Managing an employee car park can be a daunting task. How do you ensure that only authorised personnel are parking in your car park? How do you stop unauthorised parking?
These are questions that many businesses face and the solutions aren’t always straightforward. Fortunately, help is at hand. Gemini Parking Solutions, who won the “Parking Provider of the Year” award, have some great tips on how to effectively manage your employee car park and deter unauthorised parking. Keep reading to find out more!
Why you need a strategy for employee parking
The staff car park. For those who have to manage, oversee and use such facilities, they’ll know all too well that it can be a surprisingly contentious issue. Though employers aren’t obligated to provide car parks for their employees, on-site parking can be a huge benefit for employees, making the provision of a quality car park service essential.
Mismanagement of car park facilities can create issues for employees and the business as a whole. Other factors, such as the location of the car park or capacity issues, can further exacerbate problems, while the considerations of local residents may have to be taken into account as well.
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Managing an employee car park can be a difficult task for small to medium size businesses. Or, even more daunting, is trying to offer a mixed-used car park for both guests and employees. It is part of a companies obligations in many cases to offer employee parking. This is why it is imperative to have a strategy in place.
An effective strategy should include issuing permits to employees and clearly marking staff parking areas. Additionally, businesses should have the right technology and software in place to monitor and enforce parking rules and regulations.
DID YOU KNOW?
Police officers and the local authority have no power to solve unauthorised parking issues on your own property, since parking on a private car park is not a crime, but rather a civil case.
The Cost of Unauthorised Parking
Whether you’re a business or an employee of a company, unauthorised vehicles parking on your private property can be a major issue.
For businesses, unauthorised parkers are anyone that takes the rightful spaces from your customers or employees. They are essentially people who are not allowed to park in your spaces, and haven’t been given permission by your business.
This not only causes headaches for everyone involved, but can reflect poorly on your company when paying customers or potential partners have nowhere to park. This also means you could be losing revenue with every parking space being taken by an unauthorised parker.
It’s not only the ‘on the surface’ costs, it’s also the hidden costs to a business, such as employing staff to patrol the car park, issuing parking charges and maintaining the car park.
The Benefits of Implementing an Employee Car Park Strategy
Having a strategy for your employee and customer car park is essential for businesses that want to ensure that only authorised personnel have access. This strategy can be tailored to fit your specific needs, but it generally involves issuing permits to employees who need to park at the workplace. These permits can be used as a deterrent against unauthorised parking, as anyone found parking without a valid permit can be asked to leave the premises.
We like to work with digital permits, meaning you can easily manage, maintain and update who exactly should be parking. This, combined with ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) creates a fairly hands off approach to your employee parking.
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Not only does this strategy help to prevent any unauthorised parking, but it also offers several other benefits. For example, staff parking permits can be used to limit access to specific areas of the car park, and they can also be used to track usage, helping employers monitor and manage their car park more effectively.
Additionally, having an employee parking permit system can help employers save money by reducing the need for additional security personnel and systems to monitor the car park.
Gemini Parking Solutions won “Parking Provider of the Year” award due to its comprehensive approach to managing employee car parks. The company provides a range of options, from offering manual and automated permit systems to providing ANPR Systems and access control solutions. With these strategies in place, employers can rest assured that their car parks are properly managed and secure.
Implementing a Parking Strategy for Staff
1. Defining your parking policy
When deciding on a parking policy, it is important to think about various factors, including the location of the site, available public transportation options like buses or trains, staff members’ ability to walk or bike to work, the security of your business (and the parking facilities), the kind of business conducted at the premises, and the company’s culture and working principles.
2. Establishing a Travel Plan
For businesses seeking to be more environmentally-conscious, or those with highly limited spaces available, establishing a travel plan could be an effective step. This plan outlines different transportation options, like carpooling, public transit, and walking, which encourages their employees to utilise those alternatives and leave their vehicles at home.
3. Installing the Required Equipment
Automating your car park entrance with ANPR technology helps protect your business by providing a reliable record of all vehicle traffic. This system records number plate details for all vehicles, which is then checked against a database of authorised cars and motorbikes to guarantee no misuse is taking place. It also makes it easier for you to track visitors or guests coming and going from your premises.
For additional security, you can install a permit system or simply create a whitelist of approved users with a digital system. We believe this is a must for all employee parking strategies.
4. Consider your Site Layout
It is important to take your site’s layout into account when managing car parking facilities. Separating out parking bays from areas used for delivery or goods vehicle traffic, dispatch bays, and truck parking will optimize both safety and efficiency.
To further minimise any potential risks, pedestrian access in these areas should be restricted whenever possible, as reversing vehicles can have limited visibility. By ensuring a streamlined flow of traffic, you can help prevent accidents and injuries.
5. Ensuring Security for All
Businesses must make sure that any security systems they put in place are accessible for all visitors, including staff. All parking areas should be clear and easily identifiable, safe, and just as secure as the customer parking, even if they are in different locations.