Here at BPS Security, we often call out the security industry’s total lack of standards and how this is negatively affecting companies and civilians. Usually, we are pointing out where security companies are making mistakes and how those mistakes trickle down to the security guards. However, today, we are going to call out the sad truth, that most people (including the companies contracting security firms, and the security firms themselves) do not care about their security guards — at all. This is becoming ever more present when we see how viral videos destroy the lives of many security guards, including the good ones!
So how is this destroying the security industry as a whole? Well, the videos often capture a few moments of an altercation, enrage the public, and thus security guards are let go. Here is the issue, security guards already have a bad reputation (which, frankly, is warranted). However, continuing to fuel this fire is building a larger problem. If the security guards are treated poorly (especially by their bosses), and are expected to do outstanding work for minimum wage (which requires them to put their life on the line), why would a security guard want to do a good job? Why would they view their position as more than a tiny paycheck?
Note that: We are not advocating for lazy security guards! We are advocating for human beings that want to be a great security guard, but the odds are stacked against them.
Example - How Viral Videos Can Destroy
Recently, a six-month old video was published on Tiktok showing what appears to be a very violent security guard yelling at an individual in an emergency room. The Tiktok video quickly went viral, and within weeks, the security guard was let go.
The Reality of a Security Guard’s Position
A security guard has one job, to protect the company that hires them. Within that role, they have to protect the property, the items within the property, and the individuals on that property. When someone or something poses a threat to the company, they have to intervene.
To give an example, think of a healthy child/parent relationship. The parent will often have to be strict and stern with the child when they are doing something that they are not supposed to do, especially when the parent has already told the child not to do a particular thing but the child decides to, anyway.
Now obviously a security guard is not a parent, but they do have to set boundaries, and they have to intervene when the boundaries are crossed.
Note: Again, there are DEFINITELY bad and/or under-qualified and improperly trained guards out there that let this go to their head! When this happens, it is completely unacceptable, and the guard and/or security firm should then be held responsible and action needs to be taken. However, In the example shown above, even though the guard was loud, and assertive, his actions were not wrong! He was doing his job! (Which is obvious since a group of people banded behind him to help him financially!)
When boundaries are crossed and actual action has to take place, a good security guard will always keep record of it, and report it to their firm. In addition to this, a good company will have procedures and technology in place to monitor their guards. Therefore, in case the guard does not report something (they are human, after all) there is still some kind of record that can be reviewed.
The Outcome of Viral Videos that Wrongfully Portray a Security Situation
It is commonplace for security guards to get fired for simply doing their jobs. Oftentimes this will happen because someone thinks that they do something “wrong” and complains to the company the guard is protecting, and then the company complains to the firm. (Now again, a good security guard and firm will already know about the incident, so they have an opportunity to stand up for their employee… but that rarely happens). Once the client complains to the security firm, they fire their guard.
