Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – From Putting Out Fires to Addressing Issues Before They Happen

From Putting Out Fires to Addressing Issues Before They Happen

Jordan Wallach, Belfry Software, Associate Member

Managing all the pieces of a successful security operation is challenging. From recruiting, hiring, and training employees to scheduling, billing clients, and retaining employees, all these elements are interconnected and impact one another. When just one aspect falters, it affects the entire operation and leads to a negative client experience.

Unfortunately, most companies in the security guard services industry rely on fragmented systems to evaluate the health of their business. This leads to a reactive approach, where issues are addressed only after they arise. The problem here is that it doesn’t reduce the risk of these issues happening in the first place – driving you to constantly be putting out fires.

But having one integrated system isn’t enough – it needs to be intuitive for everyone on your staff and it needs to meaningfully save them time. Moreover, it needs to enable proactive, informed decisions, reducing the risk of issues arising in the first place. True business intelligence requires harnessing your company’s data and putting it to work across multiple functions.

For example, imagine having a system that schedules your officers and also processes their payroll. This way, you can match up timesheets exactly with the hours that were supposed to be worked – reducing payroll processing time from 3 days to 3 hours. By tracking officer performance across all areas, you could highlight great service to clients and provide training where needed. And with accurate billing generated from the same system, you can get paid quickly and on time.

Belfry has been solving these problems for customers across California and the US with the industry’s most modern application. Our goal is to help you turn data into actionable business intelligence, beginning to spend more time with your customers and less time putting out fires.

Jordan Wallach is the Co-Founder and CEO of Belfry, the modern operating system for security guard services companies and a CALSAGA Member. Prior to founding Belfry, Jordan was a consultant at McKinsey & Company and a Product Manager at Microsoft, building software used by millions of people worldwide. He has a bachelor’s degree in Data Science from Stanford University.

 

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – 2023 Labor Trends: Retention and the First 90 Days

2023 Labor Trends: Retention and the First 90 Days

Andrea Willman, TEAM Software, CALSAGA Network Partner

The labor market has been, arguably, one of the biggest frustrations for security professionals over the past few years. The data proves it. 

National hiring rates during a six month period (industry agnostic) are trending up, although still slightly below pre-pandemic levels. As of September 2022, the labor participation rate across the country was an average .6% higher than the previous year, but 1.0% lower than pre-pandemic participation rates in December 2019 (63.3%).

When looking at sample data from TEAM Software by WorkWave, active employees within the security industry show a 2.2% average monthly increase for the 12-month period of October 2021 through September 2022.

Despite hiring significantly more than the national average, the net sum of workers in the security industry aren’t substantially increasing due to the amount of turnover. In order to maintain an average annual headcount of 100 employees, for example, a security company must hire 108 applicants a year. As such, retention remains a high priority.

The 90-day retention milestone

In the security industry, new hires are 53% more likely to retain for one year if they reach 90 days of employment. 

Some tactics industry leaders are including to increase retention, especially within the first 90 days, include: 

Job posting transparency

One of the biggest reasons new hires churn fast is because their job responsibilities don’t match expectations. Communicate responsibilities throughout the hiring process, from the job posting onward. Then, continue to reinforce expectations through accurate job instructions tied to your software solution. This should include digital resources on the job profile that can be easily shared or accessed, text fields for specific notes and job-specific documents, bulletins, events or links.

Flexible work

Flexibility is a growing demand in applicant pools. The nature of physical security means there will always be a need for on-site, shift-based work. However, introducing flexibility into your employees’ experience where you can – like self-scheduling, where employees can offer their shifts to others without needing to involve a schedule or supervisor – can improve employee engagement and retention while simultaneously reducing high-cost expenses, like overtime. Others can pick up open work and mark themselves as available if they want to pick up additional hours. This tactic can also alleviate some administrative scheduling tasks from your managers, while still ensuring contract coverage. 

Earned wage access

Earned wage access provides a way for employees to receive payment for hours worked, without having to wait for the next pay cycle to process. One of the biggest barriers employees face in succeeding at a field job is the reliability of their transportation. Sometimes, the gap between paychecks impacts a worker’s ability to afford transit, let alone living expenses.

