Strange new rule in the office.

[Guest Rooster]

So I work in Cool Springs in a 6 story building. My office takes up about 1/3 of the fifth floor, and we have 3 doors going into the office. Every day at 5pm the main door electronically locks, and the other 2 doors that are usually propped open all day are shut and most people go home.

At 4:30PM yesterday I went to the restroom and come back and the front door was locked. So I go around to the other doors and they are shut and locked. So I’m like WTF! I had to knock on the door for someone to let me in because I left my keycard at my desk because I never needed it before. I get back to my desk and I look at my email and I have an email from our HR manager stating that we all need to carry our keycard with us from now on because all doors into the office will stay locked all the time. I saw several of the higher-ups walking around looking a little shifty. What could be going on, that after 3 years of leaving the doors more or less wide open, that would make them decide to keep the doors locked all day?

I asked the HR manager who sent out the email and she said it was just for safety and security reasons, but I have learned that HR people are as good as politicians when it comes to putting a nice sounding spin of things. There is most certainly an underlying reason for the locked doors. Just not sure what it might be.

If some crazy ex-employee has threatened to go postal in my office I think I ought to know about it.

What do y’all think?

[Guest EasilyObsessed]

Probably someone with a abusive ex-boyfriend who has threatened her.

[creeky]

So I work in Cool Springs in a 6 story building. My office takes up about 1/3 of the fifth floor, and we have 3 doors going into the office. Every day at 5pm the main door electronically locks, and the other 2 doors that are usually propped open all day are shut and most people go home.

I work in Cool Springs as well, on the fourth floor of a building. We have the same electronic system. I carry mine in my wallet for just that reason.

But yeah it sounds like someone is having a "Personal Domestic Issue" at home or something like that. I can see HR not saying anything, because it puts them in an sticky situation. (When an employee talks to management confidentually.) But like all offices, minor changes like that get around quick and people find out somthing is up.

(I was informed of a "NO Baseball Bat" rule a few months ago! LOL!!!)

[saintsfanbrian]

NO Baseball Bats - good thing they don't know about the pistol in your pocket.

I agree that the employees to some degree need to be informed if some psycho hose beast is planning on coming in to tear up the joint.

[Guest Rooster]

NO Baseball Bats - good thing they don't know about the pistol in your pocket.

I agree that the employees to some degree need to be informed if some psycho hose beast is planning on coming in to tear up the joint.

I would think that if a company knew of a possible threat and did not inform those who might be affected, they could be held responsible if anything happened.

My company has a no weapon policy, but if I knew that some crazy ex is coming to shoot up the place, policy be damned. I would rather walk out of the office unemployed than be carried out.

[molonlabetn]

Well, it seems to me that the company is simply using the security measures which were previously available to them, but were not fully implemented (door locks, card-swipes, etc...). I'm not sure what extent of liability the company has to provide for your safety, but if they prohibit you from being able to defend yourself, and something happens which harms you in a manner which you could have had a better chance of preventing if you were allowed to (absent their faulty policy) I'd be surprised if you didn't have a case.

[Mike.357]

I would apply the rule of Achum's razor, where the simplest explanation is the proper one. No doubt they are just using systems already in place. No sinister reason need exist.

[Guest DEIMOS]

I googled Achum's Razor because I had never heard of it. I take it that it is Occam's Razor, but people have changed or misspelled it. Interesting.

[Guest Rooster]

There is no way that they decided that on a Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 that they would start locking the door all day everyday, just because we have a cardkey system and that we should put it to more use. This has been the first day of the locked doors and im already sick of it. The Fedex guy the UPS guy the DHL guy have all had to sit there and knock on the door and wait for someone to open it for them. I have had to open it for someone 3 times today because I sit pretty close to the door.

[Rightwinger]

There is no way that they decided that on a Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 that they would start locking the door all day everyday, just because we have a cardkey system and that we should put it to more use. This has been the first day of the locked doors and im already sick of it. The Fedex guy the UPS guy the DHL guy have all had to sit there and knock on the door and wait for someone to open it for them. I have had to open it for someone 3 times today because I sit pretty close to the door.

Ahh....the first target of opportunity or the guy that lets the bad guys in! Can you see who is at the door? Why is there not a reception area for this type of activity if they are going to secure the office? I think your managment team really do need to explain what's going on and their solutions to the door issue.

