Effective Security Management (From Controlling Cargo Theft - A Handbook of Transportation Security, P 807-826, 1983, Louis A Tyska and Lawrence J Fennelly, ed. - See NCJ-88969)

• NCJ Number: 88989
• Author(s): C A Sennewald
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The creation of the desired work climate for security personnel can be facilitated by management that is effective in selecting, training, motivating, communicating, disciplining, and evaluating personnel.

Abstract

The final decision in personnel hiring should be made by the immediate supervisor. This establishes an incentive for the employee to show the supervisor that he/she made the right decision by performing well. The hiring interview should be held in the work environment so the applicant can gain a feel for the work place. The interview itself should focus on what brought the applicant to seek the job and the applicant's interest in the work. Training is important for giving the employee the sense that he/she is competent to perform the responsibilities expected. Training should cover what management wants an employee to do, why management wants it done, and how management wants it done. Structured training programs offered prior to the assumption of full job responsibilities tend to be more effective and less costly than on-the-job training. An employee's motivation to perform job responsibilities well can stem from the tangible rewards, such as wage raises, promotions, and other benefits, structured into the job by company policy, as well as through unstructured sources such as the supervisor's manner of relating to the employee. Motivation is generally stimulated by a managerial style that encourages employee participation in decisionmaking and expresses trust in the employee's competence and capacity to learn from mistakes. Effective communication between management and personnel results from management's making clear its expectations and informing employees of company matters of concern to them, as well as through employees' ideas and feelings being heard and responded to by management. Discipline of employees should not be perceived as punishment but rather as a positive effort to help employees improve their performance. Evaluations of employee performance should consist of regular feedback to employees about their performance rather than just a once-a-year performance assessment.