Mission: Morale

Jun 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Glen Kitteringham, CPP

It takes more than a paycheck to get employees to come to work every day and do a good job. Attention must also be paid to what motivates employees, and what motivates one person may not motivate another.

Management should create a climate to allow an employee to grow and achieve what he or she is capable of. If the right supportive environment exists, the theory goes, employees will take on responsibility and work to improve their performance.

Motivation and morale are critical in the guard services industry, where low wages and little recognition can cause high turnover. Many factors can motivate employees and increase department morale. Among them are giving employees responsibility, dealing with them honestly, providing better training, providing pleasant working conditions, setting goals and providing recognition.

Giving officers responsibility

Employees want to feel involved in and important to the success of their company. A good way to motivate officers is to give them genuine responsibility, which can include problem-solving, decision-making and most importantly, accountability for a task. Since security is so important, the employee must actually be capable of carrying out an assigned task. Security people are tasked with handling accidents, emergency situations, and criminal behavior, so the responsibility cannot be given lightly. Examples of tasks that could be assigned to security personnel are responsibility for special events such as visits of dignitaries, researching and selecting vendors for security products, or writing security department post orders.

Sometimes managers make the mistake of giving security officers and supervisors a task and then micromanaging its completion. This negative message tells the employee that he or she cannot be entrusted with tasks that really matter. Entrusting an employee with full responsibility for a task and watching as he or she completes it successfully is a great motivator and can extend throughout the entire department.

Dealing with employees honestly

One way to motivate employees is to tell them the truth. When security contracts end, for example, companies should not wait until the last minute to inform the security personnel. Employees need time to locate another contract or a different job. Employees also should be told when layoffs are impending. Often employees ask a lot of questions about what is going on within companies but feel they do not get sufficient answers.

Another issue requiring honesty in dealing with employees is opportunity for advancement. If employees can expect no leadership or management opportunities, this should be communicated to them. It takes skills to be a leader of a security organization, and not everyone has those skills. Players on sports teams know their roles, and security managers should communicate with employees what their roles are in the organization in an honest way.

Providing better training

Employees feel appreciated when management provides them the tools they need to do their jobs better. Additional training is especially appreciated if it goes beyond what is required by state regulation. Training should provide new skills or improve skills that security officers already perform. Sessions on conflict resolution, customer service, emergency planning and other skills are always great for morale.

Peer-to-peer training can also be used as a motivator: Allowing an employee to conduct a training session for the entire security staff can provide a rewarding experience.

Pleasant working conditions

What constitutes pleasant working conditions? Requiring security officers to work at a construction site with no way to communicate and no way to stay dry or warm certainly does not qualify as pleasant working conditions. Making security officers comfortable may result in better work performance. Comfort does not require cable TV and recliners on their posts, but it does mean that they have a chair and a phone to communicate with in case of an emergency. Confining a 6-foot-tall officer to a small closet post can be disruptive to the officer's performance, for example. Many security companies have a policy to accept only certain types of jobs, such as in an office complex as opposed to a construction site on the night shift, which can lessen the need for their employees to work in unpleasant conditions. The better the work conditions, the better the morale of employees.

Limiting consecutive work hours

No one can be expected to be fresh, diligent and effective when they have been working too many hours in a row. When employers are upset with security officers who sleep on the job, they should also be upset with themselves for allowing officers to work too many hours. Employees who come from one job where they have already worked eight hours, often come to a second job prepared to work another eight hours — potentially causing mishaps and careless mistakes due to being overtired.

Although some employees need the hours to make up for low wages, what they do not recognize is that the more hours they work in the week, the less effective they become. There are times when management must step in and set limits. A burned out employee is not a motivated employee. Emergencies sometimes require working extra hours without relief. This should be the exception, however, not the rule.

Goal setting and recognition

Goal setting is a great way to motivate employees. Sometimes employees do not even know what they are capable of. Having them set goals allows employees to aim for their full potential.

Another key is recognition. Management must ensure that they recognize employees for the great things they do. Expressing appreciation is a great motivator for individuals and can build morale for the entire department. Communication to all employees via e-mail, voice mail, department newsletter or “Officer of the Month” programs is one way to recognize great work.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is adapted from material provided by Glen Kitteringham, CPP, for the Professional Security Training Network, a subsidiary of PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning. Kitteringham has worked in the security industry since 1990. He holds a masters degree in security and crime risk management from the University of Leicester. He is a member of ASIS International.

For 15 years, PRIMEDIA Workplace Learning has offered integration of resources including critical-skills training, proven training methods based on expert industry-specific content, “anytime/ anywhere” delivery, and service and support. Behind the PWPL tradition is the strength of PRIMEDIA Inc., the world's largest targeted media company.

SHARE YOUR STORY…

Every month, we are offering information about managing guard services and leading in-house staff. Among other things, this page will offer an opportunity for readers to share the management lessons they have learned and to provide other helpful information to their peers in the industry. To offer suggestions, or to contribute to this page, contact Jennifer Pero at (770) 618-0135 or e-mail jpero@primediabusiness.com

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