EDITOR’S LETTER

Reactions to Women of LP Survey

As mentioned in this column in the May–June 2018 edition, the US magazine undertook a survey of women working in the loss prevention industry seeking to understand what issues or challenges women have encountered in their LP careers. The original survey results were summarized in a cover article in that issue, and a follow-up article providing reactions from retail leaders was published in our July–August 2018 edition.

For those who have not read the articles, I want to offer here some of the reactions as reported in our follow-up article, including actual quotes from respondents, because of the importance of this topic. Both articles are available on the magazine website LossPreventionMedia.com.

Recruiting and Developing Talent

While the response to this issue was mixed and most feel that significant strides have been made, many respondents also agree that this remains an area of opportunity.

“Generally, I think retailers are doing a good job in this area, but there are still some pockets where there is very little female representation. I don’t think retailers are doing a great job with developing females beyond middle-management positions. There are still far too few women in senior levels of leadership in retail loss prevention.”

The Blind Spot

Many women believe that a “good ole boy” network still exists in loss prevention that somehow excludes women and/or others outside of the group. While others wouldn’t specifically refer to it as a “good ole boy” network, every industry leader that responded stated they feel that while there has been a significant improvement in recent years, there remains a subculture that appears to carry an exclusive bias, intolerance, misconception, or misunderstanding of others.

“I don’t think our teams hear enough from the leaders in our industry. We have to make people feel more than included. We must give them a sense of belonging.”

Leaders Stepping Up

Promotions and other advancement opportunities should always be based on merit, productivity, commitment, potential, flexibility, ingenuity, and other performance-based factors. Overcoming disparities requires that we develop strategies that focus on engaging all talented individuals in growth opportunities regardless of gender or other nonperformance issues.

“There is no doubt that where you work and for whom you work will have an impact on your opportunities for advancement. But you control what you do and how you do it. Everyone needs to do the job, be present, show up, go above and beyond, own everything you do for better or worse, reject entitlement, embrace inclusion, be a team player first, and pick your battles. If you embrace these simple rules, gender shouldn’t matter.”

Mentorship Programs

When asked whether organizations should support mentorship programs, industry leaders made it very clear where their thoughts lie. Every leader offered an unequivocal “yes.”

“I’ve had mentors and sponsors in my life that knew more about my potential than I did. Every organization should have a program, and they should invest time and money into it.”

The Value of Diversity

The issue of integrating diverse populations into the retail enterprise is an ongoing challenge. We believe this survey provides insights that all loss prevention leaders and organizations should consider as they seek to enhance the productivity and success of their teams. We encourage you to download the full report at LossPreventionMedia.com/free-reports. There are seventeen pages of statistics and quoted responses on a variety of questions for your consideration.

We also wish to thank Tyco Retail Solutions and Protos Security for sponsoring the women of loss prevention survey. We plan to address other topics in future surveys. Any suggestions for survey topics that will impact the LP community are welcome. Send your suggestions to JackT@LPportal.com.

Jack Trlica Managing Editor

Charles Bernard Group Vice President, Asset Protection and Comprehensive Loss, Walgreens

Erik Buttlar Vice President, Asset Protection, Best Buy

Jim Carr, CFI, CCIP Senior Director, Global Asset Protection, Rent-A-Center

Ray Cloud Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, Ross Stores

Francis D’Addario, CPP, CFE Emeritus Faculty Member, Strategic Influence and Innovation, Security Executive Council

Charles Delgado, LPC Regional Vice President, Store Operations, Academy Sports

Scott Draher, LPC Vice President, Loss Prevention, Safety, and Operations, Lowe’s

Scott Glenn, JD, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, The Home Depot

Barry Grant Chief Operating Officer, Photos Unlimited

Bill Heine Senior Director, Global Security, Brinker International

Frank Johns, LPC Chairman, The Loss Prevention Foundation

Paul Jones, LPC Director, Asset Protection and Risk Management, CKE Restaurants Holdings

Mike Lamb, LPC

Vice President, Asset Protection, The Kroger Co.

David Lund, LPC

Vice President, Loss Prevention, DICK’S Sporting Goods

John Matas, CFE, CFCI Vice President, Asset Protection, Investigations, Fraud, & ORC, Macy’s

Chris McDonald Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, Compass Group NA

Randy Meadows Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention, Kohl’s

Melissa Mitchell, CFI Director, Asset Protection and Retail Supply Chain, LifeWay Christian Stores

Joe Schrauder Vice President, Asset Protection, Walmart Stores

Tina Sellers, LPC Director, Asset Protection, Retail Business Services LLC, an Ahold-Delhaize Company

Hank Siemers, CFI Vice President, Global Retail Security, Tiffany & Co.

Quinby Squire Vice President, Asset Analytics and Insights, CVS Health

Mark Stinde, LPC Vice President, Asset Protection, 7-Eleven

Paul Stone, CFE, LPC VP Security, Goodwill Industries of SE Wisconsin

Pamela Velose Vice President, Asset Protection, Belk

Keith White, LPC Senior Vice President, Loss Prevention and Corporate Administration, Gap Inc.

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