Businesses are composed of myriad moving parts. From daily operations to the maintenance of the office space, it’s impossible to list everything involved in making a company functional. But it takes all parts working in harmony for a business to thrive. Sometimes, helping your company achieve this goal means delegating new responsibilities to stand-out employees, trusting they’ll work in the best interest of the company. And, sometimes, this means handing over the keys.

Though most businesses rely on key-swipe mechanisms during business hours, nearly every office has an entrance that can be unlocked with a key at all times and internal doors with key locks. Regardless of your profession, if you operate out of a physical office space, it’s more than likely you’ll need to entrust a handful of employees with keys to these entrances. 

Though the reasons vary, employees typically need keys for one of the following purposes: to gain access to facilities outside normal hours, to open or lock up, or to respond to emergencies. 

Often, an employee needs to gain access to business premises outside the hours of operation, whether to fulfill their responsibilities or to complete a special project that demands working odd-hours. For these reasons, they may require a key to enter the building and lock up, and keys to access any internal offices they need to use. While these employees might also be tasked with locking up behind them, other employees are typically assigned the responsibility of opening and closing the office, which requires company keys as well. Finally, there might be certain employees who should be given keys for the sole purpose of entering the building in case of an emergency. These individuals are either equipped with the skills and expertise necessary for handling a break-in or other crisis, or they’ve proven to care enough they would be willing to help professional responders. 

In any case, being in possession of company keys is a major responsibility and due to the risks involved, keys should only be handed out if it’s absolutely necessary for business operations.

When your business depends on everything happening as it should, you can’t trust just any employee with the company keys. Even if some operations require someone using business keys, it’s imperative you fill this role with someone you can rely on and, for special situations where an employee might benefit from 24/7 access to company resources, it’s important to consider their character first as well. 

• For one, it’s of the utmost importance that all company key-holders demonstrate integrity in all their work and professional relationships. You need to be certain these people would never abuse their privileges, or use the key for any non-work related purposes. 
• In addition to being trustworthy, these people must also prove they’re responsible, reliable, and can listen to instruction. These employees are thorough and organized in their work, and make improvements when needed. If trusted with a company key, you could be sure they wouldn’t lose it or forget to complete the tasks they’re supposed to complete. 
• When choosing an employee, you may also want to consider their leadership skills. If an employee is using a company key, it’s almost certain they’re at the office at an odd-hour, with few other people. For this reason, it helps to choose someone who knows how to act in case of an emergency, and would be willing to report any suspicious activity.

As a business leader, you’re free to trust any employee with the company keys, but we think it would be ill-advised to leave your security maintenance in the hands of anyone other than Pop-A-Lock. We’ll help you locate potential weak-spots through our business security audits, and ensure you have full control over who can enter or exit your facilities with our business lock installation and rekeying services. Whatever your needs, we’re determined to make your business even stronger. Browse our website for more information, or give us a call to get a free quote today!