Our Managing Director, Darren Read, discusses the importance of employee recognition and looks back at our very first The Amulets Awards ceremony:
Type the phrase ‘internal recognition scheme’ into a search engine and you’re met with a long list of organisations that are rewarding employees for a job well done. You’ll also uncover plenty of reasons why it’s important to recognise and reward staff. Some will say that it helps to engage people, others will argue that it’s good for retention and business continuity. All, however, will agree that recognising and rewarding staff is the simply right thing to do, no matter the outcome.
Amulet is no different in this respect. In fact, we believe people sit at the heart of our operation. They are the unsung heroes putting themselves in harm’s way though are rarely acknowledged outside of the industry for the vital work they do. This is why we’ve set up The Amulets – a recognition scheme that celebrates all the great people within our business who go the extra mile without being asked.
In my opinion, the nature of security and the role our core teams fulfil makes The Amulets more important than your typical recognition scheme. After all, our staff put their lives on the line each time they arrive at work. For some, it’s not easy – frontline teams may well be the first on the scene of crimes, or in the case of rail officers, face the vitriol from disgruntled members of the public due to travel disruptions that are beyond their control. Security staff wouldn’t be blamed for feeling that it can sometimes feel like a thankless job. Despite this, they continue to help people every day and their presence ultimately makes people feel safe and secure.
The first Amulet employees to win a quarterly award were recognised for confronting a blaze at a client site that saw two people hospitalised. These colleagues went above and beyond to ensure the safety of everyone within the vicinity, yet in the media coverage that followed, there was no mention of them. This shows how security is often undervalued, but in formally celebrating our staff we can now begin to redress the balance and communicate its importance to the wider public.
It’s this desire to honour outstanding acts that led to the first Amulet celebration and awards evening, which took place at Epping Forest’s Gilwell Park in March. An audience of security teams, customers and partners from across the UK listened intently as the details of our employees’ achievements over the past year were recognised and rewarded. Everyday heroes, excellence in team work and leadership, new ideas from frontline employees who do not just identify problems on site but provide practical and effective solutions – these were just some of the reasons and ways in which our teams added value.
For those in attendance, few will forget the moving account from our winning team in the Outstanding Act category. They had to deal with a serious life-changing injury to someone they knew well as they maintained control of the site, its employees and members of the public. Speaking to the team afterwards, one of the officers who was first on the scene that day told me how he felt about the awards programme: “It’s nice to be recognised for the hard work we put in day in, day out at a ceremony like this. I feel genuinely appreciated and honoured to be part of the Amulet family.”
Those words capture exactly why The Amulets matter. While the idea of another internal recognition scheme may feel like unimportant news to the general public, it’s vital to draw as much attention as we can to those who walked up on stage that night. We have many inspiring stories and we are very proud to share them.
