Why We Pay Guards a Living Wage, and Why It Matters to You

In security, you get what the guard is paid for. I spent almost ten years as a guard before starting Onward, and the pattern was the same everywhere: the companies that paid the least were always hiring, and the clients were the ones who paid for it.

What turnover does to your site

When a company pays minimum wage, guards leave as soon as anything better comes up. It was normal to see a new face on a post every couple of weeks. That means:

• guards who do not know your property, your procedures, or your people
• training that walks out the door before it pays off
• a different level of service every week

What changes when the pay is fair

Guards stay. At Onward, the guard who learned your site last month is the one who shows up this month.

Training compounds. When a guard stays for years, the time spent learning your site and your preferences keeps paying off.

Professionalism goes up. Guards who are treated well bring that to their interactions with your staff, your customers, and the public.

Accountability goes up. A long-term guard builds a relationship with your team and takes ownership of the post.

Comparing two providers

Provider A wins on hourly rate and pays minimum wage. You get constant new faces, more incidents, and management time spent re-explaining the site.

Provider B pays a living wage and charges one flat rate. You get the same experienced guards, fewer incidents, and a supervisor you can reach.

The cheapest hourly rate is rarely the cheapest security.

Why we do it

I started Onward because I had seen the low-pay model from the inside and did not want to run a company that way. Paying guards properly costs more per hour and less per year, and the difference shows up on your site.

If you want to see what that looks like in practice, request a quote and ask to meet the guards before the first shift.