The Challenge
It’s clear that some areas of the security industry experience a gender imbalance with a higher representation of men compared to women. Positions such as security guards, law enforcement officers, and military personnel have historically had more men than women. This imbalance is less evident, however, in higher-level positions within the security sector, such as mid and top-level management. Furthermore, areas such as cybersecurity have also had a greater success in increasing diversity within their sector.
At OCS, our efforts to address gender imbalance and promote diversity within the security industry are ongoing and we have identified the need for proactive measures to create a more inclusive environment. But, the challenge still remains the ability to attract and retain more women to the security sector and break traditional biases.
The Solution
We implement a multifaceted approach to addressing the gender imbalance:
- Recruitment Activities – we ensure a fair and non-biased recruitment procedure and have invested in our recruitment team and systems, which, has helped us better identify female candidates. It also allows our team to attend more job fairs to engage directly with potential female candidates.
- Transforming the image – we actively try and shift the all-male imagery of the Security Officer, instead we focus on our real-life female Security Officers working throughout the organisation.
- Staff Development and Wellbeing – we identify and nurture female talent within the organisation through appraisals, performance management, and succession planning. We also offer a range of benefits, rewards, and recognition programmes to attract and retain female colleagues.
- Internal Policies – we have developed and implemented policies that support equality, dignity at work, and diversity and inclusion. This includes policies for equal opportunities within our recruitment process and promotion opportunities.
The Outcome
OCS Ireland stands out within the security industry with a female Managing Director and a female Director of Security Services. Our leadership structure serves as an example for women in security, demonstrating opportunities for career progression and development.
We use our presence on social media to highlight the achievements and contributions of our female workforce. We actively undertake and participate in awareness events that celebrate important occasions, and promotes positive news stories featuring women in business, including security.
Our recruitment initiatives, including increased attendance at job fairs, open recruitment days, and a referral scheme, have led to increased numbers of female candidates presenting themselves for security positions. The use of female imagery and promoting female orientated success stories in our marketing activities has contributed to changing perceptions about career opportunities for women in the security industry.
We will continue to innovate and adapt our strategies to actively encourage more women to pursue careers in security. We aim to be the employer of choice for women in the security industry and are continuously working towards creating a supportive and inclusive environment. Our mission is to become the best facilities services business in the world.