Security Matters. (TM)
By Mary Christidis, Manager, Customer Service
We had our first monthly TEA and TALK and it was a great success!
Every month, we will invite a small group of OSR agents to hear feedback over a cup a tea. Feedback is a critical component to a successful operation and I appreciate all the open dialogue.
By Mina Khani, OSR Training Coordinator
We had the pleasure of a GTAA Terminal Service Representative (TSR) joining us in our class from Nov 18 – Nov 26.
TSR Anna Scida joined us for this training to oversee the information passed on during the training and provide feedback to improve the quality of the training. The picture below was taken during job-shadowing in Terminal 1.
By Josh Holowatenko, RES/CIC Recruiter
The RES/CIC Division ranges from a multitude of positions, from casual guards to supervisors, specialists, mobile, etc. We pride ourselves in not only finding the right fits for these specific roles externally, but also finding these hard-working individuals internally.
Read below for just some of the opportunities the RES/CIC division offers:
These above roles will work directly with the City of Toronto, which could open up doors elsewhere.
This is for everyone reading this article that has been looking for a promotion, step up, career path, or just a change. Please don’t hesitate to email me (indicated below). I am always more than willing to answer my emails, bring you in, and sit down with you to discuss the options we have. We are always looking to promote within and we have many sites that we could discuss.
By Lisa Marsan, Employee Development Manager
The Residential & Commercial Division is offering a newly designed Active Attacker course. We will be scheduling courses at the new North York office and at specific sites. Stay tuned for more details. Please email Mike Moledzki, Training Coordinator (mmoledzki@security-asp.com) for a copy of the training calendars. Contact the Resource Planning Team at 416-481-0022 to schedule your attendance for a course, and be sure to obtain approval from your Supervisor or Manager before registering.
By Lisa Marsan, Employee Development Manager
With the new year rapidly approaching, 2020 training calendars for the Residential & Commercial Division are now available.
In addition to the usual course offerings, including Standard First Aid with CPR/AED, Use of Force and Customer Service, we’re now offering the one-day Emergency First Aid with CPR/AED, facilitated by our certified Rescue 7 instructors. All First Aid and CPR courses are available to both Security Guards and Crossing Guards. Several courses are scheduled on school holidays and PA days to allow more employees to attend.
Emergency First Aid with CPR & AED (1 day):
Standard First Aid with CPR & AED Level ‘C’ (2 days):
By Cliff Sampogna, Regional Manager, RES/CIC Division
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank one of my peers for all his help and support over the last several months. I wanted to say a huge thank you to Paul Parkinson.
Paul is an integral part of the organization and I can honestly say that he has been a big influence on me and has gone way above and beyond to support me and my needs, regardless if they are in his job scope or not. Paul is one of those people that will go beyond his own duties for the organization and will truly help an individual when needed.
Paul, I know I have said thank you many times for all the support and assistance, but I wanted to say it one more time, as it has been invaluable knowledge that you have provided me in many ways. So again, thank you!
By Natasha Stephenson-Belle, Manager, Resource Planning
Hardeep Khaneja joined the ASP family in 2007 as a security guard on the Residential contract – Ovation. His growth in this role was tremendous. He progressed into the supervision role because of his devotion to succeed, and most importantly, the support and guidance he offered his fellow colleagues.
In 2019, Hardeep continued his career progression into Resource Planning as a Scheduler. Within Hardeep’s current position of Resource Planner, we consistently see his drive to not give up until the open shifts are staffed.
From the moment he starts his commute to the office, Hardeep is often fully engaged with our front-line employees, asking them to deploy to locations that are short-staffed last minute, or to simply coach our guards on their duties for the day. For this reason, you will often find Hardeep on his cell phone with his earpiece in, only hearing small bits of his conversation as he walks by. There hasn’t been a moment when Hardeep has taken his break or lunch without scheduling guards or discussing a strategy for staffing. This is what he claims clears his head when he needs to regroup.
Every day, Hardeep comes into work to deliver. He is patient, respectful to all, and takes the time to listen to any concerns our guards might have. If he doesn’t have the answer for them, he will take it upon himself to have the correct subject matter expert advise on the next steps for a resolution.
