THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER COMMUNICATION IN SECURITY GUARD WORK
Most of us take security guards for granted. They are there, staffing the reception desk at your office, patrolling the parking lot, manning an entry gate for your neighborhood, standing at the entrance to your grocery store, sitting in a corner at the bank, or watching an array of computer monitors day after day, night after night.
While their primary purpose is to protect a business, the people that work there, and the customers or clients of that business, there’s more to the job than just walking around and making sure things are safe and secure. What may not occur to you is how important it is for a security guard to possess strong communication skills.
Security guards constantly interact with customers, the residents of your building, the employees at your office, or the visitors coming to the hospital. Proper communication with all of these groups can be a challenge that requires security guards to be able to communicate on many different levels.
WHY COMMUNICATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR SECURITY GUARDS
Basics of their job-proper communication is a two-way street. A security guard will need strong communication skills to clearly understand the basic responsibilities of their job and any and all instructions given before, during, or after their shift. This includes the “handoff”. That’s when a guard is coming on or leaving their shift, and they’re either giving or receiving any important procedural updates, incidents, or alerts.
Following or giving orders-a security company operates in much the same manner as the military in regard to giving or receiving orders. A good security guard will be able to clearly understand orders received. If the guard is in the position of giving an order, there should be no doubt as to the specifics of the order given.
First impressions-a security guard will often be the first person your customers or clients would see when entering a business or office building and the last one they’ll see on the way out. A well-trained security guard will offer a friendly greeting and a smile and be ready to offer assistance, should they need it. If the way in which he or she performs this duty makes a good impression on the visitor, it will reflect well on your business.
Dealing with employees of your organization-security guards interact with employees and coworkers on a regular basis. A professional security guard must be able to effectively communicate with people at different levels of your organization, from the entry level employee to the president or owner of the company.
Explaining procedures-a security guard should be well versed in all of the practices and procedures of his job, and at times, it may be necessary to explain these procedures to others. Clear communication will ensure that the information is properly presented so that it can understood by the recipient.
Emergencies-in an emergency, it’s vitally important for the security guard to remain calm and clearly communicate to all involved the nature of the emergency and the procedures to follow. An example would be assisting in the evacuation of a building if required for the safety of the customers, employees, or residents. If an individual has a medical emergency, the security guard needs to be able to listen carefully to the victim to fully understand their predicament and keep them calm until help arrives.
Contacting emergency services-in the unfortunate circumstance where assistance is needed from emergency services such as EMTs or the fire department, the security guard should be able to clearly and succinctly explain the nature of the emergency so that the responding agency will have the most complete information as to what they’ll be facing on arrival.
Interacting with law enforcement-should an incident occur when a security guard is on duty, he or she may have to detain the person or persons involved until law enforcement can arrive. Again, this will require clear communication with the responding agency, including all the details of the incident. This will allow law enforcement to provide the correct level of response.
Reporting-when anything out of the ordinary occurs during a guard’s shift, he or she will be required to file a report. This report will need to be detailed and complete and will need to include every aspect of the incident-what happened, the individuals involved, how the guard responded, the extent of any damage to property or injuries to people, what actions were taken by the security guard, and what the end result was.
Unusual situations-if the security guard is unsure as to how to handle an unusual situation, it’s important that they have the ability to clearly describe the circumstances to his or her superior, ask appropriate questions, and fully understand and follow any instructions provided.
FINAL WORDS
A competent security guard needs to have outstanding communication and people skills. He or she has to be able to deal with many different types of people at all levels of an organization. The security guard must remain calm no matter the situation and be able to apply their training as well as their communication skills to correctly respond to whatever occurs while he or she is on duty. If an incident does occur, the security guard will need to report the details of the event clearly and completely.
Allstate Security is committed to making your security simple, quick, and efficient. We work with all types of businesses including government agencies, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, banking, construction, and many others. Our adaptable on premises guard and security patrol services allow our clients to concentrate on their core business. No matter what your security needs are, Allstate Security is here to help.
For more information about the services we offer, give us a call at 800-970-4841.