Security Officers Can’t Wait, Onboarding Shouldn’t Either
Anne Laguzza, The Works Consulting, CALSAGA Network Partner
I was leading a webinar recently. (Were you there?) During the session, I found myself thinking about something that’s unique to the security industry.
Every hour you spend onboarding a new officer is an hour that you can’t bill to a client. The pressure to get officers into the field quickly is real, and I understand why many companies feel like they have to choose between thorough onboarding and getting officers to work.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to throw out onboarding just because your industry operates differently.
Your onboarding process for a field officer may not look like the one you’d build for an administrative employee or manager, and that’s okay. An effective onboarding program for officers doesn’t have to look like keeping them in a classroom for a week. You can still maximize their current schedule with the goal of helping them understand who they’re working for, why it matters, and what success looks like before they represent your company in the field with a few different tactics.
Start with an intentional first day in the office. Cover the essentials, but don’t stop at policies and procedures. Prioritize helping your new officers understand the value your company brings to clients, what your organization wants to be known for, and how every interaction they have contributes to that reputation. Your goal this first day: Connect them to your mission before you connect them to their post.
Then, once they’re in the field, don’t let onboarding end.
A brief weekly voice note or phone call during the first month can go a long way. (Just make sure you’re handling any applicable cellphone reimbursement requirements.) Better yet, have a supervisor stop by the officer’s site with a purpose. Skip “How’s it going?” and ask questions that actually uncover how they’re doing:
- What have you enjoyed about working here so far?
- What challenges have you encountered?
- What can I do to better support you?
Consider scheduling at least one in-person visit every couple of weeks during the first 30 days with the plan to check-in with these same questions. Yes, it requires an investment of time. But those conversations can prevent performance issues, reinforce uniform and service expectations, strengthen client relationships, and, perhaps most importantly, build loyalty to your company.
Research continues to show that onboarding matters. Employees who experience effective onboarding are significantly more likely to stay with their employer long term, and organizations with strong onboarding programs see higher engagement, better performance, and lower turnover. In an industry where recruiting and retention remain ongoing challenges, that’s an investment worth making.
The goal isn’t to slow down deployment. It’s to speed up commitment. Your officers may be assigned to your client’s site, but they should never feel disconnected from your company’s mission.
Your officers are the face of your company. Giving them a meaningful connection to your mission, your standards, and your leadership from day one will pay dividends long after they’re on the schedule.
If you’d like help building an onboarding program that fits the realities of the security industry while creating engaged, loyal officers, The Works Consulting is available to help. Together, we can design a practical onboarding experience that gets officers into the field quickly without sacrificing the connection that helps them succeed.
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.