This can make a big difference in employee financial wellness even during times of economic stability. In times of uncertainty that bring rising fuel prices, energy crises and more unrest, access to wages on demand can make a critical difference to employee wellbeing and workforce engagement.

Incentive programs

Employee referral programs exist as an incentive for an existing employee to refer a potential new employee to your hiring staff. If the candidate is hired, the existing employee receives a benefit, typically of monetary value. Many companies have programs like this in place, yet don’t see referrals as a leading hiring source. The reason why could be because the policy is out of sight, out of mind. Make sure your human resources staff are sharing incentive programs like employee referrals consistently and often. As you’re developing these programs, build them with retention in mind. Build in agreements that both the new hire and referring employee need to remain employed for a certain period of time – 90 days, at least – to qualify for the benefit. 

Any one of these tactics, or a combination of all, can help encourage retention to and past the 90-day mark, when the odds of longer-term retention increase. For more labor trend data you can use to help support your retention strategies, access TEAM Software by WorkWave’s recent data report, an analysis of recent trends and forecasts for the year ahead.  

For more information on technology-driven software solutions to help support your hiring, retention and other workforce needs, visit teamsoftware.com. 

Andrea has over 15 years of software-as-a-service (SaaS) marketing experience. In her role as Marketing Director at TEAM Software by WorkWave, she drives the company’s strategic marketing direction globally.  She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – Profitability in a New Year

, ,

Profitability in a New Year

Brandy Tomasek, TEAM Software, CALSAGA Network Partner

One of the most straight-forward ways to increase job profitability is to decrease job-related spending. As much of the world faces the possibility of a recession, decreasing spending is top of mind across industries. 

Still, it can seem impossible to cut back on necessary expenditures. Our industry-specific labor market analysis suggests ongoing competitiveness. Labor and overhead – already a significant portion of a security company’s expenses – will likely remain high. 

That’s why it is more important than ever to maintain a clear and accurate picture of your profitability. Job costing should be the driving data force behind every decision you make. 

Job costing: explained

Job costing is an accounting term that enables a business to track costs by individual jobs. The more granular detail you can gather, the more opportunity you have to protect your profit margins. That’s why getting accurate numbers and recording each one down to the job level is so important in protecting profitability – and helping support a data-backed strategy to help you operate better in the future.  

Typically, companies have some kind of process in place that is capturing a 1,000 foot view of profitability. Opportunities are often missed by neglecting to calculate true cost overhead expenses into job-level data. This can include anything from payroll taxes and workers comp, to general liability insurance, supplies, fuel and more. When you don’t account for a portion of these expenses as a cost per job, you really aren’t getting an accurate picture of what it took from your expense budget to service that contract. As labor and supply shortages continue, continuing to take on unprofitable contracts can be dangerous to your resources, time and bottom-line. 

Here’s how job costing should work as a part of your back-office system: 

Process every financial transaction with an associated job number. That includes everything from payroll, to accounts receivable and payable, to adjusting journal entries. At TEAM Software, we’ve built our software solution to include even more features that allow for payroll taxes and miscellaneous insurance costs to be taken down to the job level, based on payroll dollars at that specific job. 

After recording all associated activity to the job level, the rendered data can be used to review accurate accounting practices, compare the data to budgets and (of course) make sure you’re profiting. This information can and should be heavily relied upon for contract renegotiation and bidding future work that might be similar to an existing job.

This kind of feature, when built as a part of an integrated software solution that connects operations, accounting and finance, and the back-office, really sets up security companies to scale, even when times are tough. Remember, your clients are likely seeking to conserve costs as much as you are. Reliable and accurate data gathered through activities like job costing give you the tools to provide clear reporting on the services – and value – you’re delivering on each job. Having this data gathered in one integrated software solution also helps preserve knowledge in the case of turnover at the back-office level, too. 

Now’s the time to fine-tune processes

In an age where manpower is harder to come by, improving back-end systems and software solutions can create efficiencies to reduce your dependency on added overhead. Not only does it shed light onto how much money your company has brought in for a particular job, it provides clear data on how much money your company actually made per job. Once you have this knowledge, you can better allocate resources, adjust SLAs and billing, and fine-tune operations so that you are curbing costs and maximizing profit as much as possible in a tightened economy. 

