The Joys Of Corporate Security
I’m writing this blog post whilst my feet are freezing at work even though I’m wearing thermal socks. The tile flooring gets extremely cold in winter. The temperature in the building is also turned down during the evening to save the company money as there are less staff in the building.
Freezing Nights Are Back Again
The air condition units blow out cold air and the lifts are grounded and opened up for cleaning, this brings in a freezing draft.
The thermal under layers seem non-existent to the freezing environment we have to work in. We can complain as much as we want, but the management don’t have to experience this, it is for us only.
These are the joys of working night-shifts as a security officer. The summer months are not too bad, but winter takes it toll on the body. You cannot afford to miss work due to illness, as this is a earn as you work company. There is no sick pay, if you don’t like it the door is open and you can be replaced within a few hours!
The more prestigious the company you work for as a security officer the less you are respected. There seems to be an inversely proportional respect ratio at work in corporate security.
The Rat Race
You are paid just enough to keep you trapped in this trading time for money rat race. In reality the rats are better off than you, considering the size they grow to these days! They are definitely well fed and experience much less stress than us security officers.
I will need to get a pair of shoes with thicker soles as the ones provided as part of our uniform are utter rubbish. The quality of uniform provided by the security company has deteriorated immensely. The client companies are cutting back on their budgets and the security companies are under cutting each other to take on the business.
The people that suffer as a result of this are the actual security officers. They are provided with uniform that is decreasing in quality with every change of security company.
This Should Be Made Illegal!
Currently I am working night-shifts, these shifts are 12 hours long. The shift pattern that I work is crazy and should be banned. I work 7 consecutive shifts followed by 3 shifts off, then work another 7 consecutive shifts followed by 4 shifts off. This is known as the 7-3-7-4 shift pattern.
I cannot go on much longer working this ridiculous shift-pattern. The company needs to change to the more acceptable 4 on, 4 off shift pattern. This is were you work for 4 shifts and get 4 shifts off. Each of the shifts is 12 hours long.
I have witnessed this 7-3-7-4 night shift pattern transform security guards in zombies. They work the whole shift in a lifeless state without much energy or alertness.
I think our company is the only one that has security officers on this shift pattern. The company does not want to increase our hourly rate, so we are forced to work on average 60 hours weekly to earn just about enough to stay in the job.
Escaping The Rat Race
I don’t know what the other security officers have in mind, but I need to get out of this mind numbing, energy sucking shift pattern.
I am going to start looking for a company that offers the 4 on, 4 off shift pattern. I cannot continue working my current shift pattern, especially night shifts.
I am working on getting this blog monetized to help supplement my earning, once I move onto a 4 on, 4 off shift pattern , as I will be working less hours.
Eventually I would like to earn enough from my online income streams to enable me to quit my employment as a security officer.
Retail Security Guard Days
I started working as a security guard in the retail sector after getting my SIA license. I completed the Door Supervisor (DS) course, as it offers a larger scope for employment.
I did not really want to work as a door supervisor in licensed bars and clubs, as I wanted to stay away from alcohol and the riff raff attached to this these type of establishments.
I started working as a retail security guard in Primark. Those of you in the UK will know the type of crowd these stores attract. There were shoplifters everyday, it was crazy at busy times.
I had to stop many shoplifter daily, sometimes it turned into fights. I was not allowed to hit the shoplifters, but had to defend myself if they turned violent. Luckily my martial arts training enabled me to place them into locks and sometimes I had to strike vital points to get myself out of danger.
Once the shoplifters were detained, I had to call the police to take over. This involved a lot of time and paperwork. All this for a job that paid minimum wage!
After 3 months of retail security, I had enough. I transferred over to corporate security and have been working at my current site for approximately 5 years.
It’s Time To Make A Change
I have had enough of working in corporate security, I need to make a change. I am working on getting this blog monetized to enable me to pursue other income streams.
My initial objective is to earn enough from this blog to enable me to quit my current employment as a corporate security officer.
I have submitted this blog for approval into Google’s AdSense program. Once it is accepted, I will have the opportunity to earn revenue from ads placed on it.
Many incidents within my current employment have piled up to a sickening level. It has become a toxic work environment. I cannot see it getting any better in the foreseeable future. The only option available is to leave.
I cannot just leave immediately, I need to build up a monthly income to replace the pay from my current employment.
Blogging Like Crazy
I am blogging like crazy to help me get out of this rut. Everyday in this job is a waste of valuable time. I am trying to use some of this time to build a portal out of this dark place that I have been sucked into.
I don’t know how many people actually read my blog posts in full. If you have read this post, let me know by posting a comment below.
I am writing a minimum of one blog post daily. I hope to get monetized via AdSense within a couple of months. I wonder what type of ads will be displayed on my blog posts.
I need to target specific keywords to get ranked on Google to drive a steady stream of organic traffic to the blog.
Currently most of the traffic coming into the blog is via links placed on my Social Media profiles. Eventually some of my posts will get indexed and ranked for specific keywords by Google. I will have to wait and see how long this takes.
Sometimes I run out of ideas on what to blog about, other times I experience writers block whilst writing the post. I force myself to continue, as I need to get my blog monetized. The excitement of getting my blog monetized drives me to continue writing.
