The Coronavirus pandemic has significantly changed our world and it will take many months to clearly see the full scope of its effects.

Something clear at this moment is a change to the primary focus of a retail security guard, which has become access control and the enforcement of distancing and face-covering regulations.  Duties have shifted from loss prevention and general safekeeping to a more active approach with a considerable increase in the number of interactions with the public.

Before the pandemic, a retail guard would perform various checks throughout the day, moving around the premises while occasionally interacting with the public, perhaps giving directions or assisting customers and staff.

Now that same guard is tasked with a different set of responsibilities. The majority of the shift is spent at the entrance of the business, ensuring that anyone seeking entry is in compliance with health regulations.

Unfortunately, as we have seen in recent news, the job is not so easy. There is a heightened level of irritation from many people who consider the shelter in place mandates and face-covering regulations to be an infringement on their own health and freedoms.  These attitudes and objections can be exacerbated when confronted by a uniformed guard preventing them from entering without a face covering or temperature check, and may even lead to confrontation and possible violence.

So, now more than ever, security guards must be able to firmly rely on their customer service skills and de-escalation training in order to safely and effectively manage a situation.

Many companies do not properly consider the customer service skills necessary when choosing a security firm.  The majority of the work in the security field is attending to the customer's needs.  Sure, there are some security positions with minimal public interaction and a guard may spend their entire shift posted at a warehouse or observing a CCTV monitor, but the majority of the work involves interactions with other people.  Possessing the ability to interact with a variety of people from all backgrounds and understanding the use of different tones and registers based on the topic of conversation are valuable skills and not always easy to learn.  Choosing one word over another could help diffuse a situation without the need to resort to physical force.

Manly P. Hall once said that words are potent weapons for all causes, good or bad.

The Coronavirus world we now live in requires more tact and refined communication skills than ever before.  Many people have lost jobs, savings, and the lives of friends and family due to the virus.  Their emotions are on edge, and the last thing they want is to be told what to do by one more stranger at a door.

As always, in the security field, we have to be the voice of reason, retain empathy for all people, and find ways to enforce the rules while allowing our customers to keep their freedoms and dignity.

It's imperative that guards who are faced with these new challenges have maturity, life expierience and an educated understanding of this new environment which we all must navigate.