If you’re new to job costing, remember the industry experts at TEAM Software are always available to help support your goal of reducing costs, maximizing opportunities and supporting profitability. 

Brandy Tomasek joined TEAM Software by WorkWave in 2016. She’s a part of the Client Experience team, working as a Sr. Implementation Lead and Business Consultant. Prior to joining TEAM Software, Brandy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Marketing, as well as her MBA in Organizational Leadership. Brandy’s professional experience spans a range of disciplines from back office accounting to management and leadership in various industries.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – Insurance Market Update

Insurance Market Update

Shaun Kelly, Tolman & Wiker, CALSAGA Preferred Broker

Happy New Year! I cannot believe we are already one month into 2023.

Honestly, I think I have discussed the changes in the insurance marketplace several times over the past few months and have almost beaten the topic to death. However, even more changes have arose and I feel it is good information for you to know. Insurance is a large budget expense and you cannot operate without it. 

The start of the year has brought on many surprises and I want to share some of the changes we are experiencing. There is some good news and, of course, some not so good news. Here is a brief update on status of the insurance market:

Workers Compensation: The Workers Compensation market is still competitive, Good News! There are new carriers entering this space and we expect that this will last at least throughout the year. The competitiveness of the market is primarily due to the increases in the minimum wage, increase in payroll and the growth of the Security Industry. Insurance carriers are receiving enough premium and controlling the claims/losses to remain profitable. There is no indication that this will change soon. 

General Liability: How do I start? Almost all insurance carriers are increasing premium rates to offset the claims over the past years. The frequency and severity of claims have caused the underwriting guidelines to change, and not in a good way. This results in the insurance carriers adding “Exclusions” to limit their exposure to potential high hazard claims/losses. The “Exclusions” are different for every insurance carrier and in some cases very restrictive, to a point that you wonder if you have any coverage at all.  In some instances, the new underwriting guidelines have made it very difficult to place coverage at a competitive premium. Some PPO’s have had to evaluate their client mix to meet the underwriting guidelines and keep premium increases at a minimum. We can almost always obtain coverage for any PPO, regardless of contract mix, however the premiums may be too expensive and then we have to determine if maintaining those particular clients makes financial sense.  

Business Auto: The Business Auto insurance has not been profitable for insurance carriers over the years. They have indicated that they are not receiving enough premium to cover their losses. Some carriers have left the market for Business Auto (Specifically CA), leaving fewer carriers that will entertain quoting auto insurance. The cause of their departure is the result of increases in repair costs, higher liability settlements, combined with an increase in the number of claims. With fewer insurance carriers and increasing premium rates, expect your Business Auto renewal premiums to be much higher. To minimize the increase in premiums, always ask if the Business Auto can be written in conjunction with the same insurance carrier that writes the General Liability or Workers Compensation.

Umbrella: Same as above, settlements for large losses are significantly increasing. If General Liability and Auto Liability premiums are increasing, the Umbrella premiums will react the same. Due to the claims triggering the Umbrella, it is to a point that the Umbrella market is reducing the amount of Umbrella limits they will offer. It was standard to obtain quotes for $10M with no problem at all. Now, we may be able to obtain limits of $5M and then the premiums for limits over $5M are expensive and may not provide the same coverage as the underlying General Liability policy. Then there would be “Gaps” in coverage for the additional Umbrella policy. 

Employment Practices Liability: Remains stable, as long as there are no losses. 

At the end of the day, please be proactive and complete applications early. And, review them with your Broker before allowing them to be submitted to the insurance carriers for quotes. If you can negotiate favorable terms early, that will eliminate a lot of stress as the renewal date approaches. We are receiving calls from PPO’s at the last minute asking for help to place insurance coverage, because their current carriers have either non-renewed and/or they cannot find replacement coverage to include all of their operations. This could be due to several reasons: losses over the past 5 years, types of client mix (Schools, retail, executive protection, crowd control, residential….), additional exclusions added to the General Liability policy and significant increase in premiums. 

We wish you the best in 2023 and take care.

