In this era of greater expectations for employee health and safety, having a workplace visitor policy in writing has never been more important.
If you don’t have one, you’re literally opening the door to all kinds of risks, from a former employee with a grudge to an unassuming contractor who unknowingly exposes your workplace to COVID-19.
Here are three compelling reasons why you need to implement a workplace visitor policy or update your existing one.
No one wants to think about workplace violence, but it can happen anywhere. Since 2006, 90 people have died in 13 mass workplace shootings in the U.S., according to data obtained by USA Today, the Associated Press, and Northeastern University.
A workplace visitor policy that requires every visitor to sign in and checks them against a security watchlist is your workplace’s first line of defense.
Having a visitor policy also protects your assets from theft or damage. That includes your IT infrastructure, expensive equipment, and even intellectual property.
Depending on the nature of their visit, your visitor policy may need to require guests to sign a non-disclosure agreement or restrict them from certain areas, such as laboratories where your company is developing the next breakthrough vaccine.
Contact tracing is an effective way for public health officials and workplace leaders to slow the spread of the COVID-19. In a recent PwC survey, 35% of employees said they expect their employers to notify them if they have been exposed to the virus at work.
Having a workplace visitor policy that includes health screenings (such as temperature checks) and maintains a digital log of all visitors is one of the most proactive steps you can take to protect everyone who enters your building.
You may even want to consider requiring all employees to use your visitor management system as well.
That way, if someone discloses they have tested positive for COVID-19, you can easily see who else was in the office that day and notify them.
As the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes waiting in a crowded lobby only to find you were in the wrong building or the person you came to see wasn’t there, you know you’d never want a client, contractor, or prospective employee to have a similar experience.
Having a workplace visitor policy sets expectations for every employee about how to manage the visitor experience. That includes notifying the host, signing them in, giving them a photo ID badge, and getting them set up for the day.
This helps ensure every guest is promptly greeted and feels welcome from the moment they arrive.
Your workplace visitor policy should clarify the rules and procedures for visitors.
It should answer common questions, such as:
If you don’t have a workplace visitor policy, employees will make their own rules. Aside from creating a potentially unsafe environment, this can lead to confusion and a chaotic visitor experience.
Having a strong visitor policy ensures everyone understands their role in keeping your workplace safe and secure.
It also creates a consistent, exceptional first impression for everyone who walks through your doors.
If you need help creating a workplace visitor policy, we have one started for you!
