Administration Building will not be freely accessible anymore from first floor upwards

The Administration Building will be secured from the new academic year onwards. Ever since assigned workplaces have been ditched in favour of a flexible work scheme in 2021, employees can no longer close their offices, which has led to several thefts. There have been eight cases since November 2023, according to Security Department Head Joost Petrustma. Most thefts have to do with laptops and phones that are left on the table when the employee goes for a short break or to the toilet.

Consequences for employees
The Administration Building is currently accessible to anyone, says Petrusma. This means that the building is not following the security norms established by the Facility Service Centre's Security Department (article in Dutch only, Ed.).

As of the next academic year, the first to fifth floors will only be accessible to those with an employee badge, the same they use to get coffee, park their cars, and print copies. The lift, the stairs and the floors will be split into zones and closed with a door that only the employee badge will open.

Despite the separation of the building into zones, Petrusma expects that employees working in the Administration Building will be able to go anywhere inside the building, except for the zones reserved for the Executive Board, the IT directors, and Security. This way, there is still some flexibility although not everyone is welcome, says Petrusma. Visitors who don't have a badge can announce themselves in the reception so that they are accompanied by an employee or ask for a badge.

The ground floor will remain accessible to all because many meetings and activities that also involve outsiders take place there. It wouldn't be practical to run checks on every single person participating in these events and/or provide them with badges.

The zoning plan is ready and has been presented to FSC's project manager, who will oversee its implementation.

Problem solved? 
According to Petrusma, closing the floors is not enough to guarantee the safety of the building. After all, security is a combination of technology, security services, and safety awareness, he says. The new measures should be taken in combination with an increase in safety awareness, which is why the Security Department has developed workshops to help employees identify suspicious behaviours. All FSC employees have already followed this workshop. Other employees can do the same if they are interested.

Other university buildings
The Administration Building is the first one to undergo such changes due to the number of safety-related complaints. The other university buildings benefit from the multi-year maintenance plan and new buildings will have all the necessary technology to benefit from it from the start.

It is still unknown how each building is going to be secured exactly, but things will differ per building. The standard used by the Security Department is a starting point, but there is room for customisation in each building.