Being There: How to provide support during uncertain times

Recent unrest in the UK has left many feeling divided, and at times, scared for their wellbeing. This can be a particular issue for security officers, explains Magda Jablonska El-Aasar, HR director at Corps Security.

Recently, there has been major unrest in the UK. Many of us will have been deeply affected by the riots, protests and counter-protests. The chaos of these incidents has led to violent clashes, civil unrest, and over 400 arrests.

These reports of inner-city attacks and terror events are worrying for everyone, but they can feel especially close to home for those working in security. Security officers are often the first port of call for dangerous scenarios, and increased protests have abruptly changed the threat landscape they respond to.

These risks can impact not only an officer’s physical wellbeing, but their mental health too – making HR support and integration vital. In my role at Corps Security, I am often the first person officers reach out to. Officers need to arrive at their shifts feeling confident, prepared, and secure in the knowledge that they will receive mental and physical health support no matter what happens. 

The same goes for managers throughout the organisation – colleagues need holistic support, whatever their background or experiences. No two people are the same, and HR support structures need to provide individual support.

In HR, it’s our job to be there, advise our people on what services they can access, and listen, even if we don’t understand. Our officers do incredible work every day to protect our clients, civilians and public spaces, and the significant risk they face needs to be met with care.

Signpost resources

The first step of providing catered support is identifying what resources officers could need. A free Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) should be offered, and working with an external provider can provide anonymity in case of sensitive information. An EAP can also offer six weeks of free counselling to any officer that may need it. Anonymised incidents can also be reported back, so for example, while we can’t see individual reports, we can see if there has been an increase in mental health issues reported. 

To keep the mind and body well, using external platforms like Aviva Digicare+ can protect employees under a Group Protection policy, giving access to annual health checks, nutritional consultations, gym discounts, and doctor appointments within 48 hours of requests. Resources like these can help officers check in on their physical health, and the flexibility the app offers is especially important for employees who may work anti-social shifts and struggle to find appointment times with the NHS.

Offering bereavement support is also important – this is another external service offered, but a less common resource is an additional welfare fund for situations like sickness, personal trauma and bereavement. Neither we, nor our officers, can predict the future, and when tragedies occur, they should be able to turn to their employer for help. 

When a young officer went through a difficult bereavement recently, the fund was used to help him pay for funeral costs. Help in these kinds of situations helps to reduce stress, so officers can take the time they need to grieve and process, without the anxiety of financial difficulties looming overhead. 

Stay in regular contact 

Internal support networks may be present at your organisation, but are they accessible? Officers are usually on the ground and may not have access to a desktop, which is why employee portals and resources need to be accessible by mobile phone.

We have developed the Corps Connect intranet for employees which keeps everything in one place. It not only details their shifts, where they can book holidays and so on, it also includes the wellbeing portal which provides a range of free resources for colleagues to access. There are workplace trauma, mental health and wellbeing, and work-related violence policy resources available, which signpost to different charities that can help officers – like mental health charity Security Mind Matters, for example.

Other resources are also easily available in the portal – like regular organisational updates. For example, during the recent riots, our managing director penned an article to share his support and gratitude for officers’ hard work and to redirect them to the resources available – including charities like the emergency reporting app citizenAID. They can also directly contact our CEO to voice concerns, and they can use the comment section, so employees can share their feedback and thoughts with us and connect with each other. 

Make sure people are appropriately trained

The HR team is a great place for officers to turn to, but managers are often the first people many speak to. However, managers are human too – they should be trained on how to spot mental health and wellbeing struggles and respond to them, but don’t expect them to be experts. Their role is to listen and support, but also to redirect officers to the most appropriate resources for their needs.

That also means understanding the different needs of officers from all backgrounds and abilities. For example, managers were recently given disability confidence and neurodiversity training. This raised awareness of disabled and neurodiverse colleagues’ needs and showed managers how to spot signs of struggle. 

Also – make sure you’re trusting the experts. Instead of holding that training internally, it was delivered by trained experts in the fields of disability and neurodiversity.

Understand that you can’t always understand 

Though managers and HR colleagues should be well trained in how to spot and help officers struggling, the most important thing you can do is listen. That doesn’t always mean you understand or can empathise with what they are going through, but just offering an ear is the first step many need. 

For example, during a recent emergency situation at a client site, multiple officers were impacted. Colleagues and I were on-site as quickly as possible to operate as an HR surgery. We were able to discuss what they had experienced and send officers home who were mentally and physically exhausted from the day before. 

I spoke to one officer who had been on-site, helping the public to safely evacuate the situation. Unfortunately, during this, she was racially abused by a member of the public. She reached out to her manager and spoke to me about it. Just speaking with her and letting her explain what happened relieved some of the anxiety and pent-up emotions she felt. I also directed her to the support resources and counselling services we have. I reiterated that in the future, I’d be there to help her again if she needed, whenever she needed – because it could take time for her to process exactly what happened. 

We also have an internal employee equality, diversity and inclusion network, run for and by colleagues and designated Guardians, including for minority ethnic colleagues. The Guardians use their knowledge and experiences to provide empathy and help. When it came to her experience, I also emphasised that these resources are available at any time.  

Security officers work around the clock to protect public spaces and the people within them. With that responsibility, officers need to be secure in the knowledge that whatever they encounter, they will have your support. Build strong relationships with your employees – make sure you’re always available to talk when someone reaches out – because a conversation with someone who listens goes a long way.