Month: November 2014

The Two Parts of Access Control

Access control is present within all parts of every business, in order to make sure company and employee information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Having this system in place also deduces the number of suspects right down if anything were to happen. Access control is made up of two parts barriers and filters.

Access control is a term that typically comes up in security discussions, but in is present in every part of every business. The short version is that access control means people (personnel, customers, and others) only have access to the environments and resources that they need.

For a real-world example: if a bank drop is necessary, it’s likely that only the manager is allowed to handle that amount of money. By limiting the number of people who can get into the safe a business has just cut down on the pool of people capable of stealing that money. The business has also made that money more difficult to access, (since only managers can get it), but that’s the price of access control.

Access control is made up of two broad categories: barriers and filters.

Barriers

The barrier is the most basic form of access control there is. A locked door, a wall, a safe, these are all obstacles whose job is to stop people who aren’t supposed to have access. This even crosses over into the digital world; firewalls and computers that aren’t connected to the Internet can be used to prevent access by unauthorised personnel. The harder the barrier is to get through, the more limiting the access is.

Filter

A filter is the means by which a barrier is passed. If you have a locked door then the filter is a key. If you have a password locked computer then the filter is the proper password. The filter is important because the number of people who pass it will affect how restrictive (or sometimes how effective) a barrier is. For instance if every employee knows that the code to get into the employee only door is 76498, then that’s fine. If every employee tells his or her friends, or the password isn’t changed so that former employees can no longer gain access, then that filter lets in far too many people.

How Much Access Do You Need to Control?

It’s important to remember that different businesses have different needs when it comes to access control. A bank for instance will want to make sure that money and valuables are carefully protected and that few if any people can access them. In a restaurant, though, customers wandering into the kitchen may not be much of a concern, so there’s no reason to put up a barrier of any sort.

Before implementing any form of access control it’s important to make sure it will solve an access problem. If there’s no problem then the only thing access control is doing is needlessly making it harder for people to get from point A to point B.

For more information about access control solutions and security concerns for your business contact us today.

Tips to Improve Productivity!

Improving employee productivity is important for many organisations as hard working employees earn the company more money. Finding ways in which to do so however can be a difficult task. Take a look at these four suggestions below on possible ways in which to improve productivity.

A recent article gives some great insight on how you can improve your employee productivity:

  • Track your employees’ workday with more detail. The article gives the example of one 8-hour worker who spends all 8 hours working in R&D, versus a 10-hour employee who spends 3 hours doing administrative tasks, socializing, and taking breaks. You may think the 8-hour employee is more productive, but without more detailed information, you couldn’t know for sure.
    • Elf Productivity LTD offers innovative employee tracking software which allows you to record your employees’ daily activity. Our software automatically creates trending charts so you can see any changes in employee productivity.
  • Analyse your data. The article states that when “…analyzing data across departments, roles and skill sets may highlight issues with the structure of your business or identify areas of improvement such as training requirements.”
    • Our software allows you to annotate each employee’s file with detailed role and functions. It’s not just a blank box where you place their rudimentary job title – it allows you to specify what the employee’s actual function is. For analysis purposes, if an employee leaves your company, you’ll understand which overall functions your company will be lacking. The software also gives you the ability to visualise your employees’ functions and skills via visual graphs, charts, and trends, so you can determine if you have an excess or lack of a certain function or skill.

Best of all, our software allows your employees to utilise it from anywhere – even outside your company’s physical building. Thus they can check-in from anywhere in the world which gives them the versatility of working globally without restriction. If you’d like more information concerning our human resource software, contact us today!

Access Control Trends

Over the years access control trends have changed dramatically because peoples attitudes and initiatives are often different year on year. However looking back at these changes there are a number of trends that we feel you need to be made aware of, the top three are listed below.

Looking back at the past year, we’ve noticed a number of changes within attitudes and initiatives related to access control. Taking a look at these changes, we see a number of trends coming to light that we wanted to share with you.

Access Control Trends

  • Ease of use – It’s easier than ever before to moderate an access control system. Now, HR staff can quickly add, delete, or edit staff permissions in one central system. This helps to keep the workplace safer and more productive.
  • Fluid and adaptable – In the past, access control was sort of a “one size fits all” model where you used one proprietary solution for access control, another for security clearance, and so on. These days, access control systems are fluid and adaptable: they can integrate with employee ID, cashless vending, staff parking, and even time and attendance. These trends are also moving toward integrating IT security with access control. Staff will love the convenience of using one card for many tasks.
  • Realtime data analytics – Today, access control systems are engineered to provide realtime data analytics so that anyone with administrative access can quickly see at a glance what is happening. No longer will staff have to run reports after the fact to see how the system is working. All of the information will be time sensitive and easy to access.

