provide. Coordinating with the security and IT teams can help identify the best answers for your company. 

Cloud-based access control enables a company to remotely manage their security needs from anywhere and the software is updated automatically as with any software as a service. Using readers and control panels, data on traffic in and out of the building is collected in real-time and you can grant or revoke access quickly and easily. Cloud-based platforms can also integrate with additional security capabilities like video surveillance and other IT solutions to create a holistic approach to protecting buildings. 

As the HR manager, being able to monitor and manage who enters and exits the building is a way to ensure compliance with company policies and keep your workforce safe. 

As you start to assess who will come back to the office, many conversations have focused on how you can create a more hands-free and touchless environment. Controlling who has access to the office and using technology solutions like mobile credentials can help create more hygienic buildings and keep your workforce from getting sick.

Cloud-based access control solutions can help replace keyfobs and other card access with mobile credentials. Using the two-factor authentication and biometrics already built into smartphones, you can create a less germ spreading option and continue to monitor who has access. When people can tap their smartphone to unlock doors that reduce touches to common surfaces, a small win in the fight against the spread of the pandemic.

In addition to granting access to users by account or by a specific site and using hands-free mobile solutions, you can also enable self screening for Covid symptoms through the mobile device. When a credentialed user approaches your office door you can prompt a question to confirm they are symptom free. Users will only be able to unlock a door after completing the questionnaire and indicating that they meet health and safety guidelines you have set for the company. 

As an HR leader, you are an advocate for the employees and responsible for the health and welfare of the workforce. If you were to find out that an employee who had been on site was exposed to Covid-19 or was showing symptoms, you can create a contact report using the data from your security platform to help identify who else might have been on site at the same time. This critical information can put you in the position to follow-up with proper procedures you’ve established for quarantine.

At some point, we’ll need to let outside visitors back into our work environments as well. Whether it’s vendors doing maintenance or business visitors, knowing who is on site through a visitor management system will also be critical. 

Visitor management solutions can also provide questionnaires to visitors to confirm they were not recently exposed or that they meet the criteria you have established for being onsite. If they cannot meet the requirements, you can deny access.

Access control and video surveillance can be part of a multi-faceted approach to help address the return to work. If you have the right kind of cloud-based access control solution, you can manage everything from voluntary employee health screenings, mobile credentials, contact reporting, visitor management and screening through your security platform. 

This “trivergence” will be an important factor in the fight against Covid-19. Ensuring that security teams, IT, and HR are working together to create the right back to work solution for your company will help us all get back to work. As an HR leader, knowing how access control solutions can help you update policies and enact procedures to safeguard your workforce will make your role of getting your company back to work a little easier.