Much of the world is beginning the return to a new normal following COVID–19. As a security guard company, there are likely going to be impacts to the industry and operations as a result of new, possibly temporary, precautions. The opening of the economy in many places is happening in phases. According to an article byCNBC, different sectors are all seeing an increase in business.
As more businesses open, the security guard industry will continue to become busier. In preparation for that, below is a list of ways to minimize the impacts of COVID-19 as a security guard company:
- Protecting Guards
- Tracking Shift Details
- Notifying Guards of Process Changes
- Securing Business
The dangers of ignoring these steps will become apparent as you read on, among them are: Putting guard safety at risk, unhappy clients, a decrease in level of service, and losing contracts.
Protecting Guards
For the security industry, ensuring guard safety has safe becomes an even higher priority. This requires more than the standard pandemic response. It means educating your guards on what type of action to take, resulting in a uniform change within the organization. There is as much misinformation as there is accurate information on the Internet on how to keep each other safe. The easiest way to communicate what works best for your organization is to create a standard. For example, use hand sanitizer or wash hands at the beginning of shift and when entering a new space. Use gloves and mask during a shift and exercise caution around others when possible. Communicate these details before a shift starts, and add them as shift tasks if required.
A big factor at play here is accurate, timely, clear communication with your guards around correct process. In ever-changing circumstances like these, the importance of good communication with your guards is even more pertinent than usual.
Tracking Shift Details
The other reality is we will have to stay vigilant of the very real possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 and its potential spread to the workforce. One way to track the spread is to keep a record of when and where particular guards are working. If someone tests positive, it is easy to connect the dots and suggest other staff members to get tested.
One easy way to do this is to use an automated employee scheduling and time collection system to get accurate data of when and where someone worked. Simply pull the details for the overlapping time and dates and easily notify any involved parties. The information collected can be used as an audit in the worst-case scenario to easily limit the spread and very possibly save lives.
Notifying Guards of Process Changes
As we briefly mentioned, good communication with guards will be more important than ever when getting business back to usual. Big details of where to check in and start a shift to smaller details like in-shift messaging and day off communication from managers to guards is important. Many guard scheduling software systems offer this type of functionality as well as text messaging to keep guards in the loop 24/7.
Making communication easy and automated protects your staff without increasing managerial effort. This makes it much more viable to spread the information across your workforce without needing manual effort. In many cases, the health of your guards and the clients they serve will depend on accurate and accountable communication channels.
Securing Business
Like much of the large industries around the globe, COVID-19 has forced temporary closures, resulting in knock on affects felt throughout the security industry. Many of your clients may have been closed for months and are only now starting to reopen. They’re eager to get back to business. You’re likely very eager to get back to providing services for them too! As sectors of the economy open up, security companies can provide details on how they’re operating to ensure safety of their staff and their clients. You can help your clients feel at ease by
- Providing extra information on the PPE or procedures your team has in place
- Providing clients with examples of how you are able to create automated communication with your guards
A security guard company that has taken action on cleaning up their internal processes, such as communication, scheduling, and time & attendance tracking, will be well equipped to provide uninterrupted services to eager clients. The last thing a security organization needs are administrative burdens hampering their ability to cater to new and existing clients.
The Big Picture
The impacts of COVID-19 on the economy will be felt for years to come. For your security guard company, there will be more business as more of the economy re-opens. This will predominantly be in the retail, venue and event spaces. According to an article from Security Info Watch, during this time some security guard companies saw an increase during the height of COVID-19 and continue to do so. The above steps can help prepare for the short term as businesses start to slowly re-open, keeping your staff safe and clients happy.
Making sure you’re ready to meet the demands of both old and new clients is vitally important. As we recover from this pandemic, it’s even more important to have correct and accurate processes. Failure to address these issues could be detrimental.
Staying in the Loop
There is always news coming out about what to do and what is going on in the world. One resource we find useful is the ASIS International COVID-19 Page which can be found on their website.
For any further inquiries or questions, our team is available anytime at here!
