Enhancing Employee Safety with SafeNow

Growing up with countless lessons on stranger danger left me with the belief that I would probably be kidnapped at some point. (Or that I would likely catch fire eventually—stop, drop, and roll, anyone?)

I vividly remember lessons on what to do if someone tried to steal me: Go limp. Make myself as heavy as possible. But most importantly, scream something along the lines of “YOU’RE NOT MY MOM!”

Screaming was always emphasized as the best, most effective defense. Why? The attention that that clear, simple, LOUD phrase would bring is precisely the opposite of what any kidnapper would want. 

While it turned out that the statistical chances of being kidnapped by a stranger are roughly one in a million, the concept of drawing such obvious attention to someone with malicious intent holds up as one of the strongest deterrents available for potential victims. 

That same principle—drawing on immediate, unmistakable attention—still applies in adult environments. In workplace parking lots, where employees are often isolated and vulnerable, visibility can be one of the strongest deterrents available. LVT’s SafeNow is built around this concept, giving employees a simple way to trigger that attention when they need it most.

Why Is Employee Safety So Important?

Before diving into the specifics of SafeNow and its impact on employees, it’s important to highlight why workplace parking lot safety is such a big deal in the first place. 

At least on a surface level, most employers do understand that workplace safety and security are important. According to a Harvard Business Review study, out of 76 executives interviewed, 94% said safety is a core value for their company.

But actions speak louder than words: Only 17% of those executives said that safety was actually an explicit part of their company’s strategy.

Companies tend to treat safety and security as an obstacle to be dealt with, but this is a crucial mistake. Safety and security efforts can easily shift from obstacles to business enablers with the right strategy and mindset. 

Employee safety is crucial for the obvious reasons, of course, such as the ethical responsibility employers have to their employees and the potential legal ramifications of unsafe conditions. But it goes deeper than that.

Employee safety directly impacts:

• Retention: There’s a clear link between a strong workplace safety climate and positive job satisfaction, which directly translates into strong employee retention.
• Productivity: Employees who feel unsafe are unable to fully engage in creativity or collaboration. Employees who feel safe and protected, on the other hand, show higher levels of engagement and productivity.
• Morale: When companies show that they genuinely care for the well-being of their employees, it creates a culture of trust and safety that increases employee morale. 
• Company reputation: Companies that clearly take steps to protect the health and safety of their employees and customers will naturally build trust and loyalty.
• Costs: While safety measures can cost money, that expense pales in comparison to the costs of workers’ compensation claims, insurance rate increases, lawsuits, new employee recruitment and training, tarnished reputations, and decreased productivity.

There are so many aspects of employee safety and security, but one in particular is often overlooked: parking lot safety.

Parking lots have several unique characteristics that make them particularly difficult to secure:

• Parking lots are the first impression people have of a business, but they’re often overlooked as actually being part of that business.
• Their job is to be open to the comings and goings of people accessing the business—making them hard to lock down.

• They’re hotspots for crime and other issues—which the business may or may not be responsible for.

To address these challenges, many organizations are turning to more adaptable security options, such as mobile security units. Solar-powered with a cellular connection to the cloud, these units are easy to set up, serve as visible deterrents, and provide advanced features that help detect and deter crime.

While these units provide strong perimeter protection, employee safety also depends on giving individuals the ability to act in the moment, which is exactly why LVT (LiveView Technologies) has officially implemented SafeNow.

What Is SafeNow?

SafeNow is an employee safety app connected directly to LVT mobile security units. With just one swipe, employees can activate the LVT® Unit’s deterrence features, such as lights and sirens.

SafeNow focuses on simplicity and effectiveness: The initial login process consists only of a PIN, and the app itself essentially consists of just two slider bars—one to activate the unit, and the other to contact emergency services. 

How Does SafeNow Impact Workplace Parking Lot Safety?

Much like a child screaming that the person trying to take them away isn’t actually a parent, SafeNow’s activation of audible and visual deterrents serves to draw immediate attention to potentially escalating situations—attention that the vast majority of would-be wrongdoers do not want.

By putting this easy-to-use employee safety device in the hands of the individual under threat, SafeNow creates room for proactive action instead of reactive measures that might be too little too late. 

The best part? Because of the flexibility and adaptability of mobile security units, SafeNow can begin protecting your employees in no time—regardless of whether you’ve built safety into your brand from the beginning or are looking at serious proactive safety measures for the first time.

By combining visibility, simplicity, and immediate response, SafeNow helps close critical gaps in parking lot safety. To see how it could work for your business, contact LVT for a demo.