Attendant guard

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as an attendant guard in a government office building. I work with a partner. In practice, this means a division of labour where my partner is mainly responsible for guarding and I am responsible for general matters and issues related to the property.  

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I ended up in the security sector in 2006, half by accident. I was not particularly interested in the sector as such but I reckoned that I could earn an additional income as a guard on top of my day job. As it happened, my fixed-term day job ended and I started to work full time as a guard. At the beginning, I worked at varying sites until a permanent guard post became available at the government office building. I got the job, and I am still there. 

Describe your typical working day or week.

The most important task of a guard is to ensure general safety in the office building, which means a lot of CCTV surveillance and maintaining a visible presence. In other respects, my daily tasks vary greatly as the people working in the building contact guards with all sorts of issues. If some equipment doesn’t work, a material has run out or people need instructions on how to use something, the guard is normally the first point of contact. In a way, the guard acts as a link between the property owner and government agencies as the tenant.  

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I spend my whole working day in the office building; this is a regular day job with office hours. It is not that common in this sector as guards normally work shifts.  

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

There are many kinds of work in the security sector, which means that competence requirements vary significantly from one place to another. In this job, it is really important to get along with different people. If you are not the sociable type, you probably should not work as a guard in an office building. 

As there are different data systems in use, you need to be computer literate. Language skills are important. The minimum requirement is being fluent in English as many non-Finnish customers visit the building. Due to its diversity, the job also requires initiative and problem-solving skills. 

What is the best thing about your profession?

I get along well with the people working in the building; I enjoy working with them. The work is also diverse and varied, and I do not need to worry about work issues in my free time. It is also clean indoor work, which is a positive, at least for me. 

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

Guards often work irregular shifts, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. At some sites, you need to be on standby on a more routine basis, which can become boring after a while. There are also sites where guards could be shown more respect – usually by customers, but sometimes also by the staff. My workplace is great in the sense that I do not have to suffer from any of the above issues. 

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a guard?

It is a good idea to find out first what the job of a guard is really like. Some might think the job is exciting and action-packed. Unfortunately, this is a misconception. If possible, you should have a good chat with someone who has been in the job for a while. 

How do you see the future of your profession?

In the security sector, you could almost talk of a labour shortage. Even though the general security situation in Finland is good, there are plenty of jobs available. Increasingly, the duties at different sites have transcended the traditional job description of a guard to include customer service or the use of data systems. In other words, the tasks are becoming more diverse all the time.