If you work in a high-risk site, or even if you want to stop members of the public from having access to certain parts of your facility, you might have implemented an ID/access card system. However, employees have got into the bad habit of sharing their cards, and it has led to a few issues. Here are tips to realistically ensure employees stop sharing their access cards.

Lessen Penalties for Lost Cards

The sharing of access cards can often come about because an employee loses their card and does not want to admit it. They might be afraid of the repercussions that might come about with losing their ID, or they might want to hold out and believe that the card is going to turn up somewhere.

Try to make it as easy as possible for them to report and replace their cards. Do not discipline your employee unless it seems like they are abusing the system and not taking proper care of their card. One card every now and then is fine, one every month is a waste and needs to be addressed.

Change the Medium

Rather than having loose access cards – perfect to slip out of pockets – you might want to consider changing the style of the cards themselves. For many companies, RFID wristbands can represent a good option. They are easy to use, and employees can put them on at the start of the day and never worry about them coming off.

Another option is to introduce lanyards or clips that will allow an employee to keep their access card on their person at all times. This should hopefully discourage sharing, as an employee will be expected to keep their card on them no matter what.

Introduce Two-Step Authentication

One extra step that you could introduce is that of two-step authentication. By adding extras like biometrics or PINs to a door that requires an access card, you can lessen the share of access cards while also improving security.

Whether an employee comes up with their own PIN or is issued one by the company, you should make it clear that these are also not to be shared. With the right protocols in place, they should know that they are supposed to stick to using their own access codes and cards – and if you introduce biometrics then they might not have a choice but to do so.

Employees sharing access cards can be a real problem, but there are things that you as an employer can do. It is vital that you put across to your team that sharing these cards will not be tolerated. No matter the changes that you make, there should be a way for you to work with your team to try to reduce the sharing of cards. By working with your employees, you will hopefully find a way to be able to properly stop them from sharing access cards.

• Management