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BSBWOR301B



Organise personal work
priorities and development

Version 1 JPR BSBWOR301B Organise Personal Work Priorities and Development Nov 2011


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Organise Personal Work Priorities and Development

Introduction

In order for security officers to effectively determine their work priorities, they must
first look at where the assignment instructions come from. In many cases, work
priorities will already be outlined in the Standard Operational Procedures or Site
Orders. Verbal instructions from management and site supervisors would also be
given as part of the Site Orders. There is a wide variety of information within these
documents including:





The issue a security officer faces is one in which he is obliged to conform to too
many standards, policies and procedures, and legal requirements. Legal obligations
should be at the forefront of an officers mind when identifying client and assignment
requirements. Officers are required to review information given in relation to
assignment instructions to identify the needs of the client. Sources of information
may include:

operational plans
assignment terms of reference
operation manuals
manufacturers specifications
applicable legislation and codes of practice






instructions from client/management
assignment objectives and timeframes
work tasks and procedures
resources and equipment requirements
reporting and documentation requirements

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Own Role and Responsibilities

Prior to identifying the needs of the client, security officers should identify their own
roles and responsibilities. Obviously, an officer would have read and understood his
or her Security Companys Standard Operational Procedures and will therefore have
a very good understanding of what his or her security company expects, in terms of
performance and responsibility.

To understand what is expected on a site a security officer would consult the Site
Orders, and then, if there is any doubt or questions as to the performance
requirements, an officer should consult with appropriate person(s) who will be able to
provide correct information to the officer, including:

supervisors
management
colleagues
clients
human resource personnel
training division personnel



Time Wasters

There many factors that will cause delays in achieving completion of assigned duties
within the designated timeframes, some of which are:

competing work demands
technology/equipment breakdowns
unforeseen incidents
workplace hazards, risks and controls
environmental factors (time, weather)
non-availability of resources and materials
budget constraints

Some of the factors, which will affect the achievement of assignment instructions,
can be accounted for and adjustments made to work priorities, and some cannot.
Should an officer find that they are in a situation where there may be a delay in
achieving assignment instructions; then that officer must bring this to the attention of
their superior or manager.

As security officers are constantly working in the designated area, they would also
have an excellent understanding of the foreseeable delays that may occur. It would
therefore be professional for an officer, not only to recognise and report a
foreseeable delay, but to also present options to management or superiors as to how
to best combat such a delay. Sometimes the best people to make such
recommendations are the ground level staff who are directly involved in the area in
question.
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Contingency Plans

By presenting several options to management, officers are simplifying the process of
creating a Contingency Plan. A contingency plan is a varied course of action from
the original plan that will also achieve the same outcome using a different method.
Contingency plans are used to combat factors, which may arise that affect the
potential for an assigned task to be completed, or where, by unforeseen
circumstances, the assignment instructions would not be able to be completed if it
continued with the current course of action.

In making recommendations for a contingency plan, security officers must consider
all factors and use foresight to account for any possible scenario that may arise.
Once armed with this information an officer should create a new plan to achieve
assignment instructions for each possible scenario. This method of accounting for all
foreseeable disruptions will allow for quick implementation of a contingency plan by
management, with minimal disruption to achieving assignment instructions.



Business Equipment

There are many forms of business equipment that can be used by security officers to
assist them to achieve assigned task. Business equipment can be used in a variety
of scenarios to speed up work processes that will reduce the time an officer would be
required to spend on a given task. Business equipment can take many forms, some
of which are:

computers and computer applications
modems
personal schedulers
email
internet / extranet / Intranet
facsimile machines
printers
photocopiers
scanners












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Prioritising Work Tasks

Standard Operational Procedures or Site Orders will already prioritise some tasks for
a security officer. The tasks that are not previously prioritised will have to be placed
in order of importance, taking efficiency into account, and the most important task(s)
completed first, then the next most important and so forth, until all assigned tasks
have been completed within the designated timeframe.

Guidelines

What must be done
What should be done
What can be done

Assignment tasks are going to be given to security officers where, on many
occasions, some tasks will actually be in competition with each other as to priority.
Under these circumstances officers will be required to make informed decisions on
how best to achieve such tasks. There are a variety of ways to achieve competing
work tasks within specified timeframes and objectives.

Security officers must first have an understanding of how best to achieve each work
priority. This understanding will be achieved through previous experiences,
information from colleagues and supervisors, and through the Site Orders. Once the
understanding has been achieved then an officer can employ several methods to
achieve competing work priorities. Some of the options available are:

seek assistance from colleagues to assist with the assigned tasks
discuss the matter with the person issuing the tasks and establish priority
organise with supervisors and colleagues to have allotted time with which to
work solely on the work priorities


It is important to complete work priorities within designated timeframes as failure to
do so can have a negative effect on other team members and the company
objectives. Failure to complete designated work priorities can have minor negative
effects such as increased workload for fellow security officers, right up to
catastrophic effects on safety of personnel and persons under the care of security.

It is therefore imperative that assigned duties are completed within designated
timeframes. If a security officer is unable to achieve completion of duties then they
should inform their superiors the moment they become aware that they may not
achieve completion, and seek further advice.





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Technological Assistance

As previously discussed, business equipment can be used to assist security officers
to achieve assigned work tasks. Further to that, technology can also be used to
assist in the performance of duties. There are several examples below of what types
of technology are available and how they could possibly impact on the performance
of a security officer.

