Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pros and Cons of CCTV Systems for Workplace Monitoring

While most people think of video surveillance as a method to protect a business against burglary and shoplifting, CCTV systems also give employers the ability to more effectively monitor employees at work. There are multiple advantages and a few negatives to using CCTV systems this way. If you’re considering setting up a CCTV monitoring system in your workplace, you should fully understand both the benefits and the potential effects of using security systems to monitor your employees’ performance and behavior.

Pros of CCTV Systems in the Workplace

The pros of setting up a surveillance camera system to monitor the workplace are many. They include increased safety, decreased shrinkage, increased good behavior and evidence if there is a crime.

The main purpose of a CCTV camera system is to increase safety in the workplace. The mere presence of surveillance cameras can help discourage outside theft, which is especially important in retail businesses that are open late at night, often with only one attendant to cover the entire store. It can also discourage unsafe behaviors by employees, and actually provide protection for employees from being exploited, harassed or otherwise abused by supervisors and other employees. A manager or supervisor is much more likely to observe safety rules if they know they’re being monitored.

CCTV systems are proven methods of decreasing shoplifting, but they also can save your business hundreds of dollars a month in the form of employee theft. Employees may not even consider their actions to be “theft,” but it’s still costing you money when they snack on a candy bar, draw themselves a drink from the coffee bar without paying for it or pour a little extra into a drink for a friend. An employee monitoring system can help you pick up on those behaviors if they’re happening so that you can decide on a course of action to take.

As suggested before, the knowledge that they are being monitored will often prompt employees to engage in the behaviors you want. Employees are also much less likely to engage in inappropriate behaviors when they know that there’s a security camera watching them.

Finally, CCTV systems provide evidence if you need to discipline or dismiss someone based on their behaviors. It’s much more difficult to dispute a dismissal that is backed up by video evidence of the employee stealing, mistreating customers or otherwise misbehaving in a professional situation.

If you do decide to implement video monitoring with CCTV systems in your workplace, implement it in such a way as to counter any negatives associated with employee monitoring. Those include potential invasion of privacy issues and lowered morale if employees feel that you don’t trust them. When you consider all the pros and cons carefully, and carefully evaluate the video monitoring needs of your business, you’ll be in a position to make the best decision for your company.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pros and Cons of CCTV Systems for Workplace Monitoring

While most people think of video surveillance as a method to protect a business against burglary and shoplifting, CCTV systems also give employers the ability to more effectively monitor employees at work. There are multiple advantages and a few negatives to using CCTV systems this way. If you’re considering setting up a CCTV monitoring system in your workplace, you should fully understand both the benefits and the potential effects of using security systems to monitor your employees’ performance and behavior.

Pros of CCTV Systems in the Workplace

The pros of setting up a surveillance camera system to monitor the workplace are many. They include increased safety, decreased shrinkage, increased good behavior and evidence if there is a crime.

The main purpose of CCTV systems is to increase safety in the workplace. The mere presence of surveillance cameras can help discourage outside theft, which is especially important in retail businesses that are open late at night, often with only one attendant to cover the entire store. It can also discourage unsafe behaviors by employees, and actually provide protection for employees from being exploited, harassed or otherwise abused by supervisors and other employees. A manager or supervisor is much more likely to observe safety rules if they know they’re being monitored.

CCTV systems are proven methods of decreasing shoplifting, but they also can save your business hundreds of dollars a month in the form of employee theft. Employees may not even consider their actions to be “theft,” but it’s still costing you money when they snack on a candy bar, draw themselves a drink from the coffee bar without paying for it or pour a little extra into a drink for a friend. An employee monitoring system can help you pick up on those behaviors if they’re happening so that you can decide on a course of action to take.

As suggested before, the knowledge that they are being monitored will often prompt employees to engage in the behaviors you want. Employees are also much less likely to engage in inappropriate behaviors when they know that there’s a security camera watching them.

Finally, CCTV systems provide evidence if you need to discipline or dismiss someone based on their behaviors. It’s much more difficult to dispute a dismissal that is backed up by video evidence of the employee stealing, mistreating customers or otherwise misbehaving in a professional situation.

If you do decide to implement video monitoring with CCTV systems in your workplace, implement it in such a way as to counter any negatives associated with employee monitoring. Those include potential invasion of privacy issues and lowered morale if employees feel that you don’t trust them. When you consider all the pros and cons carefully, and carefully evaluate the video monitoring needs of your business, you’ll be in a position to make the best decision for your company.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Enhance Home Safety with CCTV Systems

You can’t always be at home with eyes in every room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see what’s happening when you’re not there. Technology advances have made it possible for almost anyone to afford CCTV systems to help monitor their homes and ensure the safety of their families. With the many options available today, you can easily design a CCTV system that will suit your security needs and your pocketbook perfectly.

Why CCTV Systems for Home Safety?

People choose CCTV systems for many reasons and purposes. For some, a security camera at the front entrance gives an added sense of security and helps them maintain the privacy and safety of their homes because they can see who is approaching their property. Others use a CCTV system to monitor the home while they’re out and allow them to check in on things from a work computer. A video camera hooked up to a monitor and a PC can reassure parents that their children are being cared for well, for example. A surveillance camera overlooking areas that can’t be easily seen from the house can allow homeowners to keep a closer eye on those areas.

Types of CCTV Systems

There are many types of systems available. They may include black and white or color security systems, wireless security cameras or a vandal resistant surveillance camera for cameras that will be mounted outdoors. Some systems allow remote access and can be used as home surveillance cameras hooked into a home security system. The most basic CCTV system is a single security camera hooked into a VCR or monitor for remote viewing. The most modern CCTV systems include multiple cameras that you can position and adjust from a remote location, giving you full control over your CCTV system even when you’re at work.

While many security cameras can hook into your computer, you can also purchase monitors as part of your home security system. Security monitors for CCTV systems may have double the lines of screen resolution as regular televisions or computer monitors, allowing the system to capture far greater detail, which can be vital if you’re counting on the system as part of your home security solution.

Advantages of CCTV for Home Security

CCTV security systems are a relatively inexpensive addition to your home security system. The cameras and monitors setup give you “eyes” so that you can keep an eye on kids at home after school, nannies with infants or simply keep a watch for intruders. Even if your system can’t be viewed remotely, it can record what happens throughout the day, which can be invaluable in helping to find and convict intruders if your home is burglarized.

For more information about the latest trends in CCTV systems and home security, contact a dealer of security cameras and monitors to discuss your needs.