According to an article in the Jacksonville Business Journal, the cost of workplace crime exceeds the amount Southern Florida businesses spend on office space and commercial rentals each year. Perhaps the solution to this situation would be a good digital video camera security system to monitor employees.

The Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics performed a study from 1992 – 1996 which determined that approximately 2 million Americans a year become workplace crime victims. According to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the number one cause of death for women at work is murder, and it’s the number two cause for murdered men at work, with an average of twenty-one Americans murdered each week at work. A digital video camera security system may not be able to stop any of these things from happening, but it can be a very strong deterrent.

In a September 200 Gallup Poll it was stated that, “American workers are increasingly feeling pressure from . . . fear of random workplace assaults, and they blame their bosses for giving them little or no guidance on how to deal with it.” A digital video camera security system could certainly help to alleviate this pressure and by monitoring employees would give them an option for dealing with workplace situations.

How realistic are workplace issues like these for Southern Florida? On November 6, 2009 one Orlando office worker was killed and six were wounded when a` former fellow business worker opened fire on them in the workplace. A Broward county woman was attacked in the parking lot upon leaving work. On April 30, 2010 a Miami retail store employee was apprehended for shoplifting items from the store in which she worked; and the list goes on. Workplace crime/violence is a very real issue in the United States as well as Southern Florida.

As an employer you have an obligation to provide your employees with a safe and healthy work environment. As an employer, you also have the right to protect your business from internal theft and from unlawful employee liability claims. One of the best ways to do this is to monitor employees by using a digital video security system. Many businesses involved in money handling have already learned the benefit of these systems to not only monitor customers but employees as well. If you think that monitoring employees has little useful benefit, as yourself why banks and casinos are such large proponents of the practice.

Monitoring employees can be accomplished easily by using just one camera. For example, an IP camera or Internet Protocol camera can be used alone or networked using the internet to monitor your employees. These cameras normally come with their own software that allows you to use your own personal computer to monitor and record digital video.

If you have multiple offices, buildings, etc. than a more sophisticated system may be necessary for your business. Standalone video security systems can handle up to 16 separate cameras per system and can provide monitoring and recording for each camera.

In addition to monitoring potential employee theft, security camera systems can also be used to protect employees from potential outside sources. Security cameras make excellent monitors for entrances and exits, especially when used in tandem with a security entrance system.

Monitoring employees can also be a benefit for the employer and employee alike. For example, security cameras placed in locations that are employee accident prone can not only protect the employer from unjustified liability claims, but can provide documentation as to why that particular area is accident prone so that it may be corrected.

It’s not just the employer that may be subject to liability claims. Employees may be subjected to sexual harassment from other employees regardless if they are non-supervisory, supervisory, administrative, or management. A well thought out and placed security system can document and substantiate acts of sexual harassment or help substantiate that a sexual harassment claim was unmerited.

No matter what your perspective, monitoring employees in this day and age is a good all-around idea to offer protection not only to the employer but the employee as well. A good video security system can provide the level of protection you need to protect you from external as well as internal theft, safety and liability issues, and other workplace issues. Contact one of our experienced professionals for your evaluation today.