RETAIL SECURITY
A
guide to the technologies and trends shaping the market
ALONE TOGETHER
Most of us fit the definition of “lone worker” for at least part of our working lives
By Neil Sutton
For many, the term lone worker conjures images of a security guard patrolling a building late at night, or a home healthcare professional out and about on client visits. Lone workers might be people isolated for long stretches of time, or interacting with strangers in unfamiliar locations as a direct consequence of their job or profession.
But the whole notion is undergoing some scrutiny, with many of the assumptions around “lone work” being reassessed, and the definition widening to include more types of jobs and scenarios.
Some of this is a bi-product of the pandemic and its dramatic effect on workplace norms. Huge swathes of the workforce found themselves essentially working alone for the first time in their careers, sent home from their offices to set up makeshift
workspaces in bedrooms and basements. But many of us were lone workers well before we knew what COVID-19 was, if only for limited periods. Work-related travel and hotel stays, for example, could constitute working alone.
Matt Smitheman is a senior solutions consultant at Interface Systems. The company’s line of security products and services includes lone worker solutions such as two-way audio and video communications. He says that there can clearly be occasions or times during the work day that transform a team employee into a lone one. Retail is a particularly keen example of this.
“You may have three or four people in your location, but if you have to send some-
body from your location to a remote stockroom to pull stock, that person is a lone worker for that period of time,” explains Smitheman.
“We’ve been supporting lone workers for years and years,” he says. “In the jewelry industry, we do this for openings and closings. Traditionally in retail, one of the most vulnerable points is opening and closing, where you’re not inside the four walls of protection yet.”
The pandemic increased the degree to which a retail employee might spend time alone. “When COVID came, there was a huge surge in curbside delivery,” says Smitheman, as retail staff “free-roamed to various places in the mall or even completely off-premise.”
“Does our duty of care extend to the remote worker? I would argue that it does.” — Tracy Reinhold, Everbridge
Sunita Mani, Interface’s senior VP of marketing, also notes high turnover rates in retail and restaurant positions have left some employers short-staffed, increasingly the likelihood that employees find themselves alone more frequently.
Brendon Cook, chief partnership officer at Calgary-based Blackline Safety, says the pandemic has brought more awareness to the lone worker field but the trend towards a better understanding of workplace risk was already underway. The company produces monitoring tools and wearable devices for workers in industrial settings, including gas detection technology through its G7 product line. Cook notes that educating end users on the effective use of these tools is key when it comes to their safety.
“We have a very strong focus on learning within our own business, but also how we go to market, because we’re selling a sophisticated product to industrial customers,” he says. “We have to make sure that the employees within those client businesses are trained on how these products are different from what they may have used in the past.”
Duty of care
Tracy Reinhold, chief security officer for Everbridge, a provider of mass communications, crisis management and security solutions, says that the pandemic has certainly revised the definition of what constitutes a lone worker, but it has also drawn more attention to the concept of “duty of care” of an employer for its employees.
“Now we have a whole plethora of employees around the world who are no longer coming to the office. Does our duty of care extend to the remote worker? I would argue that it does. One of the ways that we can do that is through the advance of technology,” he says.
Geo-fencing locations and overlaying real-time threat information can allow an organization to stay connected with its
employees, he says. A threat could be an impending weather system, for example, that might have a direct impact on employee safety. “It should be the employee’s expectation that the company cares about their welfare when they are working for the organization — even if they are working remote,” he says.
Remote could mean “out of office,” or could also mean an overseas business trip, making that an employee a lone worker in a foreign location, adds Reinhold. Everbridge introduced a travel risk management solution last November following its acquisition of U.K.-based Anvil Group and its Riskmatics platform. Anvil customers collectively monitor more than 75 million trips in an average year, almost seven per cent of them to high-risk destinations, states the company’s website.
Continued growth
The lone worker market continues to grow, according to analyst firm Berg Insight, which notes in a 2021 report a variety of contributing factors including occupational safety regulations, increasing employee insurance costs and a focus on protecting brand reputation.
The market, once driven by public sector customers, is also opening up to more private sector opportunities. Berg Insight estimates the North American lone worker market was 320,000 users of connected safety solutions at the end of 2020 and is expected to expand to 605,000 users at the end of 2025.
“It’s developing very quickly,” says Smitheman, noting the rise in interest. “We’re constantly getting calls from our customer base and new customers saying, ‘Have you thought about this? Can you do this with that particular device?’
“ The market has more than doubled, from what we’re seeing. If there’s any indication from what we’re seeing right now, I think that’s going to happen again.” | CS
Violence Prevention in the Retail Environment
In recent years, the level of violence in the retail environment has steadily increased, with several municipalities reporting double-digit percentage increases in both property and violent crime. Previously, retail security focused mostly on shoplifting and burglaries, but in 2022, it is much more focused on protecting people. Violence has become one of the main security issues for retailers as it puts the safety of employees, visitors, and the reputation of the business at risk. Furthermore, threats of violence diminishes an employee’s sense of security and drives customers away. Securing a public place can be complex; prevention tools must be implemented in order to limit the risks of physical and mental violence faced by both employees and customers. GardaWorld’s experts would like to share some of these tools with you.