Computers and various software packages are available which can help reduce the
workload of security officers. There are programs for:

Rostering
Writing statements and incident reports
Informing officers of activated alarms and from exactly which location.
Tracking mobile patrol vehicles informing the control room of their location
and status.
Prioritizing work tasks via preset guidelines.
Storage of pertinent information e.g. S.O.Ps, client specific information,
confidential information re: personal details, alarm codes, financial
information.
Computerized guard wanding and tracking systems

Two-way radios can be used to save time with constant face-to-face contact
between officers. At some locations, security officers will not be in direct contact with
each other, yet they may be required to communicate on a regular basis in order to
achieve work priorities. If those security officers had to continually attempt to locate
each other without the use of radio communication then much time would be wasted
which would greatly affect the amount of tasks officers could be assigned. Two-way
radios greatly reduce this time, as the officers would be in constant contact with each
other regardless of location within the venue.

Metal detecting wands and walk-through metal detectors are an excellent way to
assist security officers to achieve workplace duties in the shortest time possible. If
security officers are working at an access control point then part of their duties may
entail searching of all persons for illegal or specified items. Without the use of these
devices, security officers would have to perform pat-down searches on all persons
using the access control point, greatly increasing the time it would take to perform
search duties.










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Performance Standards

A performance management plan (written document covering all tasks put into order
of priority) is an excellent way for an officer to enhance their personal performance
standards and to assess their progress. Should other colleagues be able to perform
the duties as listed in the performance management plan, but another security officer
was not, then that officer would be able to analyse their work standards and assess
shortfalls. This method of checking personal performance standards will allow the
security officer every opportunity for self assessment and will assist colleagues or
supervisors in the feedback process.

Security officers should view feedback on performance as education and not
criticism. Feedback is an excellent method to check current performance standards
and to develop professionally, provided that feedback is sought from the right
person(s) who are qualified to give it through knowledge and previous experience.
Many people are all too willing to give feedback to security officers yet those people
may be unqualified to provide it. It is therefore imperative that officers should seek
out the right people to obtain this information from so that it is not detrimental to their
work. Feedback may be sought from:

formal/informal performance appraisals
comments from supervisors, colleagues or clients
personal, reflective behaviour strategies
workplace assessments

Quality Variations

Due to the fact that each security officer is an individual, there are going to be times
where assignment task requirements are going to be interpreted in different ways
depending on the person who is reading them. This individual interpretation is going
to create variations in the quality of service to the client.

In order to combat these variations in quality of service, it is the role of all team
members to be completely certain of the tasks at hand, and to what level those tasks
must be carried out. To achieve uniformity the instructions must be presented in a
clear and concise manner to all team members so that the required level of
performance is not open to interpretation.

If a situation arises where there is a variation in the quality of service due to
interpretation issues, then this matter must be brought to the attention of the person
issuing the instructions by the security officer involved who will present the facts. If
the matter is not brought to the attention of the instruction issuer then the issue will
remain unresolved and leave security officers open for criticism due to varied levels
of performance.




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Professional Development

Security officers should strive to develop themselves wherever possible in a personal
and professional manner. Many opportunities exist in this industry to enhance skills,
abilities and experience above and beyond the minimum requirement. The fact that
security officers undertake this course shows a commitment to professional
development.

Professional development can take many forms and will aid security officers to
develop a true career within the industry. Without development, security officers will
continue to remain entry level operatives and be unable to progress the professional
ladder, which may lead into various careers e.g. Workplace Trainer; Supervisor;
Account Manager; Security Industry Consultant. Professional development
opportunities may include:

coaching, mentoring and/or supervision
formal/informal learning programs
internal/external training provision
work experience/exchange opportunities
personal study
career planning/development
performance appraisals
workplace skills assessment
quality assurance assessments and recommendations
recognition of prior learning assessment










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Networking

Networking is a term used to describe the process of building professional
relationships amongst peers, superiors and other persons in and out of the
workplace. Security officers network on a regular basis as their duties keep them in
constant contact with people. It is therefore imperative that security officers learn to
develop their communication skills and professional conduct to enhance the image of
the officer, the company and the client.

A security officers credibility is also enhanced through networking. When they
develop professional relationships with superiors, clients and external customers it
reflects directly on the officer themselves. Operating in this manner will earn the
officer respect from persons they deal with and will ultimately build further upon the
creditability established at foundation level. Professional networks may include:

internal or external groups
peers
industry associations
teams
committees

These professional relationships can then be utilized to mould a working
environment of trust, respect and professionalism. A security officers ability to build
such relationships with a client can only further solidify the credibility of the company
and contract. Without officers operating professionally then the security company
may lose the contract to another company that has the ability to develop and
maintain professional networks.


Professional Excellence

The security/hospitality industry is an ever-changing field that grows, develops and
changes with time. Some changes occur quickly and others over a period of time.
With todays technology changes are happening every day. If officers do not keep
abreast of the changes then they will be left behind the rest of the field in relation to
information, and therefore become somewhat obsolete.

If an officer becomes complacent in investigating new developments and trends
within the security industry then they would be in direct contravention of the above
stated information on professional development. Society today is constantly
changing. There are new rules, regulations and procedures being adopted at an
alarming rate, and what may be acceptable procedure today, may be outdated and
obsolete tomorrow.

Therefore, security officers must find ways and means of monitoring these issues so
that they continue to keep up with current policies and market trends in order to
continue on the pathway and provide a high level of service to the client and
customer.
Version 1 JPR BSBWOR301B Organise Personal Work Priorities and Development Nov 2011