What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?
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View Poll Results: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?
Students not taking the jobs seriously enough 24 22.86% G4S not taking students seriously enough 45 42.86% Olympic organisers (LOCOG) not involved enough 38 36.19% The media is exaggerating 33 31.43% Other (let us know) 26 24.76%
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What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?The security company G4S has been hiring and training students for security roles at the Olympics and the process has come under scrutiny in the press in the last week. Posts by members on The Student Room have been quoted in various press titles like The Independent, The Evening Standard, The Daily Mail and others.
There are various issues including the hiring process, the training process and the lack of security personnel G4S were able to employ for the Olympic Games.
Tell us what you really think...Last edited by CJ; 20-07-2012 at 16:45. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?Typical bad service from a private company funded by a contract from the public. They had nothing to lose. They were given the contract worth so much money but even if they fail to provide the service, the government has no option but to help them.(Original post by CJ)
The security company G4S has been hiring and training students for security roles at the Olympics and the process has come under scrutiny in the press in the last week. Posts by members on The Student Room have been quoted in various press titles like The Independent, The Evening Standard, The Daily Mail and others.
There are various issues including the hiring process, the training process and the lack of security personnel G4S were able to employ for the Olympic Games.
Tell us what you really think... -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?Would be useful if you could link to some of these articles instead of people trying to search for them.(Original post by CJ)
The security company G4S has been hiring and training students for security roles at the Olympics and the process has come under scrutiny in the press in the last week. Posts by members on The Student Room have been quoted in various press titles like The Independent, The Evening Standard, The Daily Mail and others.
There are various issues including the hiring process, the training process and the lack of security personnel G4S were able to employ for the Olympic Games.
Tell us what you really think...
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?Let me see if I can dig them out(Original post by NutterFrutter)
Would be useful if you could link to some of these articles instead of people trying to search for them.
2 secs...
EDIT: Done, now in the original post.Last edited by CJ; 20-07-2012 at 16:46. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?They leave everything until the last minute, I just got contacted asking for references which I gave them 5 months ago, then I got asked "What Training Have you Done" .... they really should know that to be fair.
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?G4S don't even like contacting people. how can you recruit SO many people and not give a damn about them?! but then they want to go and bring the ****ing army? gets me livid.
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?They just wanted the spotlight, but sadly it backfired on them. For sure, for any company to be associated with the Olympics is impressive. It's an absolute embarrassment that the world is laughing at Britain because they had to draft in the Army and Police to cover the remaining security jobs.
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?i totally agree with you. they just made things worse for themselves. the G4S boss must feel so ashamed. not that i care about him anyway.(Original post by James A)
They just wanted the spotlight, but sadly it backfired on them. For sure, for any company to be associated with the Olympics is impressive. It's an absolute embarrassment that the world is laughing at Britain because they had to draft in the Army and Police to cover the remaining security jobs. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?Private, profit-making companies should not be receiving public money, as it creates very risk-free ventures for them (look at the train system!). What kind of CEO is unaware of how close his company is to the agreed target of the biggest contract its ever had two weeks before the deadline? No, he just didn't foresee the backlash - the media and government usually stick up for these so-called 'social enterprises'.
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?There's so much wrong with what they have done, and very little of it has to do with hiring students!
They completely and utterly f*cked up the recruitment and scheduling side of things. Security is a very hard job, very hard and not to be taken lightly. I've been working in a managerial position for huge events for 11 years now and I have never seen something so shambolic in my entire life.
They don't seem to know who they have hired and how far along the process they are. There are thousands of experienced SIA guards sat waiting around for a schedule from G4S and have received nothing whilst there's hundreds of newly trained students doing a job that they are not prepared for (through no fault of their own - and sorry, 3 days of role specific training will not help you deal with some of the crap that's going to get thrown at you.)
I was told at my interview that with my experience I would be put forward for a group/team leader role and have yet to hear anything back from the company. They're giving newly qualified people leadership roles whilst veterans of the business are guarding toilet blocks and again, this isn't the new people's fault, but that of G4S - and as defensive as some newbies seem to get about how they can't become experienced without doing the job, there are ways to go about it. Being thrown into the deep end on an event as high profile and with the biggest security threat Britain has seen isn't the way to do it.
It almost seems like they have purposefully made the process as difficult as possible, with several different teams of managerial staff and logistics offices not speaking to each other and not passing on information about who has completed what in terms of their roles. Their central database (if they even have one) doesn't seem to be working with them in alerting them to who is on their staff and who is capable of doing what they're asking.
The media doesn't seem to have all of the details (or do but are twisting them to suit themselves) they keep stating how hundreds of people every day aren't turning up to their jobs and implying it's because they're irresponsible, inexperienced teenagers, when this isn't the case at all. It's because G4S haven't sent out the schedules, people are down to work shifts that they known nothing about, that's why there are massive shortages in staffing levels. Or they tell them a day in advance that they're due at the other end of the country in 4 hours when they've yet to receive a uniform.
This is all down to bad management. This could have run really smoothly, I've seen other large events and large staffing operations go off without a hitch, how they could have f*cked this up so royally is beyond me.