Preventing
violence through physical security:
As the world becomes more complex, retailers must broaden their view of retail security from interior only store security to also include an element of exterior security. Intimidation, threats and acts of violence have a huge impact on your retail activity and a duty of care is expected of the employer. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles are statistically proven to lower criminal incidents in retail establishments.
GardaWorld‘s concept of Crime
Prevention Through Customer Service endeavours to mitigate criminal opportunity through a customer service approach from our security guards. At GardaWorld, our security guards are trained and have the experience to recognize inappropriate behaviors, and to deal with any violent acts that may compromise the safety of people and property. Moreover, the security guard is often the first contact for customers. As such, offering exceptional service is how we add value to the customer experience. Designing quality service standards that allows the guards to offer a continuous positive service experience also acts as a deterrent and helps to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Our strong security training program will teach guards to be proactive by focusing on principles of prevention and de-escalation.
Preventing violence with employee training
In addition to the presence of a security guard, it’s important that your employees adapt to the current social climate. Situational Awareness and De-escalation Training will help to familiarize your staff with these ‘Best Practices’ and aids in dealing with the threats they may face in the workplace.
Preventing violence with technology Security systems play an important role in preventing and maintaining the security of a retail environment. Installing
intelligent security systems can help identify and prevent suspicious behaviors and threatening or violent acts. In case of a crisis, discontent, or riots, security guards can intervene quickly. GardaWorld’s intelligent security systems cover all the essential aspects of comprehensive protection: anti-intrusion devices, video surveillance, access control, fire alarm systems and mobile patrol.
Security risk management
Security risk management has become essential for the retail industry. For a prevention plan to be effective, it requires a first-class security audit. That’s why at GardaWorld, the consultants and inspectors not only identify gaps in your current security measures, but also provide a detailed and personalized report containing a concrete action plan. The plan includes strategies and deterrents, as well as a timetable for implementation with the priorities clearly identified.
Learn more at www.garda.com/ retail-security
EMBRACING CHANGE, COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE.
Remember when your house only had a deadbolt, public washrooms were only privacy function locksets, your office had only one lock and you had to issue 1000 keys for it? How things have changed. Now your front door has a camera and smart lock, washrooms now have automatic operators and accessories, your office door now has a reader with cards that are programmed remotely.
Change is good. The features built into today’s security are beneficial for everyone. Now you have confirmation of whether a door is locked or not, access has indeed been revoked, scheduling is in effect or who’s at my door all from a click of your mouse or phone. The built-in safety features in today’s restroom kits provide peace of mind with both audio and visual status of the opening including built-in emergency features.
As the products change so does the ask from the customer. If you’re not well versed in any one aspect of a project, either the mechanical or electronics side, what do you do, who do you call? That’s where your distribution partner comes in. A lot has changed in our industry and distribution has changed with it. Distribution is your product and application specialists, your virtual warehouse, your trouble shooter, your sounding board, and a true partner committed to your success.
With the advent of electronic hardware, the distribution landscape has also changed. Where originally there was only mechanical hardware distributors, the market shifted to include both mechanical and electronic (security) distributors. This made sense as each specialized in their segment of the market. Over time the division between the two segments has
been blurred where each segment now carries product typically available from the other. This can be attributed to dealers asking for products or solutions not currently being offered by their distributor, distributors looking to increase market share by expanding their product portfolio or new products being made available to them through the channel. Distribution has had to keep pace with these developments by educating their team on new products, evaluating their stock position, creating marketing collateral, updating websites – no easy task. Now more than ever there are sourcing options available to dealers. Due to today’s global supply chain issues people are being prompted to look at different avenues to source the products they need. Whether it be sourcing the same product from a different supplier or a different product capable of doing the same job from a new supplier, the struggle is real.
Whether it be electrifying an existing lock, updating washrooms with operators and controls to a smart lock for the front door – IDN Canada is committed to finding the right solution for your application. For the better part of 9 decades IDN Canada has been a leading distributor of electronic and mechanical hardware across Canada. We have access to 100’s of best in class brands, most recently adding 10 new industry leading lines to our electronics portfolio. We have 9 stocking locations across Canada and a network of 50+ locations across North America. We pride ourselves in offering “old-school” customer service with product experts in all categories available to assist in providing the complete solution for you on your next project.
We make security simple. www.idn-inc.ca
OPENS NEW DOORS
Changes in the Retail Industry Call for Improvements in Access Control
The retail industry has seen a firestorm of change over the past few years. The pandemic brought rapid growth to onlinebased sales as people hunkered down, avoiding human-tohuman contact. Companies prepared to meet online demand flourished while others were left playing catch up. This also fueled a new consumer expectation within brick-and-mortar stores bringing services like same-day delivery and parking lot pick-up into the fold.
