How can the physical security market promote better employee retention?

Based on personal experience, I would say a positive, upbeat culture, and work ethic have helped to form a strong bond with employees. Through an empowerment culture basis, employers can establish clear boundaries to allow and encourage employees to make informed decisions with autonomous positions. Offering a diverse training strategy for employees is also a huge plus and can be used to motivate and inspire them. Offer employees the opportunity to study relevant courses and qualifications at company expense. Provide memberships to relevant trade bodies and associations. Investing in helping staff shows that you value them and take their employment seriously. Flexibility is also a very positive attribute to employee retention. If you expect your staff to be available outside of office hours, you should compromise when they need to leave early or attend a personal appointment.

Physical security systems are vital in any modern workplace. Every employee needs to feel safe and secure where they work, be that for themselves or their belongings – such as their car in the carpark, or personal items in an office for example. Security systems have other benefits in the workplace too. Access control systems are often heavily integrated in “hot-desking” environments, automatically facilitating the movement of people in and out of the facility on a frequent basis. Many employees (particularly younger ones) value this freedom and it can be a key part in recruitment and staff retention. The security sector must compete for technical expertise as well. We have all seen the shortage of trained professionals, so we also need to be mindful of employee satisfaction, too. The conditions we offer must meet the expectations of employees and encourage them to remain within our vital industry.

One major way to promote employee retention is to highlight the hyper-connectivity, digitisation, sustainable growth and continuous innovation that comes with the physical security market. Future and present employees alike will find that this industry is brimming with exciting opportunities where they can use emerging technologies that make a lasting impact on the world. We’ve also noticed that younger employees value company cultures that prioritise unique perspectives over the status quo. At Pelco, we go above and beyond to provide our employees with an inclusive, collaborative environment so they feel empowered to contribute their skills toward a safer future.

There are a number of ways that companies can promote better employee retention in such a competitive environment, including the encouragement of positive collaboration between employees and the leadership teams across locations and regions. It's important that companies that are highly globalised and distributed in a number of regions not work in silos, instead encouraging their teams to break down barriers to communication and innovation. I think it's a testament to an organisation when there are a number of employees who have been with an organisation for more than 20 years, especially in a competitive environment like the security industry. Finally, it's critical that companies create in each employee a sense of empowerment to make decisions as they pertain to their role within the organisation, providing adequate and ongoing training for these individuals and identifying new ways to grow and develop the skills needed to be successful.