Shaun Kelly joined Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services in 2005.  He specializes in all lines of property and casualty insurance for industries including contract security firms, agriculture, construction, oil and gas. Shaun received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance from California State University in Fresno, California. He is an active member of several industry associations, including the Association CALSAGA, the Kern County Builders Exchange and the Independent Insurance Agents of Kern County. Shaun can be reached at 661-616-4700 or skelly@tolmanandwiker.com.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – Polished and Professional: 7 Tips to Building Your Brand

,

Polished and Professional: 7 Tips to Building Your Brand

Tony Unfried, CEO, CSA360 Software, Inc

Security companies play a crucial role in ensuring the safety & security of people & businesses. With the rise of technology, security companies have become increasingly competitive, & it’s essential to have a polished brand that sets you apart from the rest. Here are some ways that security companies can make sure their brand is professional & stands out.

1. Professional staff: Your staff is the face of your company and the first point of
contact with clients. It’s essential to have well-groomed and professional staff,
who represent the company’s values and standards. Encourage your staff to wear a uniform that represents the company and ensure that they are well- informed about company policies and procedures.

2. Website: Your website is often the first impression that potential clients will
have of your company. It should be professional, user-friendly, and easy to
navigate. Make sure your website is up to date, with accurate information
about your services and contact details. Use high-quality images and videos to
showcase your services and include testimonials from satisfied clients.

3. Social Media: Social media platforms can be a powerful tool for promoting
your brand and connecting with potential clients. Use social media to share
updates about your company, industry news, and promotions. Make sure your
social media profiles are professional, with a consistent look and feel.

4. Marketing Materials: Consistent branding across all marketing materials helps
to establish a strong and recognizable brand. Use the same colors, logo, and
font in all your marketing materials, including business cards, flyers, and
brochures.

5. Customer Service: Excellent customer service is essential in building a strong
brand. Respond promptly to customer inquiries and ensure that clients are
satisfied with the services provided. Encourage clients to provide feedback and
use this feedback to improve your services.

6. Training: Regular training and development programs for your staff can help to
improve their knowledge and skills and ensure that they are equipped to
provide the best possible service to clients. Regular training also helps to foster
a positive company culture and promote a sense of teamwork among staff.

7. Reputation Management: Your online reputation is crucial in establishing a
professional brand. Monitor online reviews and ratings and respond promptly to
any negative feedback. Encourage clients to leave positive reviews and use
this feedback to improve your services.

Building a professional brand is essential for security companies in today’s competitive market. A polished brand helps to establish trust and credibility with clients and sets your company apart from the rest. By focusing on professionalism, a user-friendly website, consistent branding, excellent customer service, training, and reputation management, security companies can ensure that their brand is polished and stands out. CSA360 Software can help you with all your needs from your website to your operations platform.

Tony Unfried, CEO of CSA360, holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs and Criminal Justice from Indiana University, where he graduated with honors. While enrolled in his master’s program, Tony worked for The TJX Companies, Inc., leading the region in loss prevention and moving the company toward technology use in Security. Tony went on to join the most significant security company in Indiana, managing more than 500 employees and 50 sites, including the Indiana Convention Center, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center. Seeing a noticeable gap in technology use in the physical security sector, Tony created his first security software application, launched at the Super Bowl in 2012, and recognized twice for Excellence in Mobile Technology by Techpoint. Tony has also spoken on Tech in Physical Security on panels with ASIS and IAVM.

 

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian Q1 2023 – Recruiting That Works Requires a Recipe for Success

,

Recruiting That Works Requires a Recipe for Success

Anne Laguzza, CEO – The Works Consulting, Network Partner

Do you have a recruiting plan? I am not talking about a haphazard list of open positions. I am talking about a detailed recruiting plan. In our current talent shortage, having an actual detailed plan is now more important than ever.

Many leaders feel pressure to hire immediately, and while rushing to do so, don’t take the time to develop a plan. Even experienced leaders need a plan to ensure that the best person is hired for the position that they have. 

Why have a recruiting plan? 

In hiring, you want consistency. Consistency leads to high performing teams that match your values and generate the best results for your business. You want to follow the same recipe every single time. 

