A diverse workforce is essential for any sector, with benefits including everything from greater creativity and innovation to better problem-solving, improved staff retention and engagement, better productivity and better business performance overall.
However, some sectors may find it easier to build a culture of diversity than others – and the security industry appears to be one that struggles in this regard.
Interestingly, this all looks set to change in the future, with recent research from G4S – the World Security Report – revealing that greater importance will be placed on emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills and communication when recruiting for security personnel, with people skills considered more important than physical strength.
CEO of G4S UK and Ireland Fiona Walters said at the time of publication: “The fact is that women can have a fulfilling career in security that allows them to leverage their skills.
“We need to break down the stereotypes. As our recent World Security Report showed, the softer skills are often actually more effective, and, in many markets, increasing numbers of corporate security leaders are women.”
As such, now’s the perfect time for businesses to think about how best to go about attracting more women into security industry jobs, as these are areas that they excel in.
So, the question must now be asked:
How can female talent be attracted to security jobs?
The security industry has long been a male-dominated sector, with physical strength and the ability to intimidate prioritised as key skills… and, with approximately ten per cent of the private security workforce currently women, it is perhaps unsurprising that female job applicants are relatively thin on the ground, discouraged by what can be perceived as an unwelcoming and hostile place in which to work.
The first step towards developing a more inclusive and diverse workforce is to address your marketing campaigns.
Review your job ads to see how you could attract a wider demographic and how changing the wording of descriptions could be more appealing to female applicants, focusing on benefits like being able to work outside, being able to work autonomously and so on.
Offering flexible working arrangements can also help draw in a broader applicant pool, so consider implementing policies such as parental leave, flexible scheduling and so on.
Furthermore, make sure that you’re highlighting the successes of women who are already on the payroll, making them more visible so that female applicants can easily see that you do champion them and that careers in security aren’t just for men.
And finally, prioritise developing a positive working environment and a culture of trust, honesty and openness that puts equality at the heart of everything your business does.
How can staff recruitment software help?
Recruiting software can be very effective at helping you hire and retain more women, with data analysis able to identify gaps and biases that could be affecting hiring decisions.
If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of these programs, get in touch with the AXLR8 team today.