Ensuring well-being of staff crucial to continuous success

ON the evening of Sep 11, 2001, Alvin Lee, managing director of Reachfield Security & Safety Management, was winding down watching television when suddenly, the screen was filled with images of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers being hit by airplanes before collapsing.

While the attacks were far away in the United States, they raised concerns of terror attacks worldwide, and governments and building owners everywhere sought to tighten security to prevent similar attacks.

The impact on Lee, then in the property management sector who helped landlords ensure that the security, maintenance and services of their buildings run smoothly, was almost immediate.

"My first thought when I saw the images was, is this fiction or real? From then on, terrorism became a real threat, and it made me realise that there was a need for good security service providers in Singapore, especially since in those days, there was a lack of professionals in this space," says Lee.

His interactions with the security guards he worked with as a property manager made him realise that many of them were often untrained, poorly treated and unmotivated at work.

"Things were quite bad in those days. There were security guards who were not paid but were still on the job, and many of them may not even be aware of their employment rights when they were caught in a situation like this. I asked them, why don't you quit? But they said if they quit, then they would definitely not be able to get paid for all their work.

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"I think many of them were also casual labourers, back then there were no regulations and anybody can be a guard, there was no training needed. You can pick somebody from the street and put him in a uniform to be a guard."

In 2002, Lee, then 48 years old, set up Reachfield Security & Safety Management to plug the gap. He wanted Reachfield to be a professional security agency, one that would provide well-trained staff to meet the security needs of building owners, and treat the guards well.

"I really wanted to help them," says Lee, who is now 67 years old.

His experience working in the property management business, where he had to manage everyone from clients to vendors, had given him the necessary experience in people management. Working together with security agencies and having to take charge of security matters as a property manager also gave him insight into the business.

Importantly, his property management background provided him with a wide network to reach out to for his new venture.

"Of course, I also had to do some research on how to get started. It's really from first principles, and through my experience in managing people, and you learn from mistakes," explains Lee.

Soon after starting Reachfield, Lee managed to secure his first contract: to provide security services to a 26-storey office building with a net lettable area of over 200,000 square feet.

Business continued streaming in, especially in 2003 during the Sars outbreak.

"There was a huge demand for security people, and also temperature screeners, especially at places like the airport and hospitals, and everybody said they had no manpower because nobody dared to go to those places to work.

"But we were so hungry, so we just grabbed the business."

To cater to the surge in demand, Reachfield too, needed manpower. Thankfully Lee's wife, Grace Lee, who quit her job to set up Reachfield together with her husband, is a human resource specialist.

"In the security business, manpower is key, so Grace's background as a manpower specialist is greatly synergistic," he says.

What also helped was the firm's strong reputation. While it was a newcomer to the business, it had already gained a name for being a good employer that paid staff promptly, allowing it to attract employees.

Today, Reachfield has a broad spectrum of clients that include hospitals, museums, libraries, shopping malls, office buildings, industrial buildings and schools.

It currently provides security, and related services such as concierge (often bundled together in quotes or tenders of office towers), to over 200 buildings in Singapore. Working to meet the needs of its clients is the firm's 1,200 staff.

Lee says that the security industry has transformed over the years. While malpractices still occur, the sector is now regulated by the government, which requires security guards to receive the necessary training. They can also only work a maximum of 12 hours a day - though some firms continue to flout this rule and overwork staff to cut costs.

Security agencies are also graded on a mandatory basis by the police and the manpower ministry every year - something that Reachfield has aced for consecutive years by obtaining the top grade annually.

Technology is also much more widely used today to boost efficiency and reduce manpower needs, such as the use of IoT sensors to detect intruder presence.

Amid this transformation, what has not changed is the agency's commitment to provide good service to its clients.

"We work very hard for our clients. We strive to respond to any feedback within one hour, that's our promise to clients."

To ensure that its security teams are up to the job demands of clients, Reachfield sends them to take on additional courses that are not mandated by the government, such as first aid and fire-fighting, to widen their skills set.

"We try to provide good service at a reasonable price," says Lee.

While some agencies choose to take a risk and have the guards work longer than mandated hours to cut costs to meet client budgets, Lee says this is a strict no-no at Reachfield.

He acknowledges that staff cost has risen exponentially over the years - it has doubled in the 20 years since he started Reachfield - but instead of flouting regulations and overworking staff, the firm has chosen to embrace technology to boost efficiency.

"Digitalisation is everywhere, and the security business is no different. We have to transform and use more technology to grow. We have to move to the next level, make everyone function better and raise productivity."

The well-being of staff remains an uncompromisable priority for Reachfield. Lee regularly visits the workplaces of his team to ensure that his staff are well treated, and that the work environment is conducive.

"That's my favourite pastime," he says. "It is most satisfying to see their happy faces and how proud they are that they are doing a good job.

"Really, it means everything to me to have happy employees."

Once, Lee saw that his guards were in great discomfort working in a stuffy and hot guardhouse. When his recommendation for the building owner to install a cooler or air conditioner was turned down by the latter due to budget constraints, Reachfield dug into its own pockets to install an air conditioner for its staff.

"It's an investment. With a better environment, staff will stay on," he says.

There is however only so much that the firm itself can do, as its staff are often located at properties of its clients and work directly with them.

Therefore, landlords and building managers play a key role to ensure that its security staff are well cared for.

"They have to help to motivate our guards and not call them names, or call them stupid, for example. They are human beings too," says Lee, who has personally seen his staff being rebuked by clients.

"Their mental well-being is very important. We shouldn't hit their self-worth. I would choose not to work for these clients but thankfully, it does not happen very often and we have very good clients who often see reason," he says.

It is no wonder that Reachfield has many staff who have worked with the firm since the get go 20 years ago.

That said, attracting young talent remains a challenge industry-wide given its long hours, and Reachfield is no different.

To retain these fresh faces, the company tries to provide a growth path to entice them to stay with the company.

"We are also training many of our young and mid-level managers to take on more senior roles. Security is, after all, still a people-driven business," says Lee.

And despite being in the business for 20 years, he says he has no plans to retire.

"I enjoy the business. When I wanted to start Reachfield, many people discouraged me from doing so, saying that guards are a handful to manage. But for me that is the challenge, I believe that if I treat my staff right, they will appreciate it and respond accordingly.

"And I really want to thank all my staff for their hard work."