Consider a recipe for muffins. In order to produce the same delicious, light and fluffy muffins every single time, you must follow the recipe exactly as listed. Any deviation from the list of ingredients and instructions will result in a completely different muffin. They could taste great or need to be tossed out.

THIS is why you need a recruiting plan. It is your “recipe” if you will, of how you will select new team members. You will follow the recruiting plan over and over again to ensure that you hire the best people for your position. You want to consistently hire the people that you need for your team to grow – not a “let’s see what happens” approach.

The benefits of a well thought out recruiting plan are:

  • It saves time.
  • It keeps you and others focused.
  • It maintains organization and consistency.

Some components of a good recruiting plan:

  • A job description or understanding of responsibilities.
  • Identification of the non-negotiables for a position.
  • Detailed behavioral characteristics and skills that are required for this position.
  • An engaging job posting.
  • Development of a job posting strategy – sources, timing, etc. 
  • Established interview questions.
  • A defined process of who will be involved in interviews and when.
  • A recruiting timeline with an estimated start date. 

Developing an effective recruiting plan takes time up front to plan. The time invested up front will save you time later on in performance management and having to refill the position if the person selected doesn’t work out. Not to mention the cost your bad hiring decisions have on team morale.

Hiring is likely THE most important thing you’ll do as a leader. Every time you have an opening on your team, you have an opportunity to evaluate the current strengths and identify what skills and qualities you need to help your team grow.

Don’t throw this opportunity away. You have a very important job as a leader and your current people are counting on you to carry out that responsibility by finding and hiring only the best people. Every single time.

Anne Laguzza is the CEO of The Works Consulting, a CALSAGA Network Partner. As a seasoned business executive with human resources management, leadership development, and performance coaching experience, Anne works with clients from a variety of industries to develop better systems, maximize employee productivity, and enable management to focus on business growth. For more information, check out theworksconsulting.com or email anne@theworksconsulting.com. You can also find Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian 2022 Q4 – California Tips the Scales: Employers’ New Obligations to Comply with Pay Transparency and Pay Data Reporting Requirements

, ,

CALIFORNIA TIPS THE SCALES: EMPLOYERS’ NEW OBLIGATIONS TO COMPLY WITH PAY TRANSPARENCY AND PAY DATA REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Saba Zafar, Esq. and Jaimee K. Wellerstein, Esq., Bradley, Gmelich + Wellerstein, CALSAGA Legal Advisor

On September 27, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1162 (“SB 1162”), an expansive pay transparency and pay data reporting bill requiring employers to include pay ranges in all job advertisements effective January 1, 2023.  SB 1162 also makes significant changes to California’s existing pay data reporting requirements. 

What Do California Employers Need To Know About SB 1162?

SB 1162 has two components that will be codified under Labor Code section 432.3 and Government Code section 12999. The first relates to pay transparency and the second to the pay data report that is submitted to the Civil Rights Department (“CRD” – formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing).

1. Pay Transparency (Labor Code section 432.3) – Employers must comply with certain pay scale transparency requirements:

a. Employers with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale for a position in any job posting. This applies even if the employer engages the services of a third party to announce, post, publish or otherwise make a job posting known.

b. All employers must, upon reasonable request, provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant applying for a job (this was already a law but is a good reminder).

c. All employers must, upon request, provide an employee with the pay scale for the current job for which they are employed. 

d. Employers must also maintain records of a job title and the wage rate history for that job for the each employee for the length of the employee’s employment and then for three years after the employee’s separation of employment. The Labor Commissioner can audit these records. 

As to what constitutes a pay scale, it simply means “the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position.” If the employer pays a set salary or hourly wage, then the employer should include that amount in the job posting. 

As a reminder, employers may not inquire about an applicant’s salary history. What can employers still do? Employers can still inquire about an applicant’s salary expectations.

