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Why a compassionate approach to Toronto security (and guard training) matters

Looking back to early 2020, few of us would have predicted that the coronavirus pandemic would continue to create social, public health, and business challenges nearly two years later. Nerves are frayed, patience is wearing thin, and policies meant to contain the most recent Omicron strain of COVID-19 have pushed many in the public to their limits. From a security perspective, it’s why now (as much as ever) is the time for organizations across the Greater Toronto Area to embrace a compassionate approach to security. That means relying on the expertise of Toronto security providers that protect and enforce rules but also focus on engaging and calmly controlling challenging situations.  

As we’ve noted in previous blogs, security risk mitigation is about taking both a proactive and reactive approach that puts the customer or community experience first. That applies in a range of settings, from retail outlets and residential communities such as condominiums to office complexes and public institutions such as healthcare facilities or college and university campuses.

But taking it a step further, it’s also important to apply security protocols in a reasonable and measured way. There are countless examples of alleged incidents of excessive use of force by Toronto security guards in Canada. Each incident must be assessed based on relevant facts and circumstances—and many are not always as they seem—but there is little doubt that, at times, some guards apply disproportionate force when responding to an incident. Often it’s because they lack the necessary training, tools, or management oversight that would otherwise prompt them to take a different course of action.

Highly aggressive security guard responses create significant liability for organizations—not to mention creating potentially negative ripple effects for their corporate brand or resident experience. A basic principle of effective security guarding is that with the right preparation and training, many incidents can be de-escalated and resolved without the use of force. The concept isn’t merely relevant during a stressful pandemic but during any interaction between Toronto security personnel and the public.

Enhancing brand experiences through Toronto security 

Depending on the setting, but especially in urban areas, security guards will interact with a broad subsection of the public. While the focus is often on their work to stop thieves or vandals from stealing items or damaging property, in many cases their time is spent interacting with vulnerable populations such as members of the homeless community or individuals struggling with drug or alcohol addictions. These encounters can be challenging, but when properly managed, confrontations can usually be avoided. 

 

integrated security services

For example, a security guard that encounters a homeless person sleeping in a shopping mall doorway in the middle of winter has an opportunity to help. While informing the person that they can’t camp in the doorway, they can also check that the individual isn’t suffering from an acute physical or mental health issue. If so, they can contact relevant first responders such as paramedics or police and then wait until one of those teams arrive on-site. In the absence of an acute issue, they can work to help the individual secure access to a social worker who might be able to help them find temporary lodging or other necessary care. 

It’s easy to take a heavy-handed approach in a scenario such as this. But by acting compassionately, a Toronto security guard can not only set the stage for positive interaction but can capitalize on the chance to assist an individual in need. That, in turn, reflects positively on the organization they’ve been tasked to protect. 

Measured response training at Wincon Security

Taking a compassionate approach to security starts with smart training, re-training, and culture-wide reinforcement. If a security provider sets the bar high and reminds guards of the expectation that they’ll deploy effective, appropriate, and measured responses in every situation, the chances of incidents escalating out of control will be greatly reduced.  

At Wincon Security, for example, we assess your Toronto security needs during our client intake process, then propose a comprehensive risk mitigation strategy that aligns with your operational requirements. That includes delivering pre-deployment training to our guards addressing a range of tactical considerations, including the use of force and non-violent crisis training.

Our training systems cover:

  • Arrest procedures
  • Situational de-escalation
  • Crisis communication
  • Non-violent intervention
  • Training on relevant provincial and federal use of force legislation
  • Hand-cuff techniques, use of baton and, self-defence and defence against edged weapons

Our goal is to not only provide strong security deterrence to help protect your property but to ensure that our guards have the training and tools needed to enforce the Trespass to Property Act and to set the stage for positive engagements with the public and other key stakeholders. 

Lastly, it’s important to note that for security providers, two important factors help to put a sense of compassion and caring behind their work: strong recruitment and employee engagement. By hiring committed professionals who arrive to work on time, are fully prepared, are in uniform, and are ready to give their very best every day, Toronto security providers can create a culture of success and dedication to client service. But many fall short in this regard, hiring guards merely to fill roles without investing in their training and career development. This is a significant oversight and it’s the reason why it pays to do proper due diligence when hiring a security firm. More on that in a future blog. 

In the meantime, it’s important to remember that putting compassion into security starts with a focus on culture, employee policies, and making investments in a Toronto security team’s ongoing success.

Is your business interested in an integrated security service?

Fill out our quote form and enjoy a consultation with us to learn about your security options.

