How to prepare your business for the end-of-year rush

Festive season security is something every business needs to plan for, especially when trading hours, staffing, and site activity all change at once.

The festive season comes around quickly every year. For businesses, it usually means more activity, more people on site, more stock, and sometimes less staff. Some businesses extend trading hours and run late night events. Others shut down completely and leave premises unattended for days or weeks.

However your business operates, end of year security planning is essential. A bit of thought now can reduce the risk of break ins, theft, false alarms, and general headaches when you would rather be switching off.

Below are practical tips to help you manage festive season security and keep your business protected while you focus on finishing the year well.

1. Update Your Contact Information

Start with the basics. If something goes wrong, your security provider needs to be able to reach the right person quickly.

Check that:

1. Your primary and secondary contacts are still correct
2. Mobile numbers and email addresses are current
3. Your escalation order is still appropriate
4. Any temporary managers or acting supervisors are added for the holiday period

If you know you will be out of mobile range or overseas, nominate an authorised person who can make decisions about access, alarm resets, and guard attendance.

PGC Security Christmas procedures and holiday support

Each year we run a slightly different schedule over Christmas and New Year, but your security stays covered. Our patrols, guards, and monitoring team continue working through the entire festive period. Technical support is limited to emergency breakdowns only and the office runs with a skeleton team and is closed to the public.

To prepare properly, we need your holiday details. Please send us your closure dates, any changes to your response plans, and your updated emergency contacts. Email your information to info@pgc.net.au so we can make sure everything is ready before you switch off for the holidays.

2. Align Security with Trading Hours and Staffing Patterns

The festive season often means different hours to the rest of the year. That might be:

1. Extended trading for late night shopping
2. Reduced hours between public holidays
3. Full site closure for a set period
4. Skeleton staff only, working in smaller areas of the site

If your security settings and patrol schedules do not match your actual operations, you increase the chance of nuisance alarms or gaps in coverage.

Make sure your security provider knows:

1. Exact dates you will close and reopen
2. Any days you will trade longer or shorter hours than usual
3. When staff may be on site outside normal times, for example inventory counts or maintenance

PGC Security can then adjust mobile patrols, alarm response instructions, and monitoring notes so we know what is normal and what is not across the festive period.

3. Plan for Cash Handling and Banking

Many businesses see higher cash volumes in the lead up to Christmas and into the sales period. That can mean more frequent banking and staff moving through car parks and public areas with takings.

To reduce risk:

1. Avoid predictable banking routines at the same time every day
2. Keep cash levels in tills as low as is practical
3. Use back of house areas for counting and storing takings
4. Limit who knows the details of your banking process

If you are regularly moving larger amounts of cash or feel uneasy about staff doing banking runs, consider a secure cash courier service. Professional secure cash collection reduces the risk to staff and helps protect your takings in transit.

PGC provides secure cash courier services that can be scheduled to suit your business, so you can take cash handling stress off the list during your busiest period.

4. Review Your Security Measures

The end of the year is a smart time to review your overall security set up, especially if you are changing how the site is used during the holidays.

Work through the following.

Alarm systems

1. Test your alarm system before the festive rush
2. Confirm all users have the correct codes and know how to arm and disarm the system
3. Remove codes for staff who have left during the year
4. Check that your alarm is still monitored and that the monitoring instructions are accurate

CCTV and surveillance

1. Confirm cameras are recording correctly and that the hard drive has enough capacity
2. Check that time and date settings are correct
3. Make sure you have good coverage of entries, exits, cash handling areas, and stock rooms
4. Clean lenses if they are dusty or dirty

Lighting and visibility

1. Test external lighting around doors, windows, loading docks, and car parks
2. Replace any failed globes or damaged fittings
3. Consider adding temporary lighting if you know staff will be arriving or leaving in the dark more often

Locks and physical access

1. Check all doors, windows, roller doors, and gates close and lock properly
2. Review who has keys or access cards and remove access for anyone who no longer needs it
3. Secure high value items, tools, or equipment inside the building or in locked cages when the site is unattended

If you are not sure whether your current set up is still right for your business, PGC Security can review your premises and provide practical recommendations tailored to how you operate.

