Having employee ID badges does little to protect your employees and your business if there are not proper security protocols in place. If your current IDs need an overhaul, there are different security measures you can use to protect the workplace.

Integrate NFC

Near-field communication (NFC) can be a better way of protecting your business and improving security. Unlike traditional methods of using employee ID badges with a magnetic strip, NFC does not require employees to make direct contact with the terminal. Much like the use of payment terminals, the advantage of NFC is there is less risk of information being stolen via card skimmers. This is especially critical for terminals located outside that allow access to main entrances, since they are unlikely to be monitored constantly.

If you choose to integrate this method, it is important to encourage employees to keep their ID in a location where it cannot be read by someone with a NFC reader. When they are not actively wearing their badge, it should be placed in a wallet or purse that offers protection from any type of NFC reader.

Consider Design Features

You can use different design features to enhance security. Similar to the way money is created with different features, you might want to have a hologram or watermark embedded in employee ID cards. This feature makes it easy to determine if an ID is genuine or fake, and makes it difficult to replicate. Some watermarks change when they are exposed to heat. If a person were to try and photocopy or scan the ID, the heat would cause the watermark on the resulting scanned or printed image to change or disappear.

Another type of design element you could use is to have slight variations of ID cards for different employees. For example, you might have a stripe or emblem of a specific color depending on security level. Temporary employees could have ID cards with a blue stripe or emblem, while those with high-level security clearances might have red.

Use Various ID Card Types

The type of ID card for each employee could vary with their type of employment. Using a hospital for example, a basic ID card without extra security features might be fine for employees who do not need special access, such as those working in the hospital gift shop or cafeteria. Employees with more responsibilities, like those in administrative offices may need an ID card with a magnetic strip. As the job responsibilities increase, such as members of the medical community with direct access to patients, operating rooms, and prescription medications, you might want a more sophisticated ID card from an ID card service. The card might use NFC so employees can access areas of the hospital that are not publicly available. Areas requiring extra security, such as narcotic medications, might require two-step authentication by passing the card over the NFC reader and entering the appropriate access code.

By adding different types of ID cards and integrating new design features, you can minimize the chance of unauthorized access to your business.