Letting a cleaning crew into your building after hours is a security event. Here's how to make sure it's a non-event.
Most commercial cleaning happens after the building has emptied for the day. That's good for productivity — and a real security consideration if your provider isn't disciplined about it.
What to require from your cleaning provider
- Named, background-checked W-2 employees on every shift (no rotating contractors)
- Photo IDs and uniforms — never "whoever the crew leader brought tonight"
- Documented key/badge log or access control integration
- Alarm code rotation policy and individual user codes
- Camera-aware behavior — supervisors review footage weekly
Common failure modes
- Doors propped open for vacuum cords
- Cleaners holding the door for unknown people
- Shared alarm codes that never get rotated when staff turns over
- Trash bags taken out the front entrance instead of the loading dock
What a tight program looks like
One supervisor on shift, named in advance, with a phone you can reach. Every entry and exit logged. Alarm armed when the team leaves. A photo of the locked-up building texted to the account manager.
It's not paranoid — it's professional. And it's the difference between a vendor and a partner.