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Serve and Protect
Series Part Five: Pay and Incentives for My Security Guard
By Robert Smith
 Here we go again. Glad you made it back for the next step. We
talked last month about what to look for in your potential guard. This
month, we assume that you need guards, that you know where to place
them and that you have found quality people for the positions. Now,
what do you pay them, and do you offer other incentives?
In this month’s article, we will discuss a pay scale for your guards
and what other incentives might increase their productivity and
performance. In writing this article, I have tried to take into account
the varied pay levels from across the country as well as the types of
venues that might be paying guards.
You Get What You Pay For
Let me start by saying that I believe the Federal minimum wage of $5.15
per hour is too low — not just for guards, but for all. In the states
that have a higher minimum wage, say California at $6.25 per hour or
the highest paying state, the state of Washington at $7.35 per hour, it
still is too low for all, guards included. Remember, you get what you
pay for, and if you are in the state of Texas or Utah or Pennsylvania
and you start your guards at $5.15 an hour, well, enjoy your low-paid
guard and their work quality, but find yourself a good liability
attorney. From what I have seen across the country, the median wage
earned by a guard at a club or bar is approximately $10 per hour,
normally less and occasionally more.
One other little point to add; if your venue is a gentlemen’s club,
when you decide what you pay your strip club guards, make sure you
remember that they normally are tipped out at the end of the
night. Occasionally, the end-of-night tips might equal $100 or
more, and that is in addition to his hourly salary.
What follows is a sample pay schedule that you might be able to use. It
is only a suggestion for you to use. It may not be the best fit, and it
may not match the current income rate for your area exactly, but look
at it, review it and if possible, tailor it to meet your needs. And,
remember, as I said earlier, you get what you pay for.
• Scale No. 1 — $9 per hour. This applies to all new guards,
regardless of experience or training, unless they have more than one
year of on the job experience and maintain certification or licensing
or are entering the job as a supervisor. If your local city market has
a starting wage of $10 per hour, then start there and adjust the
remaining levels. This starting level should not be altered. This
starting wage should be reviewed at a given time, perhaps three months
or even monthly. If the employee is meeting all the job
requirements, an increase might be in order. This increase might only
be a quarter or two, but it should be given.
• Scale No. 2 — $11 to $12 dollars per hour. This is for the
guard who comes with more than one year of experience and some
certification or licensing. This rate is a reward or an incentive to
get better guards, so let your employees know the level. As with the
new guard, review this guard’s performance at a normal interval and
provide a raise in pay. Yes, from $12 to $12.50 is a good increase.
Also remember that you may be asking him to do other security
job-related tasks he may not like — picking up glassware, mopping up
vomit, etc. Let this higher pay level be a reward for his performance.
• Scale No. 3 — $15 to $20 per hour. Wow, $20 for a bouncer?
Yes, for the guard with more than a year of experience,
certification, licensing and supervising skills, you will want to pay
more. This rate is a good start. This guard can make independent
decisions and take charge, is sought out by other guards for advice and
can handle most difficult problems without violence or incident. This
is a guard who will be saving you money nightly by doing the right
thing.
Increased pay for security guards can really lower incidents and club
liabilities by bringing in better security employees. Finally, if you
pay a higher wage, demand higher performance. You pay for what you get.
Remember that you are helping to drastically prevent expenditures for attorneys’ fees, fines and lawsuit settlments and awards.
See you next month when I cover several important incentives surrounding the pay for a security guard. NCB
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