2. Pay Data Reporting (Government Code section 129999) – Employers with 100 or more employees (“Covered Employers”) were already required to report pay data to the CRD and could previously have submitted the same EE0-1 report that they submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). Under amended Government Code section 12999, Covered Employers will have to meet some additional requirements. Below are some of the pertinent (but not all) changes:

a. Covered Employers must submit the pay data report by the second Wednesday of May of each year, rather than in March as previously required;

b. The report must include the number of employees by race, ethnicity, and sex for 10 job categories listed in the Code.

c. The report must also include the mean and median hourly rate for each job category for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex. 

d. Covered Employers who contract with labor contractors must provide a separate report to the CRD. 

e. Employers can pick any pay period between October 1 and December 31 of the reporting year. 

What’s The Penalty for Non-Compliance?

It is incredibly important for employers to comply with these requirements, not just because it is the law, but also because non-compliance comes with penalties. 

For violations of Labor Code section 432.3, an aggrieved person may file a written complaint with the Labor Commissioner within one year after the person learns of the violation. Upon finding of a violation, the Labor Commissioner may assess penalties between $100 and $10,000 per violation!

For violations of Government Code section 12999, the CRD may assess penalties for a failure to file a report up to $100 per employee for the first violation and up to $200 per employee for each subsequent violation (for an employer with 100 employees, that is $10,000 for the first violation and $20,000 for each subsequent violation).

Employer Takeaway: Comply! Comply! Comply! If you do not already have data regarding pay scale for various positions, you should start compiling it now so that you are ready when an employee or applicant inquires about the pay scale for a position or when you need to include the pay scale on a job posting. For the pay data report to the CRD, since the data need only be for one pay period, employers should start compiling this information now so you are prepared to report it in May. As always, the attorneys at Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein, LLP are here to answer any questions you may have about this new law or its impact on your business. 

 Saba Zafar is Special Counsel in Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein LLP’s Employment Law Department. Ms. Zafar has over a decade of experience as an attorney, primarily in employment law. Ms. Zafar focuses her practice of providing strategic advice and counsel in all aspects of employment law and workplace matters, including drafting and implementation of HR policies and procedures, Employment Handbooks, providing advice to clients on personnel issues as well as general business matters.

 

 

Jaimee K. Wellerstein, Esq. is a Partner at Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein LLP, and the Head of the firm’s Employment Department. Jaimee concentrates her practice in representing employers in all aspects of employment law, including defense of wage and hour class actions, PAGA claims, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, misclassification, and other employment related lawsuits. She also provides employment counseling and training in all of these areas.

Jaimee routinely represents employers in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings throughout the state, as well as at administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the United States Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies.

Jaimee assists as a Legal Advisor to CALSAGA, and is a member of ASIS International. She is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating available. jwellerstein@bgwlawyers.com

About Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein LLP

Founded in 2000, Bradley, Gmelich & Wellerstein, LLP is dedicated to providing sound advice and exceptional results for our clients. Our twenty-five plus skilled, dedicated and diverse attorneys represent individuals and businesses of all sizes in a wide variety of business, employment law and litigation matters.  www.bgwlawyers.com.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian 2022 Q4 – Insurance Renewal Tips for 2023

INSURANCE RENEWAL TIPS FOR 2023

Shaun Kelly, Tolman & Wiker, CALSAGA Preferred Broker

Greetings to All,

What a great pleasure it was to have the CALSAGA Annual Conference in person again! Being together brought back many memories and also created new ones. Good information was shared amongst the attendees and presenters that created a significantly better understanding of the changes in our industry today.

To piggyback on some of the information I shared during my presentation at the conference, the insurance market is expecting premium increases and restrictions in coverage. In your upcoming insurance renewals, please be aware and pay attention to the detail and ask questions. Here are some highlights from my presentation:

  • Expect premium increases on all lines of insurance coverage, except Workers Compensation:
    • Workers Compensation premiums my increase if you have had claims that have affected your loss ratio or your payroll has decreased
    • Insureds with similar loss ratios and payrolls for the past 3-5 years should not expect rate increases on Workers Compensation
  • Get your applications in early to allow your Broker time to obtain optional quotes.
  • Review your applications with your Broker to verify the information is accurate.
    • In some policies, the application will be part of the policy and if the information is incorrect coverage for a claim may be denied
  • Please pay specific attention to the General Liability coverage/endorsements/exclusions:
    • Insurance carriers are adding “Exclusions” to the policies
    • These exclusions may apply to your current operations
    • If there is a “Designated Operation – Exclusion” and no detail is provided, ask for a copy of that exclusion
  • Provide detailed information to your Broker regarding your Safety Policies & Procedures:
    • Workplace safety and training (Driver safety training)
    • Auto tracking and monitoring devices installed in vehicles
    • State required safety programs
  • If you have claims, provide information on what you have implemented to prevent similar claims from happening again:
    • Workers Compensation
    • General Liability
    • Business Auto
    • Employment Practices Liability

