It’s not my favourite household chore. I would have taken it out,but my gut told me not to. You see, there was an unusual truck in our condo complex, the driver seemed to be having trouble finding the house he wanted, and he went back & forth in front of my house a couple of times, finally stopping in front of my neighbour’s house. Of course, it was after dark, and my partner wasn’t home, so there were no lights on in the house. The driver could easily see that I was alone in the car, and that the garage was empty when I opened it.
Now, I was just coming home from the Halton HRPA dinner meeting. The topic at the meeting was “safeguarding your assets”…how to keep yourself & your employees safe at home & at work, and protecting the assets of the company so that it can be more profitable.
So security. And it was fresh in my mind. So, no garbage.
The speaker at the meeting was Dean Correia, of Correia Security Resources. His presentation was engaging, as he had numerous examples of things gone wrong…workplace violence, robbery, shrinkage of your inventory, time theft…a lot of those stories I remember from the headlines, or from training in my previous life as a restaurant manager. One thing he said, was to trust your gut – both ladies & gentlemen! If your not comfortable getting on an elevator with a stranger, don’t. Who cares if he takes offence? And you’ll only be delayed by the time it takes for another elevator to arrive. At least you’ll be safe.
We also need to be able to recognize the signs of violence. There are early warning signs that an individual may have the potential to become violent, such as dehumanizing others, challenging authority, alienating customers or clients. When it gets to fighting or inviting fights, or displaying weapons, the individual is realizing his/her potential to be violent.
Here are some ways that Dean suggests to protect yourself at home or at work:
Going to or from work, make sure you check the transit schedules so that you don’t have to wait long at a bus/subway stop. Always be alert, walk confidently. Keep your vehicle fueled and maintained. Park in well lit secure areas – if you can’t park close to the door when you arrive at work, move your vehicle during your break. Use a buddy system: leave work in pairs.
Always keep your cell phone charged. Even pretending to make the call can deter someone following you. Many years ago, I traveled a lot along highway 403 between London & Hamilton, when Bernando/Homolko were stalking women along that highway. One time I felt that I was being followed: I slowed down, they slowed down, I sped up, they sped up, they had opportunities to pass me but didn’t. I got out my ginormous phone (it was one of the first cell phones ever invented) and called home to give them the license plate. The car soon disappeared. Did the phone call scare them off? I like to think so.
Another thing about cell phones, program your emergency contact in as “ICE”! Emergency responders are now trained to look for ICE – In Case of Emergency – on cell phones.
If you find yourself facing a robbery, Dean will tell you to comply with a reasonable demand! Give them your purse/iPod/cell phone! You can replace anything but people! Don’t be a hero. Do try to be a good witness – observe distinguishing features such as age, height, weight, clothing, skin/eye color.
Dean also had many suggestions for protecting yourself while away from home. I like the idea of a throwaway wallet…keep a wallet with you that has expired credit cards in it, if you’re being robbed, you can give the attacker that wallet, and know that you’re real cards are still with you. Just be sure this only happens once during your vacation/business trips, as I’m sure you don’t want to carry a dozen throwaway wallets!
Here’s more ways to protect yourself while traveling:
Do advance research! Know the city, your hotel, the weather etc. I was starting a new job once and had to go to Chicago for training. I didn’t have very much notice, so I didn’t do my research. At the busy Chicago airport, I called for a taxi, they told me to watch for cab #97. Well, a van came up with the #97 on it, and I got in. I didn’t know where I was going, didn’t know how long it should take me to get there, and realized a long way from the airport that I hadn’t even checked to see if the van had the taxi company logo on it! No one would have known where I was if I didn’t show up to work the next day!
In hotels, the safest floors are 3-7: floors 1 & 2 can be targets for theft, and rescue equipment may not be able to reach floors higher than 7. Know the evacuation routes – count the doors from your room to the exit (On a plane, count the number of seats from yours to the nearest exit). Also, only use hotel approved vehicles or taxis.
Back to my garbage: when Fred got home, he commented about me not having taken out the garbage. After sharing this story, he said “Thanks for not taking out the garbage”. Our garage is now quite stinky while we wait a week for the next garbage day, but that’s an issue we can deal with knowing everyone’s safe.
Be safe!
Nancy
Women in Food Industry Management 