To talk more about this, or anything else related to workplace security, productivity, and access, please contact us.

Fully Customised Access Controls to meet your Unique Security Needs

Acess control is a lot more then just the locking of restricted doors. It has now developed into a full customised system that can log clocking times and employee details in order to be analysed at a later date as well as providing limited access to sensitive data.

Access Control is about more than automatically locking doors, and magnetic strip cards for your employees. Could you ever imagine that a fully customised access control system could be used to clock in and out, to record traffic patterns, programmed to change after scheduled shifts, allow limited access to sensitive data, and more?

Other options that are available in the rapidly advancing technology of access control is the type of control used – we are way past lanyards and turnstiles, here. Infrared, biometrics, microchips and barcodes can be utilised in a variety of ways depending on your unique security needs.

With all the versatility, how do you choose the right access control solution for your company?

Sensitivity

The first thing to consider is the level of sensitivity that you require. How sensitive is the data or material that you manufacture, house or transport? Attach a meaningful value to what you do, and that will immediately rule out at least half of the options. Cards with magnetic strips that can be easily lost, stolen, or illegally transferred are out of the question. High priority security settings use advanced code locks, scheduled changing of authorised entrance permissions, and ways to closely monitor the traffic in sensitive areas, including fingerprint scans and infrared controls.

Traffic volume and flow

Security is primary, flow is secondary. Measure the volume of traffic that your business experiences on a daily basis and divide the results into two primary types of traffic: first, how many individuals come and go from outside the premises? Second, how many individuals transit between rooms, floors, and wings within the premises? If most of your traffic is internal, consider a micro-chip card that comes with multiple functions: like cashless transactions (for visiting vending machines and in-house lunch-rooms), authorising and limiting copying, printing and scanning privileges, and clocking in and out.

The possibilities are nearly endless with Ceequel® Access Control, ensuring your premise is safe and secure. Contact us to get a fully customised access control solution today!

Performance-Based Incentives need Hard Data to Work

Paying employees bonuses for hard work is a system that has come under scrutiny for many years now. People believe that if employees are aware that they will be getting paid more money if they work harder, then they are more likely to do so. However the truth behind this is much more complex as there are many potential issues with performance based pay.

Performance-based pay has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years. There appears to be a basic logic in tying pay or incentives to performance – if you promise rewards for hard work, people will work harder – the truth is much more complex.

The Real Story Behind Performance-Based Pay

There are many potential issues with performance-based pay. True high-achievers are often driven by motivations other than money, and offering money for achievement can actually decrease a person’s internal motivation to work hard and well. But on the other hand, good employees expect to be paid fairly for their work, and rewarding employees with raises or bonuses is a common way to acknowledge and show appreciation for them.

Given these contradictory facts, is there a right way to use performance-based pay?

Performance-Based Pay That Matters

A key to creating a performance-based pay system that actually works is to make sure that the system for giving rewards is fair and transparent. Many employees have become disgruntled by a perception (true or otherwise) that one employee is rewarded because he or she is liked better by management, not because of actual performance. Other employees become unmotivated because management sets production goals that are out of touch with reality.

In order to work, performance-based pay systems need to be absolutely fair and administered according to clear guidelines: here’s where using hard data on performance can help.

Shop Floor Data Reveals True Performance

Our Shop Floor Data Capture system can provide the data needed to make a performance-based pay system work. Data captured by the system doesn’t depend on a manager’s perceptions of employee performance. It provides a true picture of productivity. This makes assigning performance-based raises or bonuses more fair and transparent.

Also, capturing shop floor data gives management a clear picture of what is actually being produced in a given time period. Setting a realistic goal with a clear reward for meeting it is a proven way to increase motivation for both individuals and teams. Using real shop floor data can help management set realistic goals based on past performance.

If your organisation uses performance-based pay and incentives, you need to have hard data backing up your rewards, or your incentive system could do more harm than good. For more information about the benefits of shop floor data capture, please contact us.