Guidelines
- Where practical, the workplace should cater for people with disabilities through both the physical environment and operational elements of the workplace.
- Workplace access should be based on the level of security required.
- Public areas, including reception and some meeting rooms, should maximise sharing between agencies and minimise barriers for external guests.
- Designated invited areas should allow staff to host guests beyond the public area while minimising disruption to the workplace and maintaining business confidentiality and security for other staff members.
- The private areas should be designed to support staff security and confidentiality.
- Where there are specific security requirements, some agencies may want to establish additional secure zones within private areas. These secure zones may incorporate electronic and physical security systems.
- Workplace design should minimise the number of secured access routes or paths within the work environment.
- The reception counter area should be designed to ensure the safety of staff. This may include barriers and distress alarms.
- Application of closed circuit television and other security measures should be aligned with the Government Standard Building Performance Specifications.
- Building access control systems should be capable of operating advanced encryption, and agencies should use a common system type. This will allow controlled movement between buildings, as settings applied in the systems allow, while providing the physical security required.
- Set up ‘follow me’ printing capabilities to give staff the flexibility and freedom to work and print anywhere across the agency’s portfolio, as well as to increase document security.
- Set up systems that allow staff to store confidential documents securely and with ease.
- Clear desk policies will ensure sensitive information is properly secured at the end of each day.
Office design scenario: working in a safe and secure environment