A practical checklist for everyday client-record handling
Reception desks, shared printers, and overnight bags are where client files most often wander. Here is a short checklist Mossel Bay practices can run each week.
Most client-record mishaps in Eden district offices do not start with sophisticated intrusion. They start with a folder left on a printer tray, a visitor reading upside-down notes at reception, or a consultant taking home a file “just for the weekend.” A weekly handling checklist keeps those habits visible without turning the office into a fortress.
Begin at reception. Confirm that identity checks happen before a file leaves the counter, that visitor logs are completed, and that trays for outbound documents are emptied before closing. Walk the printer and scanner area next: remove stray pages, empty the output bin, and note whether confidential print jobs require a release code.
In advisor rooms, look for overnight desk clearance. Client files should return to cabinets or locked drawers; screens facing corridors should lock after short idle periods. Shared drives deserve a glance too — folders named vaguely (“misc clients”) invite the wrong person to open the wrong matter.
End the week with a two-minute huddle. Ask who held paper files off-site, whether any courier packages went out, and whether a temp or locum needed temporary access. Workspace Rowanfield uses a similar rhythm during Client Records Protection Reviews; practices that adopt it between engagements tend to find fewer surprises when we return.