PRODUCT SHOWCASE

issues, many organizations have devoted additional resources and put protocols and practices in place to help mitigate potential incidents if and when they occur.

“Our primary goal is to keep everyone safe,” stated a representative for a fast-food company. “We’ve strengthened our security resources, developed action plans in the event of an incident in the stores, and held training sessions with our management teams on how to respond. Safety is paramount, and it begins by treating everyone with dignity and respect. We will not tolerate physical or verbal altercations in our locations. We will shelter in-store and lock the doors if necessary or simply close the location to protect our employees and customers.”

Additional steps may include developing closer relationships with law enforcement agencies in high-risk areas, cooperative action plans, monitoring social media, postings prohibiting loitering and solicitation, and similar strategies to limit incidents and improve safety. Companies must also remain aware of and in compliance with relevant labor laws and similar regulations whenever there is any potential for these directives to apply to the situation.

Next Steps

As is true in response to many complex issues, balance and compromise is likely part of the solution. “We feel that overall we have a very good relationship with our employees, and we certainly want that to continue,” stated a high-level representative for one quick-casual restaurant. “We want to be transparent and treat our employees fairly and with the utmost respect. We want our employees to have options and be content with their jobs. But there has to be balance.”

When such calls for change occur, balance is a key word. While our nation’s economy has gone through some harsh times over the past several years, it’s been six years since the federal minimum wage has increased. Despite President Obama’s push last year to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, Congress has yet to make any moves in that direction.

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The federal minimum wage is applicable nationwide and overrides any state laws that provide a lower minimum wage rate. However, while states can’t impose a lower minimum rate, they can enforce a higher wage rate. This year a majority of states have boosted their minimum wage above the federal minimum wage, which may put pressure on Congress to move toward increasing the federal minimum wage for the first time since 2009.

Some companies are taking their own steps to improve employee salaries. For example, Walmart recently announced that 500,000 full- and part-time associates—more than a third of its work force—will receive pay raises to at least $9 an hour, which is $1.75 above the federal minimum wage. By February of 2016 that increase will be raised to at least $10 an hour. The company further vowed to invest more in training to give entry-level workers greater chance for promotion and other career advancement.

In a recent statement, McDonald’s said, “At McDonald’s we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest. The topic of minimum wage goes well beyond McDonald’s—it affects our country’s entire workforce. McDonald’s and our independent franchisees support paying our valued employees fair wages aligned with a competitive marketplace.” The company also said that any minimum wage increase should be implemented over time to reduce the impact on business owners.

From a loss prevention perspective our primarily responsibility is to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to ensure the safety and security of our employees, customers, and facilities if and when incidents occur at our locations. This is best accomplished by taking proactive measures through planning, training, awareness, and strategic action as necessary and appropriate based upon the specific situation at hand.

Contemplating the message behind these efforts, most of us want the same thing for those that work hard to make a living and support our businesses and our economy, even if we don’t always agree on the best way to get there. As these efforts move forward, we should also be able to agree that prudence and common sense should guide our decision making, helping us to find the best and safest solutions for all concerned.