" 9 / 11 HAD MANY LESSONS. THE ONE TOP OF MIND FOR ME IS THE NEED FOR STRONG SAFETY AND SECURITY POLICIES. IT STARTS WITH HAVING RIGOR AROUND WHO YOU LET IN."
FEATURE
DR. DEBRA BENTSON
9 / 11 LESSONS FOR BUSINESS
9 / 11 was a shock to America. The horror of it all played out on television over and over, burning it into the American psyche.
9 / 11 had many lessons. The one top of mind for me is the need for strong safety and security policies. It starts with having rigor around who you let in.
Safety and security are everyone’ s job. Make detailed policies to protect people and property( in that order), train everyone, and vigorously exercise the plans regularly. I learned this early in my career when I was trained as a guard like everyone else I worked with.
Here are a few tips to consider when developing security / safety plans:
1. Badging policies must include badging both in and out
Most places I have worked and visited require badging in when entering but most do not require badging out when exiting the building.
Example: The building is on fire, and the fire department needs to know who is actually inside.
2. Temporary / visitor badges need expiration dates and, if issued to an employee, be linked to the employee’ s record
Anecdote: I conducted a security audit on an employee and found there were no badge records for them for months.
I discovered that the employee misplaced her badge and got a temporary one. She never found her badge and just kept using the temporary badge.
The lost badge was not reported or cancelled, a new badge was not ordered, and no one seemed to notice day after day, she had a temporary badge.
3.“ When in doubt, keep‘ em out”
Employees must swipe their own badge at every security door when entering or exiting. Strangers should not be allowed entry without proper vetting.
Anecdote: A group of well-dressed people asked me to let them into the building to attend a meeting. I didn ' t know them; I instructed them to wait outside while I verified them.
I was told they were executives who were there for a meeting. When asked why I did not let the executives in the building, I simply stated I did not know them and was not going to let them in the building.
" 9 / 11 HAD MANY LESSONS. THE ONE TOP OF MIND FOR ME IS THE NEED FOR STRONG SAFETY AND SECURITY POLICIES. IT STARTS WITH HAVING RIGOR AROUND WHO YOU LET IN."
-- DR. DEBRA BENTSON
4.“ See something, say something”
Employees need regular training to normalize taking action and reporting suspicious people and activity: even if they are employees.( But do not put yourself in danger!)
Anecdote: I heard a thud over the partition near where I was meeting with my team. I asked who was there and if they were ok.
There was no response. So, I walked around to the spot where the thud came from and found an employee who had fallen unconscious. I waited with her while a teammate called for medical help.
Keeping people safe and the workplace secure isn’ t a niceto-have: it’ s mandatory.
KATHLEEN M. PETERSON
" From The Sidelines "
THE ENGINE WAS ALREADY RUNNING
When I was first asked to contribute to this column, my initial thought was, wow, 25 years— where has the time gone? Events like 9 / 11 are seared into the memories of those of us old enough to have experienced them firsthand. Looking back, it seemed like an appropriate opportunity to consider what impact, if any, 9 / 11 had on contact centers.
I began by reviewing the projects we were working on at the time. There were many, spanning multiple industries, but the themes were remarkably similar. Organizations were trying to learn everything they could about building and growing contact centers— technology, staffing, training, workforce management, quality, leadership— all in support of rapidly expanding customer service operations and new business opportunities.
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