Sorry, i'll shut up now... -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?I completly agree with what you said. I have been doing this work since 2001 and for me to have experience and still waiting for my job role training and uniform. If they said you start on Monday I would be there, that would mean 1 more soldier could go home.(Original post by Elle408)
There's so much wrong with what they have done, and very little of it has to do with hiring students!
They completely and utterly f*cked up the recruitment and scheduling side of things. Security is a very hard job, very hard and not to be taken lightly. I've been working in a managerial position for huge events for 11 years now and I have never seen something so shambolic in my entire life.
They don't seem to know who they have hired and how far along the process they are. There are thousands of experienced SIA guards sat waiting around for a schedule from G4S and have received nothing whilst there's hundreds of newly trained students doing a job that they are not prepared for (through no fault of their own - and sorry, 3 days of role specific training will not help you deal with some of the crap that's going to get thrown at you.)
I was told at my interview that with my experience I would be put forward for a group/team leader role and have yet to hear anything back from the company. They're giving newly qualified people leadership roles whilst veterans of the business are guarding toilet blocks and again, this isn't the new people's fault, but that of G4S - and as defensive as some newbies seem to get about how they can't become experienced without doing the job, there are ways to go about it. Being thrown into the deep end on an event as high profile and with the biggest security threat Britain has seen isn't the way to do it.
It almost seems like they have purposefully made the process as difficult as possible, with several different teams of managerial staff and logistics offices not speaking to each other and not passing on information about who has completed what in terms of their roles. Their central database (if they even have one) doesn't seem to be working with them in alerting them to who is on their staff and who is capable of doing what they're asking.
The media doesn't seem to have all of the details (or do but are twisting them to suit themselves) they keep stating how hundreds of people every day aren't turning up to their jobs and implying it's because they're irresponsible, inexperienced teenagers, when this isn't the case at all. It's because G4S haven't sent out the schedules, people are down to work shifts that they known nothing about, that's why there are massive shortages in staffing levels. Or they tell them a day in advance that they're due at the other end of the country in 4 hours when they've yet to receive a uniform.
This is all down to bad management. This could have run really smoothly, I've seen other large events and large staffing operations go off without a hitch, how they could have f*cked this up so royally is beyond me.
Sorry, i'll shut up now...
Unlucky for them I have been asked to work elsewhere in london. Its a shame that so many jobless security trained with experience staff are missing out. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?I think a big part of the problem was G4S, more specifically the various departments of G4S not communicating with each other, many times through out recruitment i would miss a phone call, call it back and the people i got through to, would be G4S, but have no record of trying to contact me or any idea why they would, then they would suggest another department, however they did not know the number for that department and told me to check my e mails for contact details.
Or when i withdrew my application, i said at the training centre i don't want the job anymore, and withdrew my application on the G4S website, i then got a phone call asking me why i did not finish day 2 of PSA training. I explained i had withdrawn my application, ok sorted...right?
About 3 days later i get a phone call asking me when i available to work, i again explain i am not working for G4S, sorted right?
The next day i get an E mail telling me to collect my accreditation and what time and where, i phone them up and inform them i am no longer working for them, Oh we'll take you off the system then, ok cool, sorted ... right?
About a week later i get a phone call about uniform and schedule .... ..usual sketch not working for G4S yada yada yada, sorted right?
About 3 or 4 days later i get an email asking me to confirm my available working hours, i phoned them up, to be fair i was a little short with the poor girl on the phone, she probably thinks i was a total arse ... i did sound like one, i feel bad, but i was thoroughly fed up at this point.
Next day got an e mail confirming i was no longer interested in the position.
It seems it is sorted ...
The irony being they failed to contact so many people really interested in this job, yet wasted so much time and resources contacting me after i had withdrawn my application.
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?I dont get why we're cutting the army and in doing so putting hard working dedicated people out of jobs while giving work the army would be best at to these numpties.
What good would students and dole dossers be if something happened anyway? Most of them would leg it. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?Are you suggesting that we start hiring out our army as private security guards?(Original post by green.tea)
I dont get why we're cutting the army and in doing so putting hard working dedicated people out of jobs while giving work the army would be best at to these numpties.
What good would students and dole dossers be if something happened anyway? Most of them would leg it.
I don't think they really need to do much if "anything happened" - surely the police would take over at that point? -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?G4s are being paid with public money tho arent they? So it would be public security guards. Whats the point of paying to to give basic training to people when you have lots of highly trained people already?(Original post by callum9999)
Are you suggesting that we start hiring out our army as private security guards?
I don't think they really need to do much if "anything happened" - surely the police would take over at that point?
Tho i dont see why we cant let the army provide security for private events. Increasing their peacetime roles would give them more varied experience, mean fewer cuts, mean that you knew you were in good hands and mean that the agreed number of people turned up. It'd be good all round. -
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Re: What do you think is the issue behind the G4S Olympic security jobs debate?When they hold training sessions and not one person shows up, as has happened a few times in both Manchester and London, you have to assume that it's their communications that are totally up the spout. The other factors won't help, but if they're not getting in touch with you to arrange things, you can't be blamed for not being turning up.