5. Schedule Mobile Patrols

If your premises will be unattended for longer periods or your team will only be on site at odd times, mobile patrols and professional alarm response can add an extra layer of protection.

Mobile patrol officers can:

1. Check that doors, gates, and windows are secure
2. Look for signs of attempted entry or vandalism
3. Respond to alarms, investigate, and reset systems if appropriate
4. Provide visible security presence at unpredictable times

You can schedule patrols at regular or random intervals, overnight only, or twenty four seven during your shutdown period. If your alarm activates, a trained officer can attend instead of a staff member needing to drive in at two in the morning.

PGC Security provides flexible mobile patrol and alarm response services so you can select the level of coverage that suits your risk profile and budget.

6. Secure Your Holiday Deliveries

Retailers, hospitality venues, warehouses, and service businesses often see a spike in deliveries and stock movements before and after the holidays. Higher stock levels can attract opportunistic theft both during trading and after hours.

To keep control:

1. Schedule deliveries during normal trading hours where possible
2. Keep delivery and goods inwards areas well lit and, ideally, covered by CCTV
3. Move high value items out of sight from windows and public areas
4. Secure cartons and pallets in locked rooms or cages, not just behind a curtain or in an open corridor
5. For click and collect, use a consistent process for verifying identity before handing over goods

If you know you will have significant stock on site or a backlog of deliveries while you are closed, talk to us about targeted patrols or additional monitoring notes so our team knows what to expect on site.

7. Prepare Your Team for the Festive Period

Even the best technology needs people to use it properly. Your staff are an important part of your end of year business security plan.

Before the busy period:

1. Run a short refresher session on opening and closing procedures
2. Make sure everyone who needs it knows how to use the alarm system
3. Explain how to handle suspicious behaviour and when to escalate
4. Clarify your expectations around cash handling, key control, and access to back of house areas
5. Brief temporary or seasonal staff on security basics on their first shift

Encourage staff to report anything that does not feel right, even if it seems minor. It is better to check and be sure than to find out later that something small was a warning sign.

Make Security Part of Your End-of-year Planning

The festive season should be a time to celebrate, spend time with the people you care about, and reset for the year ahead. Worrying about whether your business is secure should not be on your mind the whole time.

By updating your contact details, aligning your security with your trading hours, planning cash handling, reviewing your systems, and making smart use of mobile patrols and alarm response, you can reduce your risk and protect your business properly.

If you would like help with end of year security planning for your business, PGC Security is ready to step in. From secure cash courier services to mobile patrols, alarm monitoring, and tailored business security solutions, we have practical options that match how you operate.

Talk to us about your festive season security needs and relax knowing that at PGC we have got you covered.

Give us a call today.

Common end of year security questions

What is end of year security planning for a business

End of year security planning is the process of reviewing your site, updating contacts and access details, confirming trading hours, and checking your systems so your premises stay protected while your business schedule changes. It helps reduce the risk of break ins, false alarms, and safety issues during the busiest time of year.

How can I keep my business secure when it is closed over Christmas

Start by updating your emergency contacts, confirming your alarm and CCTV are working, and making sure your security provider knows your closure dates. Use mobile patrols or alarm response services if your site will be unattended. Secure stock, lock away high value items, and make sure all doors, gates, and windows are checked before you finish for the year.

Do I need mobile security patrols for my business during the festive season

Mobile patrols are useful if your premises will be empty for long periods, you have high value stock on site, or your site has had previous security issues. Patrols provide visible security, check for damage or attempted entry, and respond to alarms so staff don’t have to attend. Even a short-term patrol schedule can reduce risk over the holiday period.

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