How a Culture of Career Advancement and Promotions is Beneficial
In 2022, the median number of years that wage and salaried workers had been with their current employer was 4.1. That’s down from 4.6 years in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Declining workplace tenure is even more pronounced for the security industry. Low wages and high turnover are historic problems that security firms must combat to ensure happy employees—and happy clients.
One way to overcome these systemic issues involves building a culture of career advancement and internal job promotions. When an employee feels valued, and a company is willing to invest in their future, it’s a win-win.
Training Employees from Day One
A winning workplace culture doesn’t happen by accident. Successful security firms employ rigorous training and mentoring programs that recognize employee achievements that lead to job promotions. Clients benefit from seasoned security professionals who have both knowledge and passion for providing the best services.
Ensuring security employees receive training even before they report to duty is an industry best practice for success. Well-trained officers give clients peace of mind that their property is overseen by qualified professionals.
The officers, too, benefit from preparedness and career advancement.
After learning the basics of the industry, employees should have the option to choose developmental courses that will help them advance their careers. Such courses may focus on supervisor development, management development, and leadership skills, which their managers monitor.
The goal should be to fill an employee’s journey with opportunities for growth and advancement. A positive work culture follows when employees understand and use the programs a security firm offers to achieve success.
Mentoring Creates the Career Path
Mentoring is a crucial way to produce highly trained and motivated employees eager to provide peace of mind for clients. Mentoring employees increases the level of engagement, which ultimately improves retention rates.
Mentoring is less about formal training and more about identifying up-and-coming employees and finding them roles that fit their skills. A best practice is openly communicating and identifying the employee’s strengths to see where they would best excel.
When a company invests in employees and gives them opportunities to grow, team members not only excel but they also pay it forward by encouraging and mentoring new employees.
Of course, one critical ingredient requires giving managers the bandwidth to meet with employees and clients regularly so they can address the needs of both audiences.
The Sunstates Way
Sunstates Security is an industry leader in providing training, mentorship, and career advancement to the individuals protecting our quickly growing client portfolio. These highly trained and motivated employees offer a superior level of service, which continues to fuel double-digit organic growth.
In fact, Sunstates is becoming recognized for its outstanding workplace culture. In June, The Tennessean recognized Sunstates as one of the Top Workplaces in Tennessee. This honor follows multi-year recognition from Forbes as one of America’s Best Mid-Size Employers.
“The perfect complement to our incredible organic growth is our ability to promote from within and see people on our team grow with us,” says Chief Operating Officer Denis Kelly. “Having started in the security services industry myself as a security officer 31 years ago, our ability to identify talent and provide opportunities is very important to me. If I wasn’t given opportunities to challenge myself and grow to the next level, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today with this great organization.”