When you have visitors coming into an office environment, safety may not be as big of a concern as it is on a job site or location with lots of heavy machinery, but it should still be a concern. The physical safety and intellectual safety of both visitors and staff (plus company property) are all important to preserve. In order to do this focus on the following:
- Verifying that you know who the visitors are – before inviting corporate visitors into the office, verify their identities. While you may not need background checks for visitors if your work environment is not full of highly classified material, there is Google! Vaguely understanding the background of individuals in your office will not only tell you if there’s anything to worry about, it will also help you get to know them better to impress. Just keep in mind you don’t always want to let visitors know you’ve been looking into them.
- Make parts of the office off-limits – if there is sensitive data or a “dangerous” area make sure that visitors don’t have access to it, at least not on their own. You can use access cards and ensure doors are locked so that only employers can enter. You can also make sure any visitor has a staff member escorting them both for their comfort, and to keep them out of off-limit areas.
- Point out any important signs – if there are signs indicating off-limit areas or potential safety hazards, let your visitors know this before they make their way through the building by themselves so they know to look for posted signs.