[Marswolf]

I have had to open it for someone 3 times today because I sit pretty close to the door.

Why not just call HR and tell them someone is at the door?

[creeky]

Why not just call HR and tell them someone is at the door?

And that they look "disgruntled".

[Guest ETS_Inc]

Why not just call HR and tell them someone is at the door?

That's what I would do. I'd politely inform the HR department that since there is no portal through which to view the person on the other side of the door, and the person knocking obviously does not have a badge, you do not want to violate the security of the company by opening a door to an unknown person.

Explain to them that you have no idea why they feel the need to suddenly start using the full aspects of the security system, so you are left to fear the worst, that there is a viable threat to the security of the company and its employees. For all you know, it could be the FedEx guy, or maybe the threat might say that they are the FedEx guy. Not being able to see through the door means you have no way to verify their identity without opening the door, thereby bypassing the security system. Being a conciencious employee, you don't want to compromise the security system.

Just like you wouldn't use the company's computers to surf unsecure websites for fear of hackers, spyware, or viruses, you don't want to be the guy who literally opens the front door to a threat.

After HR has to open the door a few times, they'll either explain the threat, leave the door open, or just tell you to go ahead and open it. If they tell you to just open it when someone knocks, point out that that is no security system at all, and all it does is inconvienience the employees, who have to stop their productive work to play door man every 15 minutes. Not to mention the cummulative amount of lost work time spent digging out key cards, or waiting for the electronic lock to unlock. Use economics and productivity to counter them, and the bean-counters will quickly realize that just having a security system for the sake of having one, is useless and counter-productive.

Now, if there is a viable threat to the company, or its employees, I would argue that you, as an employee have a right to be fully aware of it. For all you know, the threat might attempt to harm you in an effort to gain your keycard, or to gain the information you possess about the company.

Either way, you deserve an explanation.

FWIW, two of my eight years in the Army were spent doing physical / personal / operations security planning and evaluating. Then, after I ETS'd, I went into the private security / bodyguard industry for about a year. There are so many aspects of security which are all too commonly overlooked, and can be easily exploited by a person with no training and minimal determination.

[shaftbass]

I really need a j frame

[Guest Rooster]

Update:

I looked again at the sign they posted on the front door and it says, "Door is locked please knock or call ###-####. I had no idea who's number it was so I called it from my cell phone. The person who picks up is a lady that works in the marketing department next to my department. It's actually her cell phone. Now this lady is nobody important and she sits further away from the door than half the people in the office.

Oh to answer other questions, we have never had a receptionist, and we dont have a lobby anymore, we ran out of room in our office so we used the lobby for more cube space.

Also I would love to call the HR manager and tell her someone is at the door, but that would mean she would actually have to come to work for me to call her. This woman strolls into the office around 930-1000 and as soon as the clock hits 230-300, she is out of here. Oh and dont forget her hour lunch break.

[Mike.357]

Achum's razor or Occam's Razor

I have no clue how to actually spell it though I know

the principle of it.

[Guest dotsun]

When I go to offices that have locked doors and no receptionist I'll call my contact # and if no one answers the first time I move on to my next call. I figure they can't be in too much of a hurry for my services if that's how they treat contractors. They tend to get the picture pretty quickly when they call back in and find out they missed the boat.

[Guest Rooster]

OK I finally found out why we are locking the doors. Turns out that last Tuesday afternoon a guy was fired from my office and we are keeping the door locked to keep him out. I guess he didnt take it very well. Reguardless we should have been told what was going on. I had to hear it through the grapevine.

[Marswolf]

If they didn't tell you who not to let in the door, locking them didn't do much good.

[Guest Rooster]

If they didn't tell you who not to let in the door, locking them didn't do much good.

Yep you are right, thats why I quit opening the door for people.

[Marswolf]

It also would have been interesting if you opened the door and he shot you. Guess your estate could own the company....

[BryanP]

I have no clue how to actually spell it though I know

the principle of it.

For future reference, the correct spelling is Occam's Razor.

That's the razor you keep in the opposite pocket from where you keep your J frame.

[Marswolf]

Norelco make that?

[Guest Phantom6]

Norelco make that?

Wilkinson

[towerclimber37]

heheheh Occams razor gives a CLOSE shave.