Today’s labor market is highly competitive. With approximately 1.6 jobs open for every job seeker, employees have options, and they won’t stay in positions where they feel underpaid, undervalued, or unsafe. If you’re looking for a way to prevent staffing shortages from putting your business on standby, focusing on security can help.
A Focus on Security Protects Your Employees All-Around.
While there are obvious benefits of security like not having your business broken into and your valuables or inventory stolen. There are countless ways security can prevent your business from experiencing a staffing shortage.
1. Security helps with hiring and retention
While workers have always wanted to feel safe on the job, the COVID-19 pandemic brought that need into sharp focus. Businesses that failed to take proper covid precautions often found themselves understaffed because employees weren’t willing to risk their lives for their jobs.
While the pandemic is in the past, the sentiment remains the same: Employees will not put their health or safety on the line for their jobs. If you want to attract, hire, and keep top employees in your market, improving security practices that keep your employees safe and their property secure can help.
2. Security protects employee productivity
An often overlooked part of the damage a break-in does to a business is the downtime that follows. After a break-in, you’ll likely have to replace inventory or equipment, make repairs to damaged doors and windows, and deal with the police and the insurance company. All of this puts your operations on hold and creates a productivity-destroying distraction for your employees.
3. Security breeds a sense of job security
Downtime that comes after a break-in can cost your company millions, but it costs your employees, too. Though salaried workers may not be financially impacted by a break-in, hourly workers could take a serious financial hit. Employees want to know that their jobs, and their paychecks, will stay consistent. Proper security measures can make that happen.
4. Security impacts job satisfaction and morale
Working in an environment that feels unsafe can be devastating to employee morale and job satisfaction. A break-in at your business, whether your materials or inventory is stolen or your employee’s vehicle is broken into, can lead to low morale. It is ingrained in us as human beings to feel safe, especially in the places we become familiar with. Living or working in an unsafe environment is linked to stress, health problems, and cognitive impairment.
On the flip side, employees who feel safe and secure at their jobs are more likely to do their best work. Happiness and productivity are directly linked. Happy employees with greater job satisfaction are also most likely to spread the word about how great their jobs are. When your company has a positive reputation, it’s naturally easier to recruit top talent.
5. Securing your reputation can prevent staffing shortages
You’re likely tracking on-site safety metrics like “days since accident” or “time since the last break-in,” - critical metrics for keeping a finger on the pulse of your business’s safety. But it’s what you do with those metrics that make a difference in your hiring and retention practices.
The perception that your company takes safety and security seriously is critical in attracting and keeping talent. That means you should not only work to keep your business and employees safe, but you also should find ways to advertise your commitment to safety to your staff, your customers, and the world at large.
Consider these ways you can spread your company’s safety message:
- Mention your commitment to safety and security in your job listings.
- Post blogs about safety and security on your website.
- Submit for safety awards and certifications.
- Send out newsletters or emails when your company makes a significant security or safety improvement.
- Make regular mentions of safety at workplace meetings and other company communication.
- Create safety competitions at your workplace in which employees can win prizes by upholding safety and security standards or finding and reporting safety issues.
Is your business doing enough to keep employees safe and therefore retain them?
If this article surprised you, read up on the other potentially negative impacts property crime could have on your business. Crime rates are at all-time highs – ensure your business can withstand.
