CCTV Systems Protect Your Employees

Many employers in the retail and food sector consider installing CCTV systems to monitor the workplace and employee interactions with customers. There have been occasional dustups about the practice in various publications. Some experts allege that such measures – CCTV camera surveillance and security cameras trained on the employees – shows a marked lack of trust in employees and damages employee morale. While there are situations where this is true, there are many good reasons for installing a CCTV system with which your employees can agree and which they will support. If you’ve decided to install security cameras that will be monitoring employees as well as customers, these reasons can help you explain your decision to your staff in a positive light.

CCTV Monitoring Employee-Customer Interaction Protects Employees from False Claims

Everyone’s heard the dictum that the customer is always right, but we all know that it’s not true. More often than not, your employee was in the right and the customer was abusive, combative or just mistaken. A security camera that monitors employee-customer interactions can serve as a final arbiter, proving conclusively when the customer was wrong. Any cashier who has been accused of pocketing cash when a customer complains of being shortchanged should welcome the monitoring.

A CCTV Camera Can Help Weed Out Bad Apples and Reward Excellence

Most employees understand that “shrinkage” affects the entire staff. When the manager or owner suspects that part of the shrinkage is the result of employee theft, everyone is under suspicion. Mounting a CCTV camera can help pinpoint which staff member is responsible and remove the suspicion from everyone else. Even more importantly, CCTV monitoring can help you pinpoint examples of excellent service among your staff so that you can praise and reward it. You can even compile training videos from security tapes to help new employees understand the level of service and professionalism that characterizes your store.

Honesty Can Alleviate Hard Feelings Among Employees

Covert surveillance with hidden security cameras has its place, but secrecy can really damage the employer/employee relationship. Being honest and upfront about your reasons for installing a CCTV system can improve trust rather than damaging it. If everyone knows that someone is stealing from the till, for example, you won’t fool anyone by only speaking of the advantages for employees. Pointing out that the cameras are also there for their own protection certainly won’t hurt, though.

There are many configurations and types of CCTV systems that can serve your purpose. Do your research and find the best security camera system for you.