Jobs during lockdown
Over the years we have been on the case of substandard Security Officers and how they represent our Industry as one of the most under paid but extremely unprofessional, albeit British Standards and the introduction of the SIA seem to have done very little to improve this status.
Lockdown for us has been extremely busy, yet getting staff is near impossible! We can get, would be applicants with 10 years’ experience and an SIA license, but quite frankly 96.5% arrive with little or no understanding of Security and what it is we actually do, how is this?
It’s well thought that the owners of SIA licenses whilst genuine have not actually attended any tuition and the test they need to obtain a license has been manipulated to pass all candidates thus, producing persons who posses a security license but have no idea about the job or what it entails, although the claims of all applicants is that, “I’ve done the job for years” the standard is below poor, in our opinion.
We strive daily to improve the conditions and pay of our staff but we are thwarted by the on set of those needing work and unscrupulous training companies putting forward substandard staff to be employed into our industry, it really doesn’t take the brain of Einstein to figure out if an applicant is experienced and has the under-pining knowledge to protect persons and property when on duty.
Since the lockdown began, we have interviewed scores of staff and of those over the past 12 weeks we have employed 3, we actually need 23 but we cannot find applicants with the required skill set and we are no different to our competitors or are we?
When flying away on holiday, remember those days? You would rightly expect a qualified and gifted pilot to fly the plane, the same as you would expect a qualified baker to bake your bread daily and a fire-fighter to be well versed/ trained in their duties! Why then is it, in our industry (Security) anyone who has bathed in the last year, well at least once can get a job as a Security Officer, look after your building and protect your staff and assets? Its beyond me!!
I’ve worked in Security all my adult life and the past months have been truly an eye opener to the dross that come to our door’s looking for work, we would be better sifting through the ranks of the homeless to acquire a better standard of applicant. And to those who police our Industry, “Shame on you all” you need to do much better, our end product is, “A security officer” not Quality Manuel’s. I appreciate the need for documentation, but it should never be to the detriment of the product or service which from where I am standing is the case.