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Gone Fishin’ - How small businesses can stay secure when they temporarily close

According to one poll, 76% of small businesses avoid taking holiday at all, predominantly to “keep their business running smoothly.” Of course, it’s entirely likely that work will remain at the forefront of the remaining 24%’s mind. This is especially true for those aware that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lose over £2000 every bank holiday they choose to shut their doors.

Keeping a vacant business secure is an extremely involved process when that property is permanently empty, but there is no formal protocol for how to keep business property safe if it’s only lying dormant for a week or two. And while advice for how to improve your home security while on holiday is relatively widespread, assistance for business premises which are left unoccupied, even just over Christmas and New Year, is hard to find.

Have long-term security measures in place before you leave

Many surveillance companies recommend treating security measures as “part of the daily routine” of your business. Indeed, there’s no reason you shouldn’t treat monitoring CCTV footage the same way as locking up and setting the alarm before leaving the office for the night. By simply taking every precaution before your business remains empty for an extended period of time, you won’t need to spend your entire break concerned about the wellbeing of your premises.

Likewise, if you are closing your SME for a short period of time (such as a vacation), and it won’t be able to run in your absence, it is imperative to tell a trusted employee or nearby businesses that your premises will be empty. Make sure to leave your emergency contact details so that they can get in touch in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

If this isn’t an option, and a neighbour will also be unavailable —for example, during the Christmas period—it may be worth seeking out a keyholding service. These organisations keep a copy of your business’s keys and sends a designated member of their team to the propertyif an alarm is triggered. Keyholding may not be necessary around the clock, but they have been proved to prevent a number of business-threatening emergencies.

Don’t go completely off the grid

Obviously if you’ve planned a week or two away from the stresses of running your own business, the temptation to leave your phone at home is a big one. However, if there is an emergency situation which needs your attention—no matter how far away you are—you will want to know that it’s being dealt with.

You should try to split the difference between treating your deckchair like an office and acting like you’ve taken an early retirement. In order to avoid what one survey has described as “a toxic form of stress,“ assign yourself designated check-in times during the day to keep up to date with what is happening in the office.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Caitlyn Stevens .