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When you have the best security staff around your priority needs to be on how you retain them. Recruiting staff takes time and is an extra process you don’t always need to go through when you have great staff already in-house.
The good news is that there are some simple measures you can put in place to keep your security staff happy where they already are.
Work/life balance
Working remotely, alternate hours, office location or a mixture of all three go a long way to cultivating loyal staff. Particularly in the security sector where working hours can be longer than in other roles, the ability to logon at home or start later and finish later depending on the project they’re working on is seen as a massive benefit.
Not only that but empowering staff to have responsibility for their own working style and hours helps them to feel in control of their work life. That ownership is particularly important when it comes to preventing burnout. With employees able to work from home if they need to protect their time from interruptions, or flex their working hours puts them firmly in the driving seat and you’ll see an increase in the retention and loyalty of your security staff.
Skills development & opportunities
Development is part of any role but particularly for those working in security keeping abreast of current developments is an essential part of their role. Building in opportunities and support for development at all levels is a surefire way to not only ensure you have the best staff but also to keep them.
If your security staff are all up-to-date with their training then it also provides a pool of candidates for any promotion opportunities. Rewarding staff for their loyalty, dedication and expertise by creating a culture of promoting from within rather than looking outside first.
Companies that take time to understand an individual’s ambitions and help them achieve them - even if they’re outside the “normal” route will also feel the difference in an employee's loyalty.
Working culture
When candidates are looking for a new position, working culture is so important, and that’s true for existing staff too.
An employer that has strong values which it embodies in daily practices, puts employee wellbeing first and encourages collaboration will always retain employees over other employers.
Wellness is something that’s come to light particularly during the pandemic, with many employees raising awareness around burnout, mental health and work/life balance. Employers who can be seen to take this seriously through in house initiatives, leave packages and healthcare bonuses become a desirable place to work - particularly for those in stressful or high-risk roles like security staff.
Rewards & recognition
Being adequately rewarded for the work we do is a motivating factor regardless of our industry or profession. But for those in the security world dealing with potentially high value threats it’s even more important. Whether that’s benchmarking salaries and ensuring new starters aren’t coming in on higher bands than existing staff, bonuses or incremental pay increases - money really does talk and is one of the most obvious ways to retain key security staff.
Recognition for the work done and the impact of that work, whether that’s verbally, financially or through a reward scheme, helps instill a culture of feedback and support. Work isn’t done in silos or behind closed doors and never spoken about again, instead it’s held up as an example of a job well done.
Staff need to feel appreciated, particularly in highly competitive, in-demand areas such as security and reassuring staff that they’re valued and their contribution has been seen is at the heart of retaining staff.
Choice
At the end of the day empowering your employees so they feel they have choice is key. That might be over their IT equipment - whether they have a standing desk, how many monitors, whether they have a trackpad or mouse.
When it comes to the equipment security staff use day in and day out giving them choices over the budget allocated to their set-up create a more comfortable working environment and as a result, a more productive and happier one.
Listening to your security employees and understanding what they're asking for, whether that’s flexibility, equipment, recognition or balance goes a long way in retaining your staff. Helping your security staff feel empowered, in control and appreciated are all straightforward methods to ensure they have a long, fulfilling career with you.
Using a recruitment expert like the team here at Source will help take some pressure off you so that you can focus on the other areas of your business. Why not give us a call today and find out what we have to offer – you will be glad you did.