Looking for tips how to treat your security guard

[JonasandJoan]

Hi everyone,

Me and my husband recently imigrated to Bali and we're settling in little by little. Hiring staff is of course a part of it.

We just hired one security guard from the banjar to work a 9h nightshift. We pay him 1.5 Million Rp a month and asked him to come every day.

We also provide him with free drinks but we are wondering what else is common. He has a comfortable working space (he uses our office space), is allowed to smoke and we are planning to buy him a small radio. We told him to bring a magazine or book so he won't get too bored.*

What else should we think of to keep it attractive enough for him? Should we also give him food, snacks, or anything else to eat? What are your experiences?

Thanks a lot for your replies *

J&J*

 

[jkbali]

Give him a nice comfortable mattress and a fluffy down pillow so that he can sleep more comfortably........ but seriously, you have been more than generous with the salary and other extra perks you mentioned. Don't treat him as a friend, he is your employee - be fair but firmed - this is the same anywhere!!! We used to have 4 security guards and at first we were shocked when we found out the night shift guard slept. Trust me they will sleep whilst doing their night shift!!!

 

[rab]

As a future resident, I'm wondering why you need a security guard. Is this for personal or business protection?

 

[JonasandJoan]

Give him a nice comfortable mattress and a fluffy down pillow so that he can sleep more comfortably........ but seriously, you have been more than generous with the salary and other extra perks you mentioned. Don't treat him as a friend, he is your employee - be fair but firmed - this is the same anywhere!!! We used to have 4 security guards and at first we were shocked when we found out the night shift guard slept. Trust me they will sleep whilst doing their night shift!!!

Thank you. This has been useful to us. We will also do as you suggested (sleeping possibility).

 

[no.idea]

Rab, the answer is simple. You do not need a security guard. However some folk love to wander around with uniforms and a whistle. If you throw in a loud speaker you will have a friend for life.

 

[JonasandJoan]

As a future resident, I'm wondering why you need a security guard. Is this for personal or business protection?

We need this for our private villa. We read articles about burglaries and we thought better safe then sorry. In general the area we live in, is considered to be safe. Just make sure you make yourself known to the banjar (community) and the Chief of Village. They appreciate that and will look after you

 

[no.idea]

Security guards are good fun. Over the last few years I have moved and hidden a security guards motorbike while he slept. Tied the shoelace together of a security guard who was hard at work. Placed a rubbish bin over the head of another security guard. (I have actually done this to the same guy twice).
I have stolen the wallet out of another security guards pocket. I have drank six beers out of a hotel fridge while the security guard soundly slept on the lounge. I have lost count of the number of bike helmets I have hidden while the guards are diligently sleeping. Yep, security guards can be good fun.
Jkbali is spot on, get the guy a nice fluffy pillow.

 

[rab]

We need this for our private villa. We read articles about burglaries and we thought better safe then sorry. In general the area we live in, is considered to be safe. Just make sure you make yourself known to the banjar (community) and the Chief of Village. They appreciate that and will look after you

This is probably a naive question, but do they have ADT kind of security systems there?

 

[JohnnyCool]

A few quick thoughts:

1) I think you're paying him too much
2) Doesn't your banjar already have its own "security"?
3) He might like a few girlfriends to pass the time
4) A laptop computer and a Facebook account

Seriously, I think one of the biggest potential problems with hired security guards is whether they actually stay awake at night!

I'll give you a personal example. A couple of years ago, I lived in Sidakarya amongst a group of other houses (not a perumuhan but similar). Somebody had been murdered around there in the past in a botched robbery attempt. One of the wealthier residents decided to hire a special team of security guys from the banjar. Now, he wasn't totally stupid and wanted to make sure they were doing their job. The guards had to walk around all the houses every night between 12-4 am and bang on telegraph poles every hour to prove they were awake! It drove me nuts in the end.

I tried to think of other ways they could prove they were awake. Maybe send an SMS to the boss every hour instead of waking us up every hour. I moved out after eight months.

Good luck!

 

[scout]

Rab, the answer is simple. You do not need a security guard. However some folk love to wander around with uniforms and a whistle. If you throw in a loud speaker you will have a friend for life.

HYLARIOUS I have often wondered what they do with they whistle when they go home... uhmm the mind boggles :icon_lol:

 

[JonasandJoan]

We understand that not a lot of people take this subject serious. Well that's a shame...
Despite of all your funny answers/comments we just treat our guard the way we feel is best. We are treating each other with mutual respect, that's the only way to make things work. Why not improve someone's working space/environment when we all know, these men work for incredible little money... You can emigrate to a country where average wages are far below our Western standards, and you say we pay too much :icon_rolleyes:

 

[CanonMan]

Thoughts.

Hi JonasandJoan,
My take on it is that you are paying too much. OK it's been said before and yes, it's admirable that you would like to give this guy a boost in salary or conditions. BUT. Take a look through the posts and threads of the forum and you will see that there is one sad trait of the Balinese in many, not all cases, that of jealousy. Jealousy aimed towards the Bule's through misinterpretation of what the word Rich seems to mean but also massively jealous of each other, especially within the same caste. So whilst this guy may be apparently smiling in your presence, what has his new wealth and working conditions done for his personal life?? Unintentionally through your kindness you could be creating more problems for him than he needs. Be firm, be strict but be friendly.

