Typically, workers in lower wage, lesser skilled positions, show a significantly lower rate of job retention than those in higher or mid-range earning sectors. Consequently, when security officer wages are too low it not only represents a problem for the officers, but it also creates challenges for the security guard company. The costs of high security officer turnover can be staggering because of the costs associated with recruitment, overtime, training, and not to mention reduced quality in service based on the use of less experienced officers. For security companies, enacting strategies for attracting and retaining high-quality employees not only means higher quality service, but in the end, it also means better bottom lines.
As a strategy for retaining security officers, I believe that security guard companies should start looking at their officers holistically. Security companies can see significant gains in retention and productivity by placing their officers in circumstances that benefit them personally.
Typically when we think of benefits, this means extra costs for employers. For the sake of employee retention and reducing the costs associated with high officer turnover, it may be worth it for security companies to spend on such benefits. However, offering benefits that are valuable to security officers need not be expensive. There are two main areas in which security guard companies can offer benefits that are particularly important to security officers: 1) Better workplace culture; and 2) Opportunity for advancement.
Higher Security Officer Wages vs Better Workplace Culture
There are many ways employers can improve workplace culture. Strategies can include empowering employees through more job autonomy, building trust in managers and supervisors, and allowing more input in management’s decision making. Security companies can also support their officers by providing more learning opportunities, enhanced support for job success, and increased efforts to recognize their officers.
If you want to see great examples of officer recognition, I encourage you to follow Weiser Security on LinkedIn. They are doing an exceptional job of recognizing their officers. We see you!
Higher Security Officer Wages vs Advancement Opportunities
Often times, security officers tend to have less education and fewer high-value job skills which limits their prospects for advancement in position and wages, even when they stay on the job for a long time. To encourage security officers to stay with your company and be engaged in their jobs, you should consider offering opportunities for job training and a “career ladder” for advancement in the company. Although employer-provided job training represents a cost, there are software platforms available that will allow you to provide that training more economically. There is a saying that goes:
“What if we train an employee and they leave? But what if we don’t train them and they stay?”
In regards to career advancement, although the prospect of an officer advancing at one customer location is slim, I would encourage you to look at your entire portfolio of customers. With my company, there were certain client locations that were more desirable. As such, we would promote our officers from less desirable sites to more desirable sites as a form of advancement.
In lieu of higher security officer wages, security companies should be offering benefits that improve the quality of the work environment and advancement prospects for their officers. Keep in mind that these benefits are not just about accommodating and supporting your officers. Such benefits lead to higher retention and therefore lower costs associated with hiring and training new employees, increased employee engagement, and higher quality work. And of course, when your officers are providing a higher quality of work, your customers enjoy better service and higher satisfaction, which as you know should be your ultimate goal.
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By Courtney Sparkman
OfficerReports.com is a software company that provides security guard companies with an easy way to monitor their officers, better manage their operations, and win new business. Take a tour of our software to see how we combine Electronic Reporting, Real-Time GPS based Tour Tracking, and GPS based Clock In and Out into one easy to use platform.
