Security guards aren’t happy (apparently)

Many of Honeydew’s clients are Facilities Management companies with a high number of security guards. The news of late has been inundated with research highlighting the Government’s top careers for happiness, and apparently security guards aren’t happy at all. So naturally, we would want to find out why!

This research has been deemed the first step of the UK Government finally trying to find out what makes its people happy, and why. They felt that the expected pay levels and satisfaction of each career should become public knowledge for those on the job hunt, and they can now use this information to begin building tangible policies for increasing our quality of life. But according to their own research, they have a long way to go before they can even begin trying to cheer us up.

The full list compiles research on 274 different professions, and ranks them according to expected mean income and a satisfaction level (of which the details of are yet to be published).

Unfortunately, security guards and related occupations came in at no. 263 (of 274), right at the bottom of the list.

It was noted that despite any predisposed thoughts, those with the larger salaries generally had the lower satisfaction levels, and vice versa. However, the mean income level for security guards is £20,841 per year yet their satisfaction levels are 6.73. This generally leaves us to believe that the working hours, working patterns and general satisfaction of the job is lower than the wages make up for.

It’s well known that security guards can work rather anti-social hours in what are normally quite long shifts. Sometimes undesirable working locations also add to the lack of desirability, however there must be some perks to the job, right?

Well actually, the companies Honeydew work with offer many perks to this profession and being a security guard can be quite rewarding. Long term relationships can be proffered with different contracts, and many health benefits can be on offer to help to counterbalance any strenuous shift patterns. The shifts can be flexible and many people find the lack of ‘conventional’ office work required, a perk in itself.

We want to hear what you think is good about being a security guard! So let us know on Twitter and we will spread the word.

Alternatively, if you need advice on offering your facilities management company some health benefits for engagement, please just get in touch and we can help.

To read the full BBC article covering the Government’s research, click here