Picture the situation: an employee is leaving the company. In the exit interview, HR asks about the keys they were given for the building, the server room and the company car. But nobody can say exactly which keys the person has received over the years.
Sound familiar? In many companies, key data is spread across different sites, departments and spreadsheets. The result: security risks, expensive lock replacements when keys are lost and needless admin work for facility management.
In this article we walk through the most common pitfalls in key management at companies and organisations — and how to get them under control effortlessly and with a proper audit trail using Log+Key.
Where do companies lose track of their keys?
1. Which keys does our former colleague still have? 👤
- The problem: When employees leave, old handover papers have to be searched laboriously. Without evidence, company keys can end up circulating out of control.
- The Log+Key solution: Offboarding at the push of a button. Open the employee’s profile and see every key currently assigned to or taken by them straight away.
Screencast: user list, Jonas Weber’s detail page with “Taken objects” and the “More actions” menu
2. One key list per department and site 📑
- The problem: IT, HR and facility management each keep their own lists. When employees move between sites, the overview is lost completely.
- The Log+Key solution: One cloud platform across all sites. Manage several sites and departments centrally in one system with flexible permissions.
3. Several locking systems, but no single source of truth 🗃️
- The problem: As the company grew, different locking systems came to exist side by side. There is no central overview of which keys exist and who has access.
- The Log+Key solution: One central source of truth. Record every locking system, key and accessory clearly in one place.
Screencast: custom fields “Schließanlage” and “Vertragsnummer” on the detail page and in the edit form, then searching “SA-Nord” finds all matching objects
4. Outsiders have keys — and nobody knows until when 👷♂️
- The problem: Service providers, consultants or tradespeople receive keys for the length of a project. Deadlines pass without anyone checking that the keys come back.
- The Log+Key solution: Automatic reminders when a deadline is missed. Set loan periods for external people. Once the deadline has passed, Log+Key marks the key as overdue and notifies the addresses you have set up by email, such as your key administrator.
Screencast: a return deadline is set while taking out a radio; then a rule under Settings → Default return deadline gives car keys six hours automatically
What does a clean key process look like for onboarding and offboarding?
Most keys, cards and transponders aren’t swapped every day — they stay with the person, often for their entire employment. That long-term issue is exactly what needs to be on record; otherwise leaving turns into a reconstruction from old lists. The process in four steps:
- Issue on the first day: every access medium is scanned and assigned to the person — at the terminal, by smartphone or at a computer.
- Extensions over time: apprentices, working students or staff with new duties gradually gain access to more areas. Every further issue is recorded.
- Internal move: when someone changes department or site, the person’s overview shows which keys they still hold.
- Leaving: the overview of items taken becomes the offboarding checklist. Every return is scanned, with a receipt if you wish.
If you still issue keys on paper, you’ll find our key receipt for employees as a free template.
Who is responsible for keys in a company?
In companies, keys rarely fall under a single responsibility. A typical split — and what each role needs:
| Role | Task | What it needs from the system |
|---|---|---|
| HR | Joiners, leavers, offboarding | An overview of which keys a person holds |
| Facility management | Stock, locking systems, issue and return | One register of all keys, cards and transponders across all systems |
| IT | Server rooms, technical rooms, transponders | Proof of who held the key to sensitive rooms |
| Line managers | Approving access to new areas | A role with exactly the permissions they need |
| External parties (trades, cleaning, IT partners) | Time-limited use | No account: a contact with a return date, signed if you wish |
What each person may see and do is set through roles: besides User, Admin and Owner you can create your own roles and grant permissions individually; access to locations is set separately. Because Log+Key is billed by the number of items rather than per user, everyone gets their own account — there is no need for shared department accounts that prove nothing when it matters.
What should you clarify with the works council and data protection first?
As soon as issues to individuals are recorded, the works council and the data protection officer will rightly ask questions. It helps to be clear from the start about what the system is — and what it isn’t:
- A handover register, not access control: Log+Key records who took or returned which key and when. It creates no movement profiles and no access logs.
- Role-based access: you decide who sees which data.
- Hosting in Germany: the data is stored exclusively in Germany, and a data processing agreement (DPA) template is ready.
We are happy to provide documents for talks with the works council or your data protection officer; more on our security and data protection page. For internal approval there is a business case template, and for comparing several systems a requirements checklist — both free.
Put an end to key chaos in your company!
Protect your company’s assets and run key and inventory management with efficient digital processes. Read more about the benefits of Log+Key for companies and organisations.
Book a free demo now! In 15 minutes we will show you how easily it fits into your working day. Or set up your own test instance in a few steps and see for yourself!
