Client employee bullies

[Trunk Monkey]

30 years ago I was going through a rough patch and I took a second job as a day laborer to help make ends meet. One day I was on a construction site showing a permanent employee how to set up a concrete form. The guy’s using MY tools, while I’m showing HIM how to do His job and he has the nerve to refer to me as a “rent-a-drunk” 30years later and I still get mad just thinking about it.

The reason I opened this thread with that story was to set a mood. We’ve all (I’m sure) had to deal with client employees that equate security with “loser”.

The company I work for has the City utility as a client and there’s quite a disparity between their wages and ours and in the minds of some of the client employees that translates to an equal disparity in our station in life. A fact they make sure we're aware of at every opportunity

I had a run in with one such client employee today , I’m not sure that specifics are necessary but this is one of those types that just radiates contempt every time I come in contact with him. As a brief example I walked into MY office one day and found him sitting at my desk (with his feet up on it) using my phone and he sat there for about 20 minutes waiting while whoever he was on the phone with had him on hold without so much as a an apology for preventing me from doing my work. When he was done he got up and walked out of the office without so much as an excuse me.

IMO people like this are bullies, they treat security like crap because they can and truthfully we really have no recourse except maybe requesting a transfer to another site where you’ll have another bully to contend with.

The best solution I can come up with is to simply leave the office and make my rounds whenever he shows up (which isn’t often thankfully) I’m curious how some of you deal with client employees that treat you like dirt?

[Condo Guard]

Depends on who they are - I don't fight battles I can't win. If its one of the higher managers who is either very powerful or very popular, I do nothing if it is a minor annoyance, or just passive agressive nonsense. On the other hand, if someone is actively interfering with getting the job done, I will report it to my supervisor, without getting upset or using "loaded" language. I just set out the facts (so-and-so interfered with our investigation, this manager ordered the S/O to do the opposite of SOPs, etc.).

On a side note, at a lot of places I've worked at the "security desk" is usually an afterthought. Where I work now our desk ends up being an extra work station for other staff, but they are respectful and will log off the computer when they know we need it. The desk is kept clean and nobody touches our stuff (all confidential papers are kept elsewhere, so there's nothing interesting to read anyways).

I do try to give a big smile to the jerks - hoping it makes them wonder if I know something incriminating about them...

[copelandamuffy]

God does this ring bells. So true. When the buildings were being torn down, there was talk among a few smart
guys that once the buildings were torn down security would go bye, bye. That was 2007, the construction laborers are gone and 2012 we are still here

My views the worse to work with is a Union Shop. Not all are bad, but some real dolts. I worked security at a UAW shop
What eased my work was many moons prior to working security I was in the UAW. My job working security was okay
I knew the Shop Steward from days of old in the UAW. She made sure I was treated nice.

[rpmacmurphy]

I believe that this is one of the biggest issues to the modern private security professional. My agency is proactive in battling this problem in order to create a more positive and professional workplace environment. All of our guys are trained in tactical protective etiquette.

It draws from the same ideas taught in executive protection courses. Executive protection officers don't have any authority, yet through their posture and gestures they can intimidate those around them in order to keep them away from the client. We teach the same concepts so the employees of a client feel that they are in the presence of a legitimate authority figure rather than a "rent a cop".

That being said, in my experiences, being armed also helps keep the employees off your back. A lot of people see unarmed guards as glorified receptionists and janitors.

[copelandamuffy]

How many of us have worked as new Guards. It is a Saturday morning
Rita Smith stops by the Office Building You request to see her badge
This is what she hits you with “ I have been working for XYZ corporation for 20 years, I don’t have to show my badge” She storms off to her office. You call the client
“ Oh Rita, she is set in her ways. She means no harm” I had this happen to me with Pinkerton. I did have just enough smarts to call the Field Road Supervisor. He wrote down what transpired.
I wrote an Incident Report, making sure I made a copy, and faxed the Incident Report to the Branch Office. Never heard another peep. But left with the satisfaction I did cover my**.

