From Corporate Security to Restaurant Loss Prevention and Safety
The career of Rob Holm of McDonald’s
Robert “Rob” Holm is senior director of safety and security for the US Operations of McDonald’s USA. He began his career in corporate security with Honeywell before holding a variety of security management positions with 3M, Imation Corporation, the Tribune Company, and Navistar. Holm earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bemidji State University as well as numerous leadership certificates from Georgetown University and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He is president of the Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association… Read the full article.
How to Increase Foot Traffic Without Compromising Retail Store Security
The 21st century posed a major conundrum for the retailers: how to fight online competition and improve brick-and-mortar store performance, and how to increase retail foot traffic without compromising store security and safety measures.
According to the Retail Pulse report released by RetailNext, retail sales and foot traffic in U.S. physical locations declined by 7.7 percent in January 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. “The fiscal year closed with the same retail trends, with traffic and sales being down. The conversion was consistent, up .2 percentage points, and average transaction value (ATV) and sales per shopper were essentially flat,” said RetailNext’s Head of Business Analytics Chitra Balasubramanian in an interview with PYMNTS… Read the full article.
Workplace Violence: The Tragedies Continue
How to protect yourself during an active shooter incident.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7 percent of all workplace fatalities are the result of intentional homicide. While active shooter scenarios in the workplace are relatively rare, they result in fatal injuries more often than fires and explosions, getting caught in equipment or machinery, and exposure to hazardous substances combined. The latest statistics for full year 2014 indicate there were 403 workplace violence homicides, with 307 or 76 percent classified as intentional shootings. Nearly 17 percent of the victims were women, 83 percent were men. It’s true that armed robberies make up about half of all work-related homicides, but attacks by coworkers, students and relatives make up the rest… Read the full article.
“Soft Targets” Require a Proactive Emergency Response Plan
A good emergency operations plan is essential for every business, large and small.
Developing a proactive emergency response plan may be a topic that makes people uncomfortable, but for those who work in a public environment, especially mass gathering points and open access businesses, the fact that these environments are “soft targets” for terrorism can’t be ignored.
The horrific acts of savagery and bloodshed executed in recent months–Paris, Bamako, Brussels, Nice, Orlando–mark an ominous turn in terroristic strategy, highlighting the vulnerable nature of public gathering places as ideal targets for terrorism… Read full article.
Crisis Management: What Walgreens, 7-Eleven, and Other Crisis-Prepared Retailers Have in Common
Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland painted a grim picture of the nation’s safety. The candidate recited a laundry list of recent global crises and pounded a message of danger—it’s everywhere and growing. A week later, in Philadelphia, Democrats endeavored to laugh-off that characterization and paint a much sunnier portrait of the state of the nation, insisting, for example, that—upticks in violence notwithstanding—crime remains at historic lows.
Regardless of which characterization more closely tracks reality, there is no denying that turmoil does exist. Crises regularly occur. And while it’s possible that Trump’s characterization was an exaggeration—he has, on occasion, been known to—he was perhaps spot on in capturing a feeling that the nation and the world today is a powder keg… Read full article.