Security is a paramount concern of every homeowner's association (HOA) / Condo community board. Such boards will change to protect their communities by ensuring the security is top-notch. They thus source for the best security companies to ensure that every homeowner feels secure in their community and ensures the safety of their hard-earned wealth.
As a board member of such committees, chances are you are occasionally involved in the process of hiring a security company or replacing an old one with a more effective firm. It is very likely that the decision was based primarily on costs since most communities operate on a budget. You might have been looking for a security company to provide quality services at low rates, but the truth is, they do not exist.
Let us look into how pay rates impact the security of a community and ways to improve security services.
How Pay Rates Affect Community Security
The quality of a good or service is often directly proportional to its price. This applies as well to security. The more a security guard gets paid, the better the services they render. Security guards are the first people you will meet at the entrance of most communities. They are the face of the community as they are responsible for welcoming visitors, protecting the community, and handling some emergencies. Most Communities demand a particular image and personality from the security guards that mirror them. For instance, luxurious and high-end communities often require intelligent security officers who can interact professionally with residents and visitors.
The officers are therefore required to undergo high training and possess great talents. In addition, some communities will require that the guards be bilingual or multilingual since residents and visitors might be from different language groups. They might also be required to be equipped with conflict management skills to deescalate a conflict in the community.
The state of Florida, for instance, demands that security officers attend and pass a 48-hour training to receive a license, pass a thorough background check, and randomly undergo a mandatory drug screening as part of the employment terms. With such high demands, it is only fair that the wages be at par with the qualifications demanded.
Pay rates affect the ability of security-providing companies to recruit and retain professional officers. The officer's pay rate determines the bill rate per hour of most security-providing companies. When a security company offers low rates, they pay peanuts to their security guards, which might compromise quality. Such companies will also tend to be hesitant in firing or replacing substandard officers since they cannot afford the recruiting and training process, guard uniforms, and the non-billed overtime. This means that your community might be assigned a substandard officer, which may impact the overall security.
Ways to Improve Security Services for your Community
1. Provide hazard pay for security guards
Security guards are front-line workers, seeing that their services are in high demand and cannot work remotely. They endanger their lives, especially in these pandemic times, by working at the community's entrance, a place where they interact with almost everyone getting in and out. The best way for HOA/condo community board members to motivate these officers to continue rendering quality services is by providing them with hazard pay.
2. Give a Decent Pay to Your Security Service Company
Good pay is known to be the highest motivating factor for most Americans. So, as a community board, the best way to get quality security services is by motivating your security guards with good pay.