We have all had the incident where a retired employee wants to stop by and say hello to the boys in the shop. Your post orders state no retired employees allowed on the property
Weeks afterward the boys in the shop treat you like dirt because you did not permit Jimmy Jones retired machinist on plant grounds to say hello

Some secretaries treat you like sewer and some Junior Executives as well
Want to know who usually is nice to you? The men and women at the top of the ladder of Corporate, and the janitor. The Big Guy sitting in his mahogany walled carpeted on a Sunday morning going over the expense sheets, and the janitor on the ground floor mopping the stairways. They are the ones who usually have kind words to say to you

I did have a funny incident happen to me one late night. On my patrols I noticed a tractor trailer truck parked in the vacant lot. I went over to truck. Motor running. Tapped on the door of the cab. Long story, short story. Lonely truck driver picked up some pavement princess for some fun. He and his gal left after I tapped on the door of the cab

I reported back to the 2nd shift supervisor what was going on. He ran around and told the shop workers. “Copie spoiled some fun for some lonely truck driver” I was kidded and joked with the guys and yes some of the gals what a mean guy I was for the next week

[flashlightcop509]

Referring to the original post, unless the "Security Desk" is a common use/universal area, that guy using "my" space for twenty minutes would have gotten unassed by me nineteen minutes earlier...

You have your space, I have mine; and never twixt the two shall meet...

[Trunk Monkey]

Referring to the original post, unless the "Security Desk" is a common use/universal area, that guy using "my" space for twenty minutes would have gotten unassed by me nineteen minutes earlier...

You might have done it but on this contract you'd have only done it once.

EDIT:

In this situation stories about how “you wouldn’t take that crap off the guy” aren’t helpful. The fact is that your nemesis in this situation is a city employee of 20 plus years in good standing. He has what amounts to tenure and the city has invested quite a bit of money in training him.

You, on the other hand, are a 12.00$ an hour security guard who can be replaced in a day, if not sooner.

He works for a city department that has an institutional culture of having no use for security (which means that what ever supervisor you might complain to has no use for you either) He also has a grievance committee and the full support of his employer. You do not.

Employees of this client have been known to get guards transferred w/ a single phone call.

As I pointed out up thread, you might start a pissing contest with the guy but you’ll only do it once.
/EDIT

[CameraMan]

Trade someone for a night shift, poop in the offender's desk drawer. Done.

If no one will trade you for a night shift, or you happen to be constipated that week, look on every encounter with a bully as a chance to practice your verbal judo skills.

I, too, occasionally have trouble with coworkers invading my personal space, using my cubicle as a place to discuss their stupid personal lives with each other, or in the case of one guy, just leaning on my chair while I'm sitting in it.

I find that the best tactic is to stare at people until they become uncomfortable and leave. I'd like to see someone complaining to HR that you were staring at them, especially if they were all up in your bidness.

[copelandamuffy]

You might have done it but on this contract you'd have only done it once.

EDIT:

In this situation stories about how “you wouldn’t take that crap off the guy” aren’t helpful. The fact is that your nemesis in this situation is a city employee of 20 plus years in good standing. He has what amounts to tenure and the city has invested quite a bit of money in training him.

You, on the other hand, are a 12.00$ an hour security guard who can be replaced in a day, if not sooner.

He works for a city department that has an institutional culture of having no use for security (which means that what ever supervisor you might complain to has no use for you either) He also has a grievance committee and the full support of his employer. You do not.

Employees of this client have been known to get guards transferred w/ a single phone call.

As I pointed out up thread, you might start a pissing contest with the guy but you’ll only do it once.
/EDIT

Want to know the sad part of all this? The citizens of your city are paying for the a** hole's salary
Clowns like this would never get away with acting like this in public
This s*it head tried this down at the Devils Biker Bar and he probably be looking up at the floor

You can bet the Union will protect his a**, no matter what he does
Probably has friends and relatives over at city hall
On election day he is holding a political sign
"Vote for Mayor Stonner of Mayberry"
It' called polical kick back
From Phoenix to Boston this bull s*it goes on, and on.
I'd quit { yes easier said then done} before I worked another day at a hostile enviroment

And this entire topic can be wrapped up into two key words
HOSTILE ENVIROMENT

[Trunk Monkey]

I think you’d actually be very surprised at how accurate your post is cope.

Not all but certain employees of this client treat guards like absolute garbage. I actually had one that would actually THROW his ID card at me every morning when he arrived for work when I finally just left it lying on the pavement he complained that I “knocked it out of his hand” The upshot of that little incident was that when he showed up for work I was no longer allowed to check his ID.

The city utility is a GOBC if you aren’t related to someone that works there you don’t get a job there. I understand taking care of your family but these guys push it to extremes. I think I’ve mentioned that the city employees can get a guard removed from a specific site or the entire contract with a single phone call. The site supervisor just before me worked here three days before being transferred because he requested a replacement for his chair.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I don’t quit, since this is the city contract we get about 50% above the prevailing wage for our town and when and if my company loses this contract whoever gets it tends to just hire all the guards from the previous contract. Also, as I’ve mentioned in a few other threads, the site I work on is considered “remote” so I can actually go weeks at a time without seeing a client employee. It’s just that when I do they tend to be horse’s asses.