Scot Walker is a private investigator and a veteran mentor. Walker helps former military and law enforcement transition into the private security sector. He says a new influx of those particular careers is coming and companies can invest in them and technology to stay relevant, hence gaining the strength to be resilient.
We talked about the differences between generations and how their varying interests in certain types of careers reflect broader shifts in society. He says the generation poised to take over the workforce in the coming decade is more technology-driven and less service-oriented. That means while some will still pursue careers as police officers or members of the military, there won’t be as many as in years past. He believes we also need to change how we define progress within police departments. Given the national shortage of officers, he suggests “reimagining” police departments rather than “defunding” them.
Walker emphasizes the urgent need for resilient individuals—people who can adapt, overcome, and lead through adversity. He hopes to help bring more of these resilient people into all areas of corporate America, not just the security sector. His motto is “leave no one behind,” which he says requires companies to invest in people—and for people to invest in themselves. In his view, building a more resilient workforce is essential to shaping the future.
We also talked about the importance of staying resilient during these times of crisis and change. Walker says, “We can plan for the invasion of Eastern Europe and we do plan for that in the military. What we are seeing in future war is what we are seeing today. Russian hackers getting into meat supply and oil companies. That is a training run, that’s practice. Our future war will always have a large cyber component and we need to be ready for what’s coming.”
The three takeaways Walker gave us: 1) Invest in People 2) Invest in Reforming Archaic Processes 3) Invest in technology but be smart about it. Don’t put yourself in a position of not being able to do business if that piece of equipment fails.
Walker offers much more knowledge and thoughts for both employers and employees. Check out the video below and be sure to visit premierrisksolutions.com for more videos.
There’s no question the landscape of downtown Seattle has shifted and that has some employees worried about their safety. In this week’s edition of our video series, “Strong, Safe & True,” we sit down with Scott Kelly, Security Manager for Fred Hutch in Seattle.
Kelly says people coming back to the campus for work have many concerns. They are worried about what it’s going to look like to get on public transportation. Will it be safe? That’s on both the COVID-19 front and on physical safety in general, considering the increased crime in the downtown area.
Echoing the same sentiments as most destinations in the downtown area, Fred Hutch has had quite a few more incidents over the past year. Kelly says they’ve upped patrols, escort employees to and from cars and keep watch of known problem areas. Fred Hutch also offers security updates so employees are in the know. However, he offers this appeal to city leaders who continue to cut police resources that used to be available to help deal with persons in crisis. “You have to leverage the concern for individuals in crisis with people who are working to find a cure for cancer and patients who are coming onto this campus who are immunocompromised and who are at great risk.”
This weekend shots erupted inside Southcenter Mall, just outside of Seattle, Washington. Shoppers were sheltered in place as police searched for the shooter. The details surrounding this shooting are not known, other than two people were injured. This prompted Seattle’s NBC station, KING 5, to interview PRS consultant, Bill Cooper, about active shooing scenarios. What do you do if you find yourself in a situation like this?
Cooper recently discussed this in our weekly series, “Strong, Safe & True.” Perhaps the most alarming thing, is Cooper expects the U.S. to continue to see more active shootings as COVID-19 restrictions loosen and crowds start to gather again. The targets tend to be places where there is an opportunity for a large number of victims.
There are things that Cooper believes everyone can do to stay safe. He explains in the interview. Continue to visit our website for more blogs and educational information.
It looks like some Americans will have the chance to take a vacation to Europe this summer, but what does that really look like? There are some concerns from security experts, as they will try to keep both their own citizens safe, as well as tourists.
In this week’s edition of our video series, “Strong, Safe & True” we sat down with Stuart Nash, owner of Alchemy Global, a security company in the U.K.. Nash says tourist sites won’t quite look the same this summer. There won’t be as much milling around. Tourists will need to expect to plan everything well in advance and continue to be aware of the space around them. It will most likely be groups at certain times allowed at famous sites and there will be security in most places to help enforce the rules.
Nash added, that if all restrictions aren’t lifted, not all venues will be open. For some businesses, it makes sense to stay closed with no operating costs and government subsidies than to open at partial capacity.
We specifically talked about how security will look this summer as well, hear what Nash had to say. Remember to keep checking our blog section of our website as we will continue to post new videos.
We are excited to bring you a new video series, falling right into our motto, “Strong, Safe & True.” We are chatting with industry experts to talk security and how it relates to your company and employees in today’s world. That includes Covid-19 related concerns, issues with safety while working from home, and new expectations in today’s climate.
Our first session features Doug Hicks, a security specialist with Premier Risk Solutions. In this video, he focuses on personal security and vigilance. Specifically, how to “turn on and tune in”. This method ensures you can recognize anything out of the ordinary and can handle a potentially threatening situation. Doug emphasizes the importance of carrying that knowledge into any environment, including the office.
Here’s why this information is helpful to any company:
If employees feel safe, they have one less worry/distraction
If employees feel valued and they’ve been given tools to be successful in any situation, it boosts confidence
If employees feel safe and valued, they are more likely to stay with the company that provided that