Security, on the other hand, took giant steps in the opposite direction. Three years ago, if you said every person walking into a bank was going to be wearing a mask, it would have been a punchline, but here we are. The pandemic has not been kind to in-store security protocols and has had retailers furiously looking for answers. The current trends in the retail security industry stem from the issues brought about by the past few years of consumer changes, covered below:
The Growth of AI
The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created new retail security solutions like alarm detection, proactive monitoring, and video analytics. With video analytics powered by AI, users gain remote monitoring that can read license plates, count people, detect intruders, and monitor the perimeter of a building or storefront. Retailers can expand their physical security capabilities even when the store is closed and empower their security professionals to make data-driven decisions and respond to threats before they happen. This is preventative and fills a hole in physical security that has been growing wider every year. These analytics also trigger alerts when a threat is detected: a store lockout can be triggered and paired with access control when a security threat is detected.
CLOUD APPLICATIONS
Supply Chain Assurance
Supply chain assurance is a blended trend that mixes logistics with cybersecurity, and the industry is paying more attention to this trend now than ever before. Supply chain assurance covers vital areas of concern in the global supply chain — social responsibility, security, quality, environment, and sustainability. This gives business owners and managers the power to make informed decisions regarding their business and build a culture of engaged suppliers that understand, share, and demonstrate their brand.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity protection is a defense-in-depth strategy that layers multiple protections to mitigate exposure. In retail,
employee turnover is high and the typical retailer has many points of insider vulnerability, including seasonal and traditional employees, as well as numerous stores and distribution centers. Many retailers also outsource some of their business processes to third parties. Trends such as these are giving rise to a new breed of criminals. Instead of stealing money or physical goods from a store or warehouse, these cyber-criminals focus on stealing information like the valuable cardholder data that flows between consumers and retailers. Regardless of the type of theft, the results can be disastrous. Retailers must understand the potential threats and take aggressive action to protect themselves, their brand, and, most importantly, their customers.
Smash and Grab Deterrence
Organized retail theft rates have grown drastically nationwide, especially in the smash and grab category. This type of theft is organized by criminal rings that steal large amounts of goods from businesses with the intent to resell them. Large groups of criminals walk into a retailer, overwhelm the employees, use blunt force to open security structures, and steal goods in record time. They then sell the goods online, undercutting the retailers they stole from in the first place. The new normal of wearing a mask in public conceals the identity of the thieves, rendering traditional video surveillance useless. Retailers have been left looking for new ways to deter this type of theft. So far, the most popular trend among high-end retailers has been occupancy control at the location entry point using access control. There have been a few different approaches to this tactic, but they all require the control of entry points to mitigate loss. The best method to control access is an electronic solution that can be managed immediately and from anywhere. For more information, please
OPENS NEW DOORS
A Retention-First Focus for Growth
Amid a landscape of global economic uncertainty, IBISWorld reports estimates that, over the past five years, the Canadian security services industry has increased, outpacing the overall economy. In fact, over the course of the current year, the industry is expected to grow by over 3%.
When studying retention, one of the most frustrating metrics companies experience is that of hidden turnover when a new hire quits during onboarding (or, before the first day of work). This means you’ve made an investment in that new hire, and could not realize a return.
These figures are a testimony to the essential nature of the security industry. For these projections to become reality, though, it’s crucial to have a fully-staffed workforce, an effort that is proven challenging in the security industry (which routinely experiences high turnover rates, with commonly cited statistics ranging 100-300% annually). Now, added hurdles exist as the industry continues to address new environmental requirements within security operations in response to public health demands, mandates and fluctuating labour markets. Arguably, retention is more important than ever, and also more difficult than ever to achieve.
If you’re looking to improve your workforce’s capacity through a retention-first focus, consider these elements throughout your employee lifecycle:
At the beginning…
We’ve seen an opportunity to help circumvent this challenge through job listings themselves. Be honest and transparent about what responsibilities are required and expected, and translate them into day-to-day tasks so incoming hires know what to expect from the very beginning. Continue to reinforce expectations through accurate job instructions accessible through your workforce management software solution. This should include digital resources on the job profile that can be
job-specific documents, bulletins or links.
For active employees… COVID-19 introduced a new way of working to much of the world. While the onsite, in-person nature of security work has not changed, aspects of it (and benefits that have become more demanded by the workforce) have. Other companies have recognized the growing demand for benefits like flexible work schedules and are implementing their own tactics to address this need to lure your active workforce (and potential job candidates) to their own hiring funnels.
Don’t write off flexible work simply because of the traditional workflow of security services. Explore whether or not your management software can support self-scheduling, for example, where security officers have the capability to shift their schedules to fit what best works for them. With easily configurable settings, you can ensure employees are able to offer their shifts up for others to claim, swap shifts, or claim open shifts (where they meet job qualifications) without involving a scheduler.
If flexibility in scheduling isn’t an option, explore other ways to enhance your benefits package and differentiate you from your competitors. On-demand wage access, for example, is a route you can take to pay your employees when they want to be paid (without adding any extra work for your payroll staff). That earned wage access has been proven to reduce turnover as high as 90% as it helps decrease employee financial stress, while also being a differentiator you can offer to job applicants. (If you’re new to on-demand wage access, learn more about how it works.)
Develop a retention-first strategy.
Gain more insights into hiring smarter and employee retention in our resource library. Or, let’s take 15 minutes together to discuss your unique retention needs.
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