SBRC Associate Mark Anderson explains the concept of our recently created award, and how it could improve the resilience of your operations.
Having retired from the Police Service of Scotland and serving most of my time within the field of Crime Prevention, laterally within the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), I was asked by the CEO, Jude McCorry to return to the fold as an Associate and continue to roll out the Scottish Business Resilience Award (SBRA) which I had established prior to my retirement.
As with all businesses however, my endeavours to interact, educate and deliver presentations were curtailed with the outbreak of Covid-19. In line with the ethos of business resilience which is central to our core functions at the SBRC, we adapted by trialling online teaching, webinars and even film to deliver help and guidance to the business communities throughout Scotland.
The Scottish Business Resilience Award was devised by myself and fellow seconded police officers within the Centre over a year and a half ago. The awards cover a wrath of topics specifically designed to offer advice and training to management and staff within the retail and tourism sectors throughout Scotland. The core intention is to offer training and advice regarding business resilience across many varying strands of business related issues. The training packages, although presented in a formal setting, are designed to be interactive and offer the opportunity for attendees to engage and participate throughout.
The awards were developed following consultation with numerous representatives from within the targeted sectors. These included large retail shopping centres, hotel chains, the Scottish Grocers Federation and independent grocers and sole traders. That said, the consultation was conducted pre-Covid and we have tweaked the content to reflect concerns and questions which are now pertinent to businesses effectively opening up again to a ‘new normal’.
During the initial consultation for example, retail establishments highlighted shoplifting and anti-social behaviour as their main concerns. During the lockdown period however, new challenges arose. I was frequently asked for guidance about the enforcement of mask wearing, for example, and concerns were raised about the escalation of verbal and physical abuse. As such the content of the three original categories changed to meet the needs of the businesses.
The three categories established from the consultations are as follows:
Following on from the successful uptake by hotels, major retail establishments and private sector businesses, the Platinum Award was developed.
Unlike the Bronze, Silver and Gold Packages, the Platinum Award offers a bespoke training package for businesses. This was developed specifically for each business based upon their individual requirements and priorities. Each business undertaking the programme will be visited by the trainer who will assess their needs and thereafter present a comprehensive programme which will include the desired topics as listed above with the opportunity to include a number of topics not included in the initial SBRA.
The topics included are: Incident Management, Insider Threat, Money Laundering, Protest Activity and Bystander Training.
Whilst it has been recognised that the value of the SBRA suits many businesses, the availability of bespoke training suits many organisations who have specific and unique issues in respect of resilience. As the trainer, I will arrange to meet with your management team to discuss your needs and concerns and design the package that best suits you and your business. I will ensure that the topics covered are relevant and bespoke for your organisation. The presentations are always delivered in a structured, yet informal, setting allowing the audience to participate and interact throughout.
In particular for businesses adapting to the challenges Covid has presented us, we recognise that relevant information about resilience through all aspects of business is invaluable.
I have delivered the SBRA to a wide variety of establishments utilising different mediums and have received great feedback from them all. Below are a couple of testimonials:
Our staff who attended the Bronze Award training for the SBRA found the session very useful and we look forward to progressing through both Silver and Gold Awards to further our knowledge on crime prevention and threat mitigation. By taking part in the programme we hope it will provide reassurance for customers and staff alike by showing them that we put resilience at the heart of our operations.
Simon Garrow, Operations Manager, Raddison Blu, Edinburgh
The feedback has been very positive, pitched at the right level and suitable for those that need a basic understanding as well as those who are responsible. I think the honest answering really helped and that each presenter was very open and honest about their own service, plus we loved the nuggets on lived experiences of those involved. It is rare that trainers have on the job experience.
Janice Fisher, General Manager, Novotel, Glasgow
Please feel free to contact me or my colleagues at the SBRC for more information. There are of course more details on our website. I look forward to chatting with you soon.
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