Navigating a Hiring Freeze Without Compromising Safety & Security

Despite the positive outlook a new year typically brings, market trends don’t point to the end of the turbulence employers have faced since the start of this decade. Seventy percent of economists surveyed by Bloomberg are betting there will be a recession in 2023. To weather economic headwinds, many companies have put hiring freezes in place. Even for those who haven’t yet, a survey conducted by ResumeBuilder.com shows a predicted 70% of companies are likely to implement a hiring freeze at some point in the next year.

Across industries, hiring freezes are putting security directors between a rock and a hard place with posts to fill, limited staff to fill them and the inability to hire. So how can security directors balance these organizational pressures with the need to secure products and ensure the safety of employees and customers? 

Hybrid Approach to Security

Just as a business might call on a temp agency, security teams are tapping into off-duty officers to fill the bench. Police officers have the capacity to elevate security outcomes, without the commitment and cost of a full-time hire.

With both security officers and a cohort of off-duty officers, a hybrid approach to off duty staffing allows security directors to strategically place officers in sensitive areas of the premises. Off-duty officers are able to bring a higher degree of authority and training to the post. They’re well trained to intervene and de-escalate challenging situations.

The Value of Outsourcing Off Duty

Most managers and business leaders have historically handled off-duty officer coordination on their own. But it can be burdensome and take an inordinate amount of time away from day-to-day tasks. Just what you don’t need when human resources are already tight. 

Outsourcing the process of identifying, staffing, paying and insuring third-party security frees both time and savings without compromising the big-picture security strategy. A security director or business owner can get the support of sworn officers of the law with a single phone call.

Summit Off Duty Services has been providing off-duty managed services for 15 years. We pull from a large network of law enforcement agencies, not just the local police department, but sheriff’s departments, municipal police, state troopers, and others to supplement security staff with highly trained officers for the most effective safety and security outcomes. We manage administrative functions and forms so you don’t have to. We even offer generous general liability coverage.

Having a big-picture security strategy with a third-party on standby pays dividends during security spikes, which have been plenty over the past few years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, inclement weather and economic turbulence. As employers look to the year ahead, outsourcing off-duty officers not only saves time and resources but frees capacity for business leaders to focus on what matters most to the business.