Guarding Companies Face the Challenge of High Turnover
High turnover is the top challenge facing companies that provide frontline security services to companies, according to a new research report from Trackforce, a security workforce technology company.
More than 40 percent of the security service providers selected turnover as the top challenge over such alternatives as “margins and profitability,” “wage and labor compliance,” “accounts receivable,” and “insurance cost.”
Reasons for the challenges included rising hourly pay rates (61 percent), labor shortage (52 percent), and regulatory compliance (40 percent).
The study listed typical security guard wages. For unarmed guards, 6 percent paid hourly rates between $7.25–$13.00; 32 percent paid $13.25–$18.00; 40 percent paid $18.25–$25.00; and 9 percent paid more than $25, with 12 percent reporting they do not employ guards. (Note: ASIS was not involved in this study. Wage data is presented for informational purposes and does not signify an endorsement from ASIS.)
Those wages increase for armed guards: 3 percent paid $13.00–$18.00; 23 percent paid $18.25–$24.00; 15 percent paid $24.25–$30.00; 17 percent paid more than $30; and 40 percent reported that they did not employ armed guard.
Money is far from the only factor in retention and recruitment. Asked what methods they used to retain security officers, the service providers offered the following:
- 60 percent offered opportunities for advancement
- 56 percent offered incentives, such as referral and stay bonuses, gift cards, and tickets
- 52 percent offered learning and certification programs
- 23 percent said they had no formal retention process
The survey also reached managers and directors leading the corporate security function for organizations. An interesting finding came from the question: “What additional responsibilities, beyond traditional security duties, are being assigned to your security teams?” Health and safety responsibilities topped the list at 64 percent, followed by facilities management at 51 percent, then business continuity planning (36 percent), environmental compliance (33 percent), IT security (31 percent), and travel risk management (27 percent). In addition, 12 percent reported that security duties had crept into all of the listed areas.
“Enterprise security teams are being asked to manage far more than traditional duties,” the report said. “These expanded roles illustrate how security teams are becoming multi-disciplinary, stretching across compliance, operations, and technology.”
Here are some additional resources from Security Management and ASIS:
One of the benefits of fostering an inclusive workforce is employee retention.
Infographic: What support do workers want from employers?
How big is the security workforce? Find out in this groundbreaking 2024 research report published by ASIS and the Security Industry Association.
Upskills online course: Doing More with Less: How to Motivate and Reward Your Overworked Staff (Free to ASIS members).
Upskills online course: Crash Course for New Managers (Free to ASIS members).