For the security and sleeping issue I suggest a simple little trick. Many security companies now employ a little clicker machine that has a changeable pinch clip inside. This array of pins inside can be circular, triangular or square, amongst other shapes. Remember those cross country orientation races as a kid? Those shaped stamps you had to collect to prove you'd been to a stand? Well same thing applies. This machine lets you change the array of the pinch and also prints out the time next to each impression. You then set the agenda for the night routine swapping the pin arrays each night to keep track on the activities. As an 'incentive' you could attach a monthly bonus to a complete and successful week or months worth of accomplished nights patrols.

Cheers,
mark.

 

[no.idea]

We understand that not a lot of people take this subject serious. Well that's a shame...
_rolleyes:

Have you noticed that all of the replies are from people who already live in Indonesia. Your responses are not coming from people who were told by a friend or read about it somewhere.
If you wanted me to be serious I would comment that you are taking on a security guard for no real reason and you are also overpaying him.

 

[spicyayam]

One requirement for moving to Bali (and reading this forum) is to have a sense of humor. I think everyone here treats this topic seriously even if they are sharing some antecdotes. Many expats will have been robbed at least once here or maybe one of their friends. Employing a security guard is an option, but it is not infallible. Robberies are often carried out by gangs with several people hitting a house at one time. They will more than likely have some kind of weapon and you have to wonder how much of a fight your security guard might put up. Regarding the salary, one option is to start your staff on a lower salary and increase it over time if they are doing a satistactory job.

 

[Fred2]

This is probably a naive question, but do they have ADT kind of security systems there?

I'm shocked your thinking of coming here to live.
JonasandJoan, only pay your guard what everyone else in your area pays, or you will have problems.
Put in a TV or radio to keep him awake not a bed, he is there to look after you property not to sleep on the job.
Be careful or you will be taken advantage of, no matter how friendly you are, you are still a walking ATM machine:icon_mrgreen:.

 

[JonasandJoan]

Thanks everyone for your input, we do appreciate it And about our comment looking into sleeping possibilities, that WAS a joke

We did put a small TV in his 'office' though, and he seemed to appreciate it and hopefully it will keep him awake :tongue:

We have realized that we might have given him a bit higher salary then what the standard is... Oh well, so far he is very eager to work and we are happy with him. Let's hope it stays like this.

On another note, what do you all think would be an ok monthly salary, for a person working 10 hours night shift, 7 days a week?

 

[Fred2]

It depends, I pay some 500,000rp on the 28th day of the month & then depends on how good they are & qualified they are, they get a daily amount (only days they work) paid each Saturday. If all things are good & jobs done right they get a bonus at the end of the month as well. I only employ one person on a 7 day basis & he can have any day if he needs but I have others that can cover he's shift (6 till 6). He is what I call unskilled & is happy with 1,200,000rp paid only on the 28th of the month. Most skilled people, get about 1.2-1.5mill plus bonus per month. Most boys up to 25yrs old unskilled 800,000-1mill a month, Old man to stop traffic 400,000rp plus something to blow:icon_mrgreen: I hope that helps

 

[JohnnyCool]

I think that CanonMan's comment above is a very important one.

My take on it is that you are paying too much. OK it's been said before and yes, it's admirable that you would like to give this guy a boost in salary or conditions. BUT. Take a look through the posts and threads of the forum and you will see that there is one sad trait of the Balinese in many, not all cases, that of jealousy. Jealousy aimed towards the Bule's through misinterpretation of what the word Rich seems to mean but also massively jealous of each other, especially within the same caste. So whilst this guy may be apparently smiling in your presence, what has his new wealth and working conditions done for his personal life?? Unintentionally through your kindness you could be creating more problems for him than he needs. Be firm, be strict but be friendly.

The jealousy "issue" can crop up in many different and unexpected ways.
For example: A foreigner decides to personally sponsor the educational expenses of one or two children in a small village. Those "fortunate" children can quite easily face jealousy from their fellow students. Even the families of the children.

I strongly believe, (from personal experiences over many years), that singling out individuals for preferential treatment often creates more harm than good, no matter how well-intentioned. I think that providing any "help" at a village level should be seen to be benefiting the whole village, not just the chosen few. For that reason, it is far better in my view to contribute to knowledgeable/experienced charities than going it alone.

The principle is more or less the same when hiring staff. Initially "overpaying" someone who hasn't shown they can or will do the jobs they're paid for properly is plain silly, and can raise unwarranted expectations. What if they're no good? Are you going to suddenly pay them less? Spelling out exactly what the expected duties are and offering a pay rise (or bonus) in the future is more sensible.

 

[Nige]

I agree all of the above about wages.

I had a friend, she employed a security guard. He didnt sleep on the job. He waited for her to go to sleep, then went home to sleep. As her routine was quite regular. He always managed to get back to "work" before she woke up.

Her maid used to borrow clothes from her wardrobe and return them unwashed

 

[phil170258]

Dear OP, have you seriously, as you wrote, 'immigrated' to Indonesia or have you, like most of us, here just living a very comfortable expat life? Because if, indeed, you have immigrated ie you intend to assilimilate into Indonesian society, then I would humby suggest that you forget the security guard, forget the private villa, and get out there and live amongst your fellow countrymen.