Without hesitation, he sets the expectation for himself that ASP must exceed all client staffing needs daily. Although these are standards that he has set for himself, without realizing it, he has established a higher benchmark of scheduling success for his fellow colleagues. The rest of our team identifies this dedication in Hardeep, which we see as a benefit, as it drives our team to put in maximum efforts to cover shifts.
For 2019, Hardeep has been an outstanding employee who has been reliable due to his dedication to ASP’s success. He is proud of our company and the contracts we service. He has demonstrated great scheduling tactics last-minute, which has delivered us out of many challenging situations.
Thank you for all your help and commitment to ASP, Hardeep!! You are truly a great asset to our company.
By Darren Scott, Scheduling Coordinator
The concept of “scheduling” is not new; the pyramids are over 3000 years old, Sun Tzu wrote of scheduling strategies 2500 years ago, transcontinental railways have been built for 200 years, etc. None of these activities could have been accomplished without a form of scheduling.
Shift work has existed from ancient times, based on the need for watchmen of kingdoms and military. Our modern-day shiftwork traces back to the late 1800s. With the invention of the lightbulb and the increased costs of assets and start-up times, industries like steel mills, iron foundries, and textile mills were urged to run production 24/7.
At first, the schedule patterns split the workforce into a day and night crew that typically rotated. The first crew would work for 13 straight days on 12-hour shifts, followed by a continuous 24-hour shift. This exhausting day was immediately followed by 13 straight night shifts, with one day off at the end before starting this work pattern again.
This schedule resulted in high rates of accidents and injuries. With few regulations, employers had little incentive to consider a more humane design when running a 24/7 operation. Thankfully, this practice ended with the development of new and better-balanced schedule patterns designed to decrease workplace injuries. Two of these patterns have dominated all 24/7 industries.
The most popular used pattern is called the DuPont Rotation or Pitman Schedule. This pattern’s biggest advantage is “every other weekend off”, by setting up 12-hour shifts on a 2-on 3-off, 2-on 2-off, 3-on 2 off, 14-day rotation. An organization using this pattern will require four crews, consisting of two day crews and two night crews. The favourability of weekends off makes this pattern highly desirable by both workers and employers.
Scheduling has come a long way and is now automated through software. There are many patterns and algorithms available to balance the needs of the workers and employers.
By Michael Moledzki, Training Coordinator - Residential/Commercial Division
On Thursday November 14th 2019, I was lucky enough to attend a special event with our client, Shelter Movers. Shelter Movers is a National Organization that provides free moving and storage services to women and children fleeing abuse.
This is such a great non-profit organization that we are teaming with. ASP RES/CIC provides security guards for each move. Guards are there to ensure that the movers and the family moving are protected and secure during such a critical time.
The event was called A Moving Affair: Expanding Horizons, and was hosted at Arcadian Court in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was held for the people that have put in all the long hours, and hard work to make sure their company is helping people for many years to come. It was also a night that saw 52 donations of $200 (cost of 1 family move) for the next year. I got to enjoy a great event of live music, dinner and drinks with friends. I also met a few awesome people, including Lucy DeCoutere (Trailer Park Boys) and Dwayne De Rosario (Canadian Soccer Legend).
If you would like to make a donation or volunteer on a move, please visit www.sheltermovers.com.
By Noah Thompson, Senior Manager, Projects and Information Systems
ASP cares about the communities in which we operate. We have participated in numerous client charity events throughout our years of operation. This past September, ASP participated in ALS Canada Plane Pull to End ALS 2019 at Billy Bishop Toronto City Center Airport.
Pulling a plane is difficult, but it’s nothing compared to the weight that 3,000 Canadians and their families carry with them every day living with ALS. Participation and fundraising help to create a better reality and a brighter future for people living with ALS.
The turnout was phenomenal and assisted ALS Canada to set a record year for fundraising of over $170,000 in 2019.
We would like to thank Nieuport Aviation for inviting us to participate in this fantastic event!
