Wages & Quality - Are You Prepared for a Tight Labor Market?

The tightening labor market is good for our economy. The more Americans with jobs, the better. 

But how does the current state of the labor market influence your hiring practices? As the pool of unemployed job candidates shrinks, how do you ensure that you are attracting quality personnel?

These pressing questions apply not just to your own hiring needs, but to those of your contractors as well. 

When it comes to security services, only high-quality personnel can help you maintain a safe and secure environment, build confidence in your stakeholders and protect your brand.

Set the Expectation for Quality Immediately 

In your conversations with potential security providers and in your RFP, make your expectations for quality known. When you immediately request quality – and all of the training, processes and best practices that make it happen – the low-cost, poor performance contenders will become clear.

Pay a Fair Market Wage 

The old adage of you get what you pay for certainly applies to security personnel. A fair wage equates to better quality, better training and better engagement. Those essential elements provide visible return on your investment through enhanced service delivery, longevity and quite simply, a security team that truly cares for your employees’ well-being.

Specify a Wage or Use a Wage Marker 

Formalize your commitment to quality by specifying a wage. If you are uncertain of the fair wage for your market, utilize a wage marker or a sample wage. Either way, you will be leveling the playing field for all vendors. Those who won’t pay the specified wage will not continue in the process. Those who will are more easily compared as wage will no longer be a consideration and other competing factors can be evaluated.

Quality expectations and wage specifications allow you to protect yourself and ensure that you are selecting a security provider that can truly support and execute on your security mission. When your employees and property are on the line, you need to know that you have the right team on your side. 

 

  About the Author 
  Caress Kennedy is the Northeast Region President for Allied Universal.