Attracting, Recruiting & Holding Onto Top Talent in the Security Fire Industry

The Jobs Market has changed a lot over recent years and there are many who might say that the job of attracting, recruiting & holding onto top talent has got harder – so how do you as an employer within the Security Fire Industry stay head and shoulders above the rest, and ensure you are the company that’s making the most of it? Here’s just a few pointers that can help along the way:

Mental Health

Firstly – as we’ve mentioned before in previous articles and probably one of the most talked about topics for this year is the focus on Mental Health. You need to be there for your employees, you need to notice if there is any change in their behaviours or work ethics, and you need to provide a safe haven in which they can discuss things or you should be prepared to offer the right help should things get to that point. Whether the issue turns out to be work related or home related, the health and well-being of your employees is paramount, especially if the job they do is client facing and is dealing with equipment that helps protect the public (such as fire alarm systems, CCTV/Access Control Systems and Intruder Alarms).

Valued Employees

Secondly – Recent surveys have showed that one of the top reasons employees give for leaving their role is because they didn’t feel valued as an employee. Even in the Security Fire Industry this isn’t about over-pampering your staff – but it’s about making sure that they are happy & feel like a ‘worthy’ member of the team. As you’ll know quite a lot of the work they will carry out on a daily basis (especially your Fire & Security Engineers) will involve site visits, working as part of a team and driving to and from various locations. There’s nothing you can do about traffic (if we could, we’d probably have a much better work/life balance) but are you scheduling their working hours & site visits effectively, is the emergency call out rota fair across the board, do you focus on diversity and inclusion for all team members ensuring there is a good team work ethic, are you investing in ways that could potentially make your employees lives easier, for example digital forms & signage rather than paperwork, fuel cards instead of expense reports & up to date tools. If you are making a company-wide decision, are you involving your employees and asking what they think?

Salary & Benefits

Thirdly – Salary & Benefits – In an age where the cost of living is getting higher, are you offering a salary & benefits package which reflects a fair living wage & is in good competition with your competitors in the industry. To give you a good idea, a Trainee Engineer should be in the region of £22,000 to £25,000, a Security & Fire Engineer should be in the region of £28,000 to £32,000, a Senior Engineer, Security Systems Engineer or Business Development Manager should be in the region of £35,000 to £40,000 and a Supervisor or Assessor should be above £40,000. Realistically benefits could also include (depending on the nature of the work) a company vehicle, company pension, overtime if possible, company events & the standard 25 days holiday + bank holidays.

Training and Development

Fourth – Training and Development. It’s no secret that many employees want progression within their chosen career with an emphasis on continued personal development & one of the best ways to do this is by providing access to training courses such as Levelling Up Awards for FD&FA (BS5839-1). A great resource for this, which you’ll already know about is the FIA (Fire Industry Association) who offer both membership & training courses across a wide range of fundamentals. Not only that, but they will also offer Refresher Courses for example the BS5306 on the Servicing and Maintenance of Portable Fire Extinguishers. As technology improves so should the understanding of developments & the need for Knowledge. You may also have an engineer who wants to stay within the Industry but try something new, so rather than lose a valued employee to a competitor, you could offer to help them on their new career path (if of course you offer that service they want to work in).

Professional Help & Support

Fifth – Professional Help & Support – It’s difficult enough with the day to day running of your own company, without then also having to keep up with the needs and changes of the jobs market, so it’s always worth considering a professional to help you manage your recruitment. Of course, there is a cost involved – however taking on some professional help or using an experienced company like Security Fire Recruitment can have it’s rewards, especially if they give you the correct advice and help find that one candidate you’ve been looking for. They know the industry, are fully aware of both client & candidate’s wishes, and in most cases will save a lot of time – especially if you are looking to take someone ASAP.

In summary – Yes, your clients pay the bills, but your employees keep your clients happy, so they should be just as important as each other. Understanding their needs, making sure they feel valued and keeping up with the times will mean you have a highly engaged, enthusiastic and motivated team, that will never need to move & will grow with you on your company path.