To assist in your diligence and to obtain the insurance coverage needed to protect you and your business, I would recommend working with a Broker that understands the Security Industry. All insurance policies are not the same and understanding the differences is extremely important. This could apply to all your security operations – security guards, alarm/monitoring operations, executive protection, private investigations, security consulting…

Take care.

Shaun Kelly joined Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services in 2005.  He specializes in all lines of property and casualty insurance for industries including contract security firms, agriculture, construction, oil and gas. Shaun received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance from California State University in Fresno, California. He is an active member of several industry associations, including the Association CALSAGA, the Kern County Builders Exchange and the Independent Insurance Agents of Kern County. Shaun can be reached at 661-616-4700 or skelly@tolmanandwiker.com.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian 2022 Q4 – Connecting Workforce Management in 2023

, ,

Connecting Workforce Management in 2023

Brianne Stephan, Sr. Director of Product, TEAM Software, Network Partner

Optimizing core operational functionalities now can prepare your business for the new year. 

Year-end is a natural opportunity to begin evaluating your current processes to ensure optimization before you launch into next year’s activities. As you evaluate ways to improve processes and gain efficiencies, it’s important to factor workforce management into the equation. 

It’s time for a gap analysis. 

Take a minute. Think about how many software solutions you have running across your business. How are you handling HR and benefits administration, versus time and attendance? How are you proving service delivery to your clients? What areas are still manual, or tackled by pencil and paper? 

Once you conduct this audit, take a hard look at what you’ve got. Then, consider what’s missing. 

It might be a good idea to take an internal tour of your company. Talk to each department, your guards in the field and your stakeholders in the back office. What are the things they’re spending the most time on? Are there roadblocks creating bottlenecks in service delivery?

Once you really grasp an all-encompassing list of wants, needs and already-haves, then you can really start filling the gaps. 

Common gaps.

In our conversations with industry contacts, there are some common gaps that are typically uncovered in this process. 

Time constraints across all departments.

Every part of business operations takes too long. Entire overhead roles are dedicated to manual benefits and time off management. Your managers are chasing down employees for paperwork, scheduling and job assignments. Duplicate data entry and redundant processes are eating into what really matters: your clients and your contracts. 

Lack of visibility into operations and performance.

You’re relying on word of mouth or paper daily activity reports to ensure the work you need done is actually getting done. Your clients are demanding comprehensive reporting before committing to a new contract or added scope of work. You have no data to support proof of quality delivered or to renegotiate contracts when needed.

Field access and employee engagement.

Guards don’t have a way to access their schedules and shift expectations, manage what training they need to stay on top of, or even communicate to managers while out in the field. The tools they have to track their time or review tasks are hard to access or tracked only on paper. And, they send multiple messages to your admin team every time there is a question because they can’t access their own time off balances, insurance or pay stub information. 

Keep these common concerns in mind as you review what’s working, and what isn’t working, for your operations. 

I know what I’m missing. What’s next?  

Of course, we all know having a list of wants and needs doesn’t necessarily mean a point solution is needed for every single person every single time. 

Software is intended to make the work of a business easier. With automation, you can drive efficiency and improve the effectiveness of day-to-day activities – saving time, money and resources along the way. 

Still, piecing software together can often serve the needs of one department, while creating nightmares in another. That’s the problem with siloed data, a hidden challenge many companies in the security industry are dealing with every day. 

Siloed data happens when individual departments or teams use a standalone system to accomplish their work. It can create inconsistencies in reporting, duplicate processes, manual error and incomplete information. On top of that, it increases the amount of support contacts your company has to manage if issues arise, multiple release notes to keep on top of for features and enhancements, and even more billing requirements for your finance team. 

