Hiring as a Relearning Process – The New Normal and What to be Concerned About
As we embark on a new normal, business operations will have to adapt to challenging times. When striving to mitigate the spread of the virus, security firms must have a stronger support and emphasis for remote and contactless guarding. This is in addition to increased training protocols for person-to-person interaction – especially when managing visitors or third party vendors on site. Even more so is the need to train supervisors for specialized remote supervision and monitoring that’s also COVID-specific.
What Needs to Be on the Top of the Agenda
Who to Recruit
In order to know who to hire, it’s important to consider your and your client’s needs – what do you need them to do? Here are some things to consider:
- Guarding for one or multiple sites?
- Overnight and remote/lone guarding?
- Stationary or patrol?
- Supplementary in-house guard(s)?
- Armed or unarmed?
- Short or long term needs?
- Other?
Once the role is established, it’s much easier to keep track of the required skills a hired guard will need; these could include:
- Appropriate training for armed or unarmed response
- Knowledge of basic “soft” skills like customer service and open communication skills, dependability, and reliability
- Updated certifications and emergency training (i.e. CPR, etc.)
- Knowledge of technology (i.e. CCTV, guard tour software, mobile phones, text messaging)
When to Recruit
Because of the on-going health crisis, it’s essential that interviewing and searching never stops; especially when industries are in such need of security. Security is a bedrock for many businesses and considered an essential service. It’s important to maintain a pool of on-call guards that are not only qualified backups but healthy backups to use when needed.
How to Recruit in the New Normal – Two Tips
- Use emerging methods of communication – online video chatting.
Video chats aren’t a new concept but perhaps their use now has skyrocketed. If you’re unfamiliar with which to choose from, good news for you – there are countless platforms your HR team can use for free. Just be sure that whichever video conferencing platform you use has adequate security measures in place. - Use traditional methods of communication – the phone call.
Using an obvious mode of communication, it’s not too late to dismiss the value of a simple phone call. When recruiting efforts are challenged, it can sometimes feel like you must start over. This is not the case. Adapting a phone call to perhaps a video chat instead will provide the in-person judgement that’s currently missing.
What to Pay
Maintaining a competitive guard pay rate is even more challenging in this new normal. That’s why it’s essential to review pay and bill rates as we move forward. Here are four things to consider:
- Reevaluate baseline rates by comparing to non-COVID-19 rates
- Review industry benchmarks and reassess your own
- Understand where your business falls with indirect costs
- Access the webinar on demand
Managing common payroll issues plaguing security companies is essential. Ensure you’re getting the right information so you won’t have to waste time checking and double-checking and fixing payroll errors.
Read More: How Security Contractors can Better Manage Payroll for Their Security Workforce
Keeping Workforce Accountable with Technology
Remote guarding is only possible with technology made just for the security industry. Using guard tour software coupled with time and attendance tracking, lone worker protection, visitor management capabilities, and more will cover all your basis. It’s also important to ensure your hired guard is familiar – and comfortable – with technology like a comprehensive security workforce management solution. With Trackforce Valiant, you won’t have to worry about new hires not being prepped for any task. Our complete guard management suite offers solutions that span all security industry needs; from HR and Payroll, to Guard Tour Tracking, Visitor Management, to Customizable Reports and Training Modules, and more.
Contact us for more information.
