Recruit and retain

INTERVIEW

Recruitment and retention

What should an installer look for in a new employer, do they even need to move and how can companies attract and retain engineers? We asked Brett Ennals, MD at Cento for the answers

“The market at the moment is incredibly buoyant. It's no secret that there's a massive demand for engineers, sales people and project managers especially now that projects are back on track”

Brett Ennals of Cento

How is the security recruitment market today? The market at the moment is incredibly buoyant. It's no secret that there's a massive demand for engineers, sales people and project managers especially now that projects are back on track. The well-publicised coverage of the skills shortage has led to a current imbalance on salary expectations however. We carried out a study and over the last two or three years, the average salary hasn't changed yet engineers believe that they're worth more now. I'm not belittling engineers that do a great job, but it doesn’t help when they are pushing their salary expectations up and saying they are getting paid more than they really are. My message to the employees is just stick to your guns because those salaries aren't being paid.

In terms of the next generation, the work that Skills for Security is doing is absolutely fantastic in bringing on new talent, but it takes time for these engineers to come through as apprentices. I think engineers realise that the short supply means there is a demand so they're trying to push the wages up even though the average salaries that we're seeing aren't too dissimilar to what they were 12-18 months ago.

Installers themselves need to look beyond the salary and put more of a focus on retention. The biggest problem for all employers that lose staff, especially new staff, is the on-boarding element. We had an instance recently when one of our clients, not in the fire and security sector I should point out, hired a guy and left him sitting at a desk for a week. No one really spoke to him so he walked out because they didn't on-board him properly. When you do get staff in, treat them correctly with training, investment and development in order to hold onto them. These are the key drivers for people and why they move jobs - it's not always about money.

Is it the same picture for security sales people? Yes and in fact I would say that good salespeople in security are in more short supply than engineers. Ultimately, if you're a good salesperson, you've either you've got such a strong position in the company you're with that you're not going to leave because you're walking away from the commission or, you're that good you've gone out and set up on your

INTERVIEW

“Being a security engineer is a commitment it's not just a 9-5 job. You are going to be called out at two o'clock in the morning, you're going to have to work late and you've got to start early in the morning so you've got to be prepared to have that work ethic”

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own. That leaves a big void and again my recommendation there is to look at adjacent industries and also internally for a commercially astute engineer that you could progress into sales. That's the journey that lots of people have taken, including myself, which allows you to grow your own salespeople.

Is the skills shortage situation improving? I think it's stagnant because those coming through apprenticeships will take time to develop plus we’ve got people leaving the industry through retirement etc so I don't see it overly improving just yet which is why targeting adjacent industries for talent can be a help. My other theory is that we’ve got the pandemic generation coming into the job market now and I do feel that a lot of people have become quite lazy. In the security industry, being a security engineer is a commitment it's not just a 9-5 job. You are going to be called out at two o'clock in the morning, you're going to have to work late and you've got to start early in the morning so you've got to be prepared to have that work ethic and that's the bit I think people aren't aware of. I'm of an age that when I left school we lived to work but I think that the approach to all types of jobs across the board in this country has shifted to work to live and that is a big problem. The security industry is also a lifestyle choice as well as a job because you've got to be committed to it almost 24/7 and maybe young people aren't looking for that sort of work anymore. How does the security sector compare to others you work with? We also work in the building services sector and the picture is exactly the same there. In terms of lift engineers the salary demands are going up but that is because when it comes to lift and escalator work you need to be NVQ Level 3 qualified so there is the issue of the value of these qualifications. I would say the salary demands in adjacent sectors are worse than they are in the security industry and that is why we are also seeing rising demands.

Are companies receptive to looking outside of security for engineers? No I don't think they are as receptive as they used to be. People want a ready-made engineer that they can drop in and do the work straightaway, but years ago the industry was fed by people coming in from the adjacent industries. I was a communications equipment instrument maker who moved into the security industry because it was all low voltage kit; I had on-the-job training and then went out on my own. That's the typical path for electricians coming into the security industry and I think people have lost their way with that approach and that's something that needs to be readdressed. If I was a security installer, those areas are where I would be looking for the talent to bring into the industry.

How should employers approach finding engineers? The first thing that companies need to consider is why someone would come and work for them.

SMOKE DETECTION

We see social media posts from people looking for engineers saying that they offer a competitive salary, a van, uniform, holidays etc yet those things are taken for granted. Think outside the box and look at why someone would want to join you. Highlight the story of someone you already have on board and show how they have developed as a result of working for you, because that's the bit that new people will buy into. If you have someone who is now a lead engineer or commissioning engineer who you have trained up from a lower level then that is a more positive message than offering the same standard package as everyone else. Have a defined career ladder with set milestones for engineers so that they have targets to hit to meet their aspirations, otherwise someone else will come along and offer that progression.

What about the job hunters themselves? My advice to the engineers is to need to look at themselves as their own product or brand and they need to ask for training all of the time. Ask for it because if you've got that on your CV you'll be a more valuable asset to the company that you're working for. And keep in mind, the grass isn't always greener! If it is a monetary move you are after, speak to your current employer and see if there's any movement there and if you want more training, identify what that is and ask for it rather thanlooking for a new employer.

Is somebody with a CV featuring lots of different companies harder to place? If you do an online search for the average tenure someone stays at the likes of Apple or Google it's about 18 months, so people don't hang around for too long in jobs these days. Although I would say there are two sides of this to consider. You could have a really good employee that has moved every couple of years so employers should look at the CV for progression. The other side of that coin is when someone has stayed at the same place for ten years they might have limited knowledge, but again look at their career ladder. So it's a double edged sword really. In the past employees would ask for someone with a minimum of five years’ experience in one job or not having jumped ship too much, but that happens less now because people do recognise the value of gained experience. The average tenure in a job is probably two, to two and a half years these days so that is the sweet spot for an employer if someone's coming up to two years they need to be looking at how to keep this person and develop a retention strategy. So how does the future look for the sector? ? I think we will continue to get the pull through of new talent into the sector because it is an interesting market to work in. Speak to any engineer or salesperson and they will always have stories for you. We ask people for their ‘brag file’ work – for example mine was that I looked after Eurotunnel for four years, so everyone's got at least one project they can brag about and stories to share. It's this kind of thing that attracts new people as well as the advanced technology like AI and analytics. Everyone in the security industry has been somewhere special in their career, they've not just sat in an office all day, every day, so it's not a boring mundane industry. You can go all over the world working in the security industry - it is a very attractive industry.

I do think there will be a correction in the market when it comes to salary expectations because it is unsustainable as it is. Project prices aren't increasing at the same rate as people’s salary expectations, but, and this is a bit controversial, I think ultimately we're not going to need as many engineers in the future because the product is going to be increasingly more reliable and self-diagnostic. The closest engineer will be sent along with the right part at the right time to fix the problem, so the need and demand for engineers is going to become less due to technology. My advice to the engineers is to need to look at themselves as their own product or brand and they need to ask for training all of the time. Ask for it because if you've got that on your CV you'll be a more valuable asset