Encouraging Officer Retention

Finding the right personnel to work a security officer position is vital to the success of a security protection operation. The management team must locate potential employees that can perform the duties unique to each locations security needs, always focusing on individuals with a thinking judgment; capable of responding to situations and making reports based on logic and factual clarity, as opposed to doing so with emotion and feeling.

Finding these potential employees is a challenging task by itself, and retaining the positive members of the workforce is even more difficult. With odd hours and relatively low pay rates, security unfortunately has a reputation for high turnover. Turnover leads to poor customer service and increased costs, and effort diverted to more training and hiring. Minimizing turnover is the responsibility of the security provider. But how does a security company keep its officer’s morale high and make them want to remain part of the workforce?

The most important step is ensuring that they feel their work is vital and appreciated; making sure that they understand the reason the client wants a security officer on post and the intent behind each post order. They should see evidence that their reports are read and know that the appropriate authority notes any issues they discover. Together these steps engender a sense of purpose and pride in their work. As with any industry, having higher than average pay rates and consistent hours helps to stave off employee unhappiness. Above all, it is necessary to invest in a high quality management team that listens to its employees and acts upon issues as they arise without delay.