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Revolutionary change for training in the security industry

ADT Security has put its money where its mouth is in a bid to raise the level of service in the security industry to truly world class service standards. The company has launched a unique programme to educate its employees to levels of service commitment never before achieved on the South African security scene.

Pieter du Toit, MD of ADT Guarding, says, "We are in the business of protecting people and their assets. Our focus is to become smarter by combining heads and hearts, knowledge and passion to meet the ever-changing demands of our dynamic South Africa."

The new Big 5 philosophy incorporates a culture that encourages professionalism; reliability; competence; honourable actions and pro-active attitudes among all ADT staff. The 'Big 5' are core principles of behaviour which give all members of ADT the tools to meet the needs and expectations of clients in the best way possible. With a powerful new philosophy and focus as the driving force, ADT staff are now focused to do business the 'Big 5' way.

Through the use of industrial theatre, all ADT employees now have first hand experience of the new corporate philosophy, namely the Big 5, and endeavour to always be professional, reliable, competent, honourable and pro-active

"Security needs and expectations of South Africans are far higher than ever before. To sustain this demand, we are raising our standards of service and excellence. To do this we must move from being just players to champions," says Danna Strydom, MD of ADT Security South Africa.

More than 3400 employees of ADT's Armed Response Division received extensive Big 5 corporate training throughout 2003 and some 3700 Guarding employees in 2004. "By upholding and constantly practicing these philosophies, we can change people's perception of the security industry as a whole," says reaction officer Francis Sibanda. "We have set standards against which we measure each and every action that is taken as we are professionals in our field."

The Guarding Division recently completed the programme which was launched at the Diepkloof Community Centre in Soweto. The medium used to portray the messages to ADT's guards was industrial theatre and ADT used suppliers from the local community to provide the resources needed for the training.

By using industrial theatre, the core behavioural principles were put across in an applicable, executable manner. Each principle was brought across through practical application so the new desired behaviours could be understood on a hands-on basis, reflecting the everyday lives of the guards. "The Big 5 has created a free and fair work environment," says security officer Stuart Mncube. "It has improved our quality of life by equipping us with new skills, more knowledge and a professional attitude."

The new Big 5 philosophy incorporates a culture which includes professionalism; reliability; competence; honourable actions and pro-active attitudes among all ADT staff. Roy Rawlins, human resources director of ADT Security South Africa says, "This is not only a corporate training programme we have implemented to improve every aspect of service to our clients. The Big 5 principles are life skills that will remain with all ADT staff throughout our existence."

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