Should I watch employees with Security Cameras?

If I have heard this question once, I have heard it a thousand times to various degrees - "Should I cover employees with security cameras". My answer has always been the same - a resounding "YES". Sure it is because I run a security camera manufacturer, but the rationale goes way beyond financial reasons, at least my own financial benefit. Often business owners worry about employees feeling like they are being "micro-managed" or watched without reason. My explanation is always the same, Security cameras do not change your nature. If you are a micro-manager, then security cameras become a tool for micro-managing. However, if you are not, then they will not be a tool for that.

Security cameras can't change you as a manager, so use them, but use them wisely. These tools can deliver a lot of information about your business, not just bad stuff either. Since the security cameras are always on, always recording, and never lie, they become a silent witness of everything that happens. This means that as a manager, you can check your suspicions about employees and even spare yourself the awkward and possibly incorrect assumptions about the people that work for you. In many cases, the managers assume the worst of their employees, but several minutes spent searching through video footage on our AVM camera system (which offers the best access to scan video footage) might show you that the employee you thought was lazy actually wasn't. Often you can find as much evidence of employees acting good, as you do bad. Use your security cameras like this, and there certainly won't be any resistance to the monitoring.

Obviously, some employees will be caught up in bad or even damaging behavior. Unfortunately, this is often the most publicized and feared use of security cameras. Yes, employees do bad things...so ask yourself before installing a business camera system, are you ready for what you will find? Not every business owner or manager is ready for this. There will always be bad seeds, and while security cameras can often help keep the honest ones honest, it won't change the overall attitude or actions of the bad ones. They may halt their thievery for a few days once the cameras are in place, eventually they either forget the cameras are there or assume that no one will watch them anyway. No matter the cause, eventually bad apples rot. Having cameras isn't enough to catch all of this behavior though, the most important thing is having a good quality system that will allow fast access to the video footage. Systems like our business AVM camera systems deliver fast access to the video, which means you will be able to scan through days of video in a matter of seconds, so you can catch the cues to the next heist before it happens in many cases. But be prepared for the uncomfortable conversations that you may have to have once you have caught the perpetrators.

There have been several business owners that come to mind in the past 14 years, who have come back to me very upset after installing their cameras. It seems they both found the cause of their losses and took action, but regretted it afterwards. One was a mulch company, who came to me knowing that they were losing thousands of dollars in mulch every month. This owner knew what was happening, and in this case even knew who was doing it...complaining that one of his $12/hour employees was driving a Lincoln Navigator that he himself could not afford. Well thousands a month in free money will go a long way towards paying for that truck. After installing his system, the employee was caught and fired. The owner was upset because he lost his "best" employee...hmm. Another approached me because he was upset after firing an employee that was stealing upset because he couldn't find a suitable replacement. With either case, as a business owner myself, are those employees really a part of the solution? Did they really make your business better? Or is the discomfort right now really best for the business in the long run? Hopefully, the answer to those questions is clear. I know it always has been for me.

The benefits of a quality camera system doesn't end with employees though. More information about your business and customers is something that every good small business owner and manager is searching for daily. These silent witnesses posted throughout customer areas can show you when customers come in most, demographics, ebb and flow of traffic and much more. This means that you can make more intelligent, thoughtful choices about your business with ease. This info can be used to change product or service offerings, staff more efficiently, or even change layout of shelves or tables accordingly.

Once you have decided if camera coverage is right for your situation, and you have prepared yourself for the results, selecting a camera system is next on the agenda. This is equally as important. Most security camera systems deliver basic video recording and even remote access, however when it comes to actually using the video it falls flat on its face. The vast majority of these systems take hours or even days to search through a day worth of video to find out what happened. A higher quality system is what makes the benefits we outlined above actually possible. This is why our AVM system is most popular among businesses large and small. Ranging from airports, banks and warehouses to restaurants and small boutiques, the AVM camera system allows managers and owners to scan through even days of video in a matter of seconds. This truly turns what could be used just for major crimes into something that can even be used to pat employees on the back when they are doing a great job and staying on task.

Learn more about our Business AVM Security Camera Systems to help you not only protect your business from theft, but also monitor and even reward your employees like only our AVM system can do.