Taking a 'Sheepdog' Approach to the Protection of Your Business

For corporate leaders who work on a regular basis to ensure business continuity, one key element that they should always think about is the protection and security of their people, places, products and their brand. Labor disputes aren't the only "risks" on the horizon - there's also an unknowable number of threats out there with the potential to do immediate physical harm to the 3P's and a B.

No one likes to talk about this fact, but unfortunately it's true. Security is always a concern in business, and it's important to tackle these issues head-on rather than maintain a passive attitude toward the protection of the workforce.

One way to look at this problem is through the parable of the sheep, the wolves and the sheepdogs. The sheep are your employees, and your job is to keep them safe, secure and productive at work. The wolves are the threats that linger out there, ready to do them harm. The job of the sheepdog is to look after the flock and keep everyone protected.

The Questionable Value of Security Guards

There is plenty of factual evidence showing that security is of paramount importance for businesses. According to data released by the FBI at the end of 2014, active shooters struck and killed a total of 486 employees and students in the United States last year alone, plus injured another 557. These numbers prove that a strong, comprehensive security plan is necessary for maintaining a safe and successful business.

Often, corporate leaders approach this problem by hiring security guards - except these "guards" are often underpaid, undertrained and generally poorly equipped to handle any serious threats to corporate security. In essence, these guards amount to little more than "sheep" themselves.

The problem here is the attitude among most corporate management - too often, hiring guards is looked at merely as an item on a checklist, not a serious objective. As a result, the security they provide is minimal at best - most employees will admit that the guards at their workplace do little to provide peace of mind.

Clearly, something needs to change.

The Importance of the "Sheepdog" Approach

It's important to look after your employees and show a real commitment to their security. As you would with any expense, the protection of your 3P's and B is an investment and should be treated as such. Clear ideals with measurable results are keys to having a productive security program.

Matthew Martie, managing director of MADI and a Department of Defense-certified physical security inspector, believes that more pro-active physical security measures are needed, both now and moving forward.

"A sound physical security program today requires the enforcement of policy and procedures by a highly trained, adaptable security team," Martie stated. "Facts being what they are, local police cannot not protect us from the "wolves" that circumvent the system. With law enforcement response times increasing, it is even more important to protect your people, places, products and brand with a productive and well trained protection team."