Enterprises attending mail equipment sales typically maintain busy mailrooms. For many years, the security of the mail has concerned the public. Today, this issue still remains vitally important. The company facilities responsible for sending and receiving letters and packages often handle valuables. Mailroom managers must devote attention to preventing thefts or risk incurring unforeseen company losses.
Mailroom Crime: A Serious Problem
A series of media headlines attracted national attention to this issue recently in the United States. Last month, a thief in Colorado broke into a residential complex mailroom in Jefferson County and brazenly broke open locked mailboxes as a camera recorded the incident. Buildings in Chicago sustained similar attacks during 2020. In those cases, suspicion fell upon Postal Service workers, since the perpetrators used a master key to break into locked locations. These incidents highlight the need for mailroom managers to give serious consideration to issues of mailroom security.
Implementing Comprehensive Mailroom Security
In order to ensure tight security, modern mailroom managers must safeguard the mail (and mailroom employees) from an array of threats. A three-pronged approach serves the needs of many businesses maintaining Internet access. Consider a trio of potential sources of risk:
- External threats to mailrooms (e.g. break-ins);
- Interior threats (e.g. thefts within mailrooms);
- Remote attacks (e.g. the hacking of Internet-connected mailroom computers and printers).
Although obvious threats to mailroom security involve thefts of mail and packages, in the Information Age thieves also sometimes target intellectual property and a variety of personal and financial data. Some mailrooms frequently process voluminous paperwork (including customer mailing lists and discarded used envelopes). These sites might potentially attract the interest of identity theft rings.
Important Security Tools
Companies with busy mailrooms sometimes discover advantages in hiring licensed security consultants to advise them. At a minimum, mailroom managers should consider developing a written, comprehensive security risk management plan. This type of report assists a firm in exploring and implementing protocols to ensure the safety of the mailroom and its employees.
Some frequently used tools to enhance mailroom safety include: (1) screening employees and third party contractors carefully; (2) installing alarms and cameras; (3) implementing access control systems; and (4) tightening online security, especially mailroom printer security. By paying attention to mailroom security issues, businesses ultimately improve employee morale and prevent expensive losses.
