06 July 2021
Being a security officer can often mean long shifts, night work, rushed meals, little movement, and poor work-life balance, leading to an effect on mental health and wellbeing.
Over time, this lifestyle can develop into physical and mental health problems, as well as be a contributor to low motivation and poor concentration, which could lead to standards declining and mistakes being made.
But how, with a team of remote lone-workers, do you inspire security officers to positively look after their health and wellbeing?
We spoke to Expeditious Services to find out how they use technology to look after their team's wellbeing.
Keeping Moving – Excercise
Exercise is renowned for its benefits on mental wellbeing. All of Expeditious' security officers are encouraged to keep active and engaged in patrols. They randomise patrols and check-in points to ensure officers are not only moving, but not performing them on autopilot.
To encourage the security guard team to move just that little bit more, their workforce management platform, Eximitas, inspires a little competition with a little help from an in-built pedometer. Expeditious has found all of these significantly help their officers keep moving and stay alert.
Checking In – Reassurance for Lone Workers
A key role of Expeditious Services' Critical Control Helpdesk (CCHD) team is to call security officers throughout a shift. These calls check they have their basic needs of food, water and a bathroom being met for their wellbeing. They also check the officer is safe, which is particularly important when lone working or during an incident. These routine checks are particularly important for lone workers and officers on high-risk sites to have the reassurance of an expert team behind them and never feel fully alone. The team has found this has a hugely positive impact on stress levels and overall mental health.
Eating Well – Nutrition
Shift work and remote work can negatively impact an employee’s ability to eat well and drink enough water. Many turn to energy drinks and fast food for ease but doing this long-term can significantly impact performance.
Expeditious' workforce management app upgrade, Eximitas+, is full of helpful tools to support officers in looking after their health. It includes reminders to drink water keeping them well hydrated, lunch box meal plans and recipes. This has been extremely well-received, with many starting to make healthier choices and bringing their own food in with them.
Looking Good - Proof of Presence
Another key role of CCHD is to check “proof of presence” (POP), i.e., the officer who has turned up for a shift, is who they should be. This is a big safety feature giving clients complete reassurance their officers are accountable, trusted, qualified and compliant. POP checks are conducted by sending in a “selfie” to the CCHD team. As well as public safety, POPs allow the team to check for warning signs of illness, stress, fatigue, or other factors which may impact their physical or mental health. This allows the team to address issues before they escalate, arranging necessary plans for the officer to get back to full health. This has been particularly useful in spotting early signs of illness throughout COVID-19, helping to reducing the spread of the virus.
Proactively taking care of security officer wellbeing is better for attendance, team stability, standards, morale, and building positive relationships with the officers for long-term retention. This lowers sick days and staff turnover, giving long-term cost savings. A win-win situation for both clients and employees
Picture: a photograph of a security officer at the desk of a control centre
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 06 July 2021
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