So, the next step in your gap analysis should be to think about what functions make the most sense to come together under a single, integrated software solution. 

Through this approach, you break down those data silos, creating a single source of truth to work through across your departments. 

An all-in-one approach.

We recommend an all-in-one approach to resolve your gap analysis. An integrated workforce management software dives into connecting core areas of your business, from the back office, to operations, to guards in the field. Plus, it reduces cost and risk, improves information accuracy and simplifies processes in the long run. (If you want to go the extra mile, think about integrating your financial and accounting operations, too – an ERP solution can get you there.)

These benefits equate to less time, money and resources spent on manual workforce management, which frees up time to focus on what really matters to your business (like building client relationships).

What Brianne Stephan, Sr. Director of Product, loves most about her role is the collaboration between Users, Business and Technology.  She is passionate about product strategy, design thinking principles and new product development.  Brianne’s focus at WorkWave is on the global product strategy and bringing modern technology and features to the product portfolio.

/by
Aley Moyer

The Californian 2022 Q4 – A New Year for Recruitment: Leveraging Passive Candidates

A New Year for Recruitment: Leveraging Passive Candidates

Jeff Davis,  TEAM Software, CALSAGA Network Partner

It’s not an overstatement to say many service contractors approach hiring with one pillar in their strategy: job boards. Job boards are an effective tool in gaining a lot of visibility for your open positions amongst active job seekers. Where this tactic falls short is in reaching passive candidates. 

Passive job candidates are defined as individuals who aren’t necessarily looking for new employment, but are open if an opportunity becomes available. Studies estimate that 70% of the labor market is passively interested in employment.

As we continue to experience fluctuations and shortages in the labor market, it’s important to effectively reach and appeal to those individuals who are passively open to new opportunities. 

The first step towards this venture is to identify your company’s ideal employee. In hiring, there are typically two clear sets of requirements: criteria required by the company or contract, and criteria required of the candidate themselves. To effectively hire (and retain post-hire) both criteria should be addressed.

Company and contract requirements are straightforward: things like geography, quantity or timeframe. If your company is a multi-state or multi-market company, it’s possible you’ll have job openings similar from state to state. Knowing there’s overlap, you could create a list of requirements that are needed from an open role to fulfill your contractual obligations.

When it comes to candidate requirements, the conditions might take a bit more work to pull together. Does the candidate need specific qualifications? Are there certain required attributes (e.g., an age minimum)? Is there behavioral criteria to consider? Once you know your ideal state (or, ideal candidate) you can budget dollars more appropriately on recruitment distribution strategies.

Next, budget time and resources on digital platform delivery. When looking to hire the right candidates from a passive market, posting on job boards and letting the application sit until filled isn’t the best approach. With digital advertising available on individual apps and platforms, companies of any size now have a multitude of ways to reach their ideal employment audience. Facebook, Google, Tik Tok…each platform has their own advantages in traffic generation for open roles and strengthening your employer brand. If you’re just getting started in recruitment marketing, know there are many platforms where you can build free accounts that help introduce you to paid advertising tactics, keyword trends and analytics. 

While digital advertising is effective and a means to market directly to your ideal candidate, it can be expensive. Traditional marketing efforts should not be overlooked. Print, mass media, and direct mailings have all started to make a comeback as digital prices have increased. For example, creating a direct mail campaign to ex-employees that would be welcome back to your organization.  

Finally, analyze your data. Recruitment marketing needs to be actively managed and flexibly approached. Depending on your analytic platform of choice, you can see how much traffic is coming from each source, what that traffic is doing on your website and if they’re performing the action you want to see (like an application form fill). Digging deeper, you’ll be able to see which efforts are leading to qualified interviews and hires. As you actively manage the effort, you can make adjustments based on this information to keep your recruitment funnel high-performing. 

Learn more about hiring, onboarding and more at teamsoftware.com. 

For the last 20 years, Jeff has focused on technology, working in sales and marketing to executive leadership, with five years specializing in human resources technology. Within his leadership role at WorkWave, which acquired TEAM Software in 2021, Jeff serves as a subject matter expert delivering marketing and service solutions to service contractors worldwide.

/by