By Alfredo Kuilan, Training Manager
Upon employment, we teach our SIS staff the three A’s–Appearance, Attendance and Attitude. These attributes remind employees of physical and mental qualities needed to offer excellent security and customer service. In both their initial training and in classes throughout their career, our supervisors and managers reinforce these concepts.
Three other qualities we discuss during training are Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA Triad.) These come from the Information Security field and describe significant objectives of Information Security.
Confidentiality
Security protects the client’s property, reputation, information and systems at their physical locations from unauthorized access. Security is privy to the client’s private information, requiring proper protection from prying eyes. These are guest lists, upcoming events, executive schedules, launch dates, prototype descriptions, code names and photographs. Because of this important information, we enforce confidentiality and treat it as top priority through strict measures.
These measures include a strict no photographing policy–as a result, the staff may never take pictures at facilities and post them on social media. We discourage security staff from listing clients on social media or on LinkedIn; and encourage them to only list the security company’s name and not that of the client.
Integrity
Integrity has two definitions for a Security Specialist: the protection of the site from any unauthorized alteration, and keeping themselves beyond reproach. Facility security includes reporting any harm to buildings or assets inside or outside the facility. Graffiti destroys the building’s surface, while bursting water pipes can damage work site areas implying the facility is unkempt. Security Specialists patrol their posts and report any damage or accidental breakage to their supervisors to promote a safe work environment.
Security protects everything from access control to physical products and electronic information. Because of this, security must have strong individual integrity. Moreover, before hiring, our Specialists must pass background checks and drug tests besides local government licensing agency checks. For retail clients, Specialists should work to solve theft problems, not cause them: we have a zero tolerance policy on employee theft.
Availability
Security must be always available and dependable– in the event that an emergency arises, the client can expect them to manage the crisis. Security must offer proper customer service, and must be approachable and helpful. An approachable security staff is important to support a proper haven at the workplace where clients, their employees and customers can report suspicious acts, mishaps and complaints without hesitation.
Availability means that the security staff is ready to work and aware of their surroundings. The staff has experience in situational awareness and recognition of suspicious behavior. Being aware requires constant vigilance: therefore, distractions like books or phones are not allowed.
In conclusion, security is a complicated field that involves many soft skills described in the Three A’s and the CIA Triad. These soft skills can be more important than the obvious responsibilities involved in security work. The CIA Triad enhances the Three A’s ensuring a well-rounded staff that a client can count on every time.