Developing the role of staff

Developing the Role of Staff

Staff play an important role in deterring offenders and providing reassurance to passengers. Many operators, however, have been committed in recent years to the increased use of technology and the destaffing of transport networks.

The desire for a greater staff presence may be addressed by the sensitive deployment of staff, by increasing their visibility and mobility, and by widening their range of responsibilities.

But staff too are at risk of threat and attack, and feel themselves to be vulnerable. Given the crucial role that they can play in ensuring the security of passengers, it is vital that they themselves feel secure and competent to deal with any threats to their own security. Careful selection and training are important to ensure that staff have the skills to deal with difficult situations and respond appropriately to passengers in distress.

Maximising Staff Presence

The visibility and effectiveness of existing staff can be enhanced in a number of ways:

• facilities that are staffed, and with glazing to maximise visibility, help to make passengers feel that staff are on hand and accessible
• use of a public address system which is clearly 'live' by informing passengers of service alterations and responding to incidents as they arise helps make passengers feel that the service is controlled and supervised
• mobile staff teams, such as revenue protection officers, raise the level of staff visible to the public, and can be deployed in areas and at times that are identified as problematic
• making existing staff multi-functional can improve the service to the passenger and help to create the impression of a service which takes care of its passengers.

Staff Selection

The selection process is the first step in making sure that front line staff have the temperament and attitude needed for dealing with the public on a regular basis:

• the selection criteria for all jobs needs to reflect the extent to which staff will need interpersonal skills
• applicants should be made fully aware at the interview of the nature and extent of their contact with the public, and what difficulties they may have to deal with on a regular basis
• an applicant's ability to deal effectively with conflict should be assessed as part of the interview.

Training

Training has a critical role in developing the potential of staff to avoid and manage conflict. Training can enable staff to feel competent and confident to be proactive and take control of situations. As a result they are more visible and authoritative in appearance.

• all induction training for front line staff should contain an element of dealing with the public in the context of dealing with potential conflict and aggression
• consideration should be given to providing new staff with the opportunity to spend time with experienced staff as part of their induction training before they are required to work alone
• training to deal with conflict and aggression should be made available to all front line staff and refresher courses should be offered from time to time
• no customer care training should take place without first addressing the issue of staff safety
• customer care courses should include the response given by staff to passengers who have become the victims of crime while travelling.

Management of Staff

The approach of managers can play a vital role in motivating staff, thereby developing their confidence to deal with situations where they feel at risk. Managers need to be aware of the risks that front line staff face, and communicate their concern so that staff feel adequately supported.

• Consult staff before introducing new working practices and conditions: staff will be affected by the change and their involvement may make that change more effective
• encourage staff to report incidents that threaten either their own or passenger security: monitoring incidents improves the organisation's understanding of what is happening and helps to focus preventive action
• make sure that staff have an opportunity to discuss incidents involving threats to their security with their manager: they may be able to suggest improvements to existing practices which would avoid recurrence
• feed back to staff any changes that have been made as a result of them reporting an incident
• consider providing or recommending counselling for staff who have been assaulted: they will be helped to regain their confidence in facing similar situations in the future.