However, even before we consider training, pay scales and licensing, I feel it’s of the utmost importance we don’t lose sight of the fact that there’s a crucial first step needed before any of these variables can be scrutinised. I’m talking about the screening and vetting – to BS 7858, et al – of all those new employees wishing to enter our industry.
As a subsidiary of my own company, the Employers’ Mutual Protection Service Ltd has been providing professional screening and vetting services to its customers in the security and retail sectors for over three decades. Unfortunately, experience (and a host of recent surveys) suggests that 30% of individuals lie or misrepresent significant details when applying for jobs, including falsified qualifications, undisclosed reasons for leaving, adverse credit histories and/or acts of theft.
So why is it that hiring decisions are still being made – admittedly only in certain circumstances – on the basis of information provided or demonstrated by the applicant?
The reasons can include time pressures, perceived degrees of trust in the individual concerned or cost, all of which lead to no one clear screening and vetting policy existing. That said, I don’t feel that these reasons can possibly be justified in the face of potentially negative impacts on the security company (such as poor customer relationships, inadequate performance on site, high staff turnover, re-recruitment and training costs, a decrease in profitability and the potential for vulnerable people to suffer from physical or mental distress).
The answer must lie in creating a clear and effective screening and vetting policy, and using the experience of industry experts in this field. How many Human Resources Departments employ ‘secretarial staff’ to carry out the ‘boring and monotonous’ work of checking references?!
In today’s world of ‘outsourced everything’, from cleaning and building management contracts through to IT support, surely there must be a persuasive and cost-effective argument for employing screening and vetting specialists as well? I for one want to know that I’ve played my part and done all I can to ensure that the right people are being employed by the industry to represent us to the customer, public and police, and to be safe in the knowledge that these employees are who they say they are.
