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We have a security guard at work who just started about a month ago.

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Anonymous

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We have a security guard at work who just started about a month ago. We work in an office where I am one of 4 receptionists behind windows and a locked door (we can buzz people in). His position is in the lobby, where people enter and ask for assistance. Part of his job is to tell clients to sign in, be seated, and someone will be with them momentarily, which is helpful. However, if someone comes in angry or upset, he has been known to run behind us and whimper, “she’s mad/upset, oh no!!” It’s almost comical! He does very little, if anything, to diffuse tense situations. He eats constantly, watches videos loudly on his phone/laptop, stands behind me and breathes heavily … I shudder to think what would happen if someone actually came in with a gun or other weapon. Am I wrong to want to say something to my boss about it? I fear for my own job because I’m only a contracted employee and could be dismissed easily, myself.

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  1. Anonymous

    Does your company use an anonymous reporting hotline or email that is administered by a third party? Sometimes this will help, but he could narrow it down to who it was. I would submit it as a client who was observing the situation from a distance. I know this sounds cowardly, but sometimes it has to happen that way.

  2. Anonymous

    I’ll have to find out. Things do get reported to my boss somehow “anonymously,” I’ll have to find out how that works!

  3. Anonymous

    Agree!

  4. Anonymous

    A supervisor did tell him he needed to be in the lobby instead of our side. He took it into account for a day or so, then went right back to hanging out on our side of the windows again, as much as he can. So I don’t think anything somebody tells him sticks for very long. He seems to do what he wants.

  5. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, the supervisor was over another department, not his immediate supervisor. His immediate supervisor is not on site. I don’t think his immediate supervisor is aware of his behavior. That’s probably part of the problem, lack of supervision.

  6. Anonymous

    If I’m still alive because we don’t have a real security guard to take things seriously.

  7. Anonymous

    Thank you for your comments. After considering them and my own personal experience, I have decided to keep quiet to top brass and just let him know when I have a problem on a personal level with him (such as the heavy breathing behind me - I’ll have to figure out maybe a light-hearted way to approach that). Thank you again for your input, everyone.

  8. Anonymous

    It’s a government public assistance office.

  9. Anonymous

    We used to have these ridiculous "anonymous team surveys " at a former employer.

    I hated that department. However, NEVER spoke the truth because they are not anonymous by a long shot

  10. Anonymous

    It looks like you’re already concluding how to proceed and it is a good decision. I was a security officer. I lasted 8 months because it was extremely boring. I wish it was something I thought of doing after college, graduating in a recession. It seems to be a decent way for a person with little education to make stable income while others scrounge for jobs in fields they got degrees for. The job is to observe and report but, it’s often construed as more than that to the public. I would get a call from someone about a homeless person trespassing and harassing others. When I attempted to de-escalate and escort the person off the premises another worker complained about me to higher ups. I’d rather have not gotten the call in the first place. Nothing I could do in that situation could be considered RIGHT. At the same time I found a part time job where I was utilizing skills I was passionate about and decided not to waste time doing security work. This security guard, like all, doesn’t work directly for the company. You are not as clear on what his duties are as you think. It’s better to keep a hands off approach.

  11. Anonymous

    Thank you for your insight!
    It always helps to see another point of view. The situation is deteriorating where I work. I’m continuing with my plan of keeping quiet, but others are taking notice of what’s going on. Not sure where things are headed, but we’ll see.

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