Request a Quote

 

Winston Stewart, President and CEO
Wincon Security 

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Promoting employee engagement to serve you better

To help enhance our customer service experience and drive employee engagement, we are pleased to announce a new role for your Business Administrator Babita Prakash, who will now be responsible for team and community engagement.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on all of us. On that, we can all agree. But it’s also presented new opportunities to build stronger connections with our clients and team members. For a security company in a highly competitive market such as the Greater Toronto Area, that’s extremely important. More so, it’s critical to continually enhance the client service experience here at Wincon Security, while building on already strong employee culture.

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of communications and collaboration. As our clients faced unprecedented challenges ranging from new social distancing-related security requirements to full facility closures or capacity limitations, our team demonstrated their ongoing commitment and dedication to service excellence. That we have a highly engaged group of security professionals was no surprise. But the way they stepped up to serve our clients and meet their quickly evolving needs was truly inspiring. Still, they, like our customers, have endured widespread disruption overly nearly two years. Restrictions will likely remain in place into the foreseeable future, so they’ll continue to be tested on a daily basis.

At the same time, many of our clients are only beginning to recover from the worst of the pandemic’s financial malaise. They not only need reliable security service, but they’re also relying on our management teams to provide proactive consulting on everything from integrated security solutions to condo concierge security coverage or property guarding strategies to keep their people and assets safe.

In response, we’re taking steps to empower our team to be even better. The person who will help drive that initiative is Babita Prakash, our Business Administrator, who will now assume added responsibility for team and community engagement.

Daily team touchpoints

Babita is the ideal person to assume this important new role for several reasons. With more than four years of experience at Wincon Security, she has a keen understanding of our client’s needs, along with the composition of our workforce and the communities that they help to protect every day. She also has more than 20 years of industry expertise and widespread knowledge about the ins and outs of security solutions delivery.

Perhaps most importantly, she’s a wonderful communicator who takes the time to listen. Her empathetic touch and focus on both process and effective motivation are integral skills in this role because Babita will be tasked with engaging and supporting our front-line staff. We want to remind them that they’re both appreciated and have management’s ear, either via Babita or their direct supervisor, no matter the work-related challenges they may be facing.

“As we near the 30th anniversary of our company, I’m very excited to find new ways to better serve our clients and to provide the very best career experience possible to our security professionals and support staff.”

Leading the way by listening and engaging

Babita will be responsible for working with our leadership team to:

  • Ensure that each team member has the tools and resources to fulfill their roles. In addition, she’ll work to ensure that they’re also fully comfortable in their workspace and environment. Whether at our office or at a client site, we want to remove any potential barriers to their workplace success.
  • Provide a safe working environment. That’s especially important when our team members are working at commercial or industrial facilities, or even public-facing settings, where tensions have occasionally risen throughout the pandemic. Our guards are fully trained to manage conflict situations, but we want to remind them that we’re as committed as ever to ensuring they can always do their jobs safely.
  • Encourage staff to share ideas and concerns directly with their immediate supervisor or our leadership team. One of the drivers of Wincon’s nearly 30 years of growth and success has been our ability to constantly innovate and enhance our service experience. Our team members are a critical source of insights and information from the field, and we need their assistance to continue improving our service offering. Babita will help facilitate that steady flow of information.
  • Promoting teamwork and collaboration. That this already happens on a daily basis is a testament to the strength of our employee culture. But Babita is excited to take that feature of our work experience to the next level. She’ll be encouraging our team members to share ideas among themselves, to exchange real-time information and to help nurture each other’s career development.
  • Recognize each other’s achievements. One of our goals for 2022 is to ensure that when a member of our team does a great job, their hard work and commitment to excellence is acknowledged. So, Babita will be actively encouraging our team to recognize great work and to report it to her, their supervisor or a member of our leadership team. We’ll be honouring outstanding performance in various ways throughout the year.
  • Promote Wincon’s culture. That could mean sharing the word with friends and prospective employees about what a great working environment we’ve built, why Wincon is the right place for them to work or why they should engage with our recruitment team to learn more about our work experience and compensation packages.

As we near the 30th anniversary of our company, I’m very excited to find new ways to better serve our clients and to provide the very best career experience possible to our security professionals and support staff. We have a very big year ahead and I know that with Babita at the helm, our dynamic new employee engagement initiative is in great hands.

Is your business interested in retail loss prevention services?

Fill out our quote form and enjoy a consultation with us to learn about your retail security options.

Request a Quote

 

Winston Stewart, President and CEO
Wincon Security 

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