Far beyond the normal responsibilities of the security department is to strive and reinforce management in its effort towards cost reduction. Most often than not, others simply look at security as pure guarding services, but there is this unforeseen role that a security unit has to play in order to become pro-active especially in times when business is low and revenue seems to be shaky. At the least, security being a non-income generating department, its role should be driven up to help in the company’s cost reduction effort by working hand in hand with facilities management.
While recycling office supplies has become a common scene in any working environment nowadays, a security unit can do more to this effect. One collaborative activity would be helping the hotel’s maintenance team in monitoring energy wastage and ensure that inappropriate usage of resources are properly monitored and acted upon. For one, this can be done through the security officer’s patrol checklist since security staff follows routine patrol procedures with pre-defined intervals. While doing so, it may now be practical to include observations such as unattended lights in offices, electrical stations, utility rooms, pantry, storerooms and other areas where access can be controlled.
Immediate reporting of defects noted on basic utilities such as a common sight of a leaking toilet pipeline and ill-usage of air-conditioning units could also make a significance in the hotel’s over-all energy consumption rate. Shutdown Procedure if in place is also a good component to reinforce this effort wherein unoccupied floor levels, guest corridors and selected public areas are scheduled for shutdown on certain periods whenever practical to do so.
Whilst, it is the moral responsibility of every manager to ensure that hotel resources are used wisely, a security unit can go far above the physical security aspect of its duties and make a step forward. In these times of economic uncertainties, an ideal security unit has to create means to become productive and may now aim towards its most crucial mission which we call “Loss Prevention.”
May this inspire our comrades in the security community and help achieve our goals!
