Matrix Security strengthened ties and served to greater protection

When COVID-19 lockdown struck, the Matrix Security team knew it was no time to stand still. Instead we stood united and community focused. From call centre staff, to guards, to managers, our entire team took on extra responsibilities and increased support.

Providing additional security measures to aid government agencies such as the police, Ministry for Primary Industries, Kāinga Ora and quarantine centres; continued 24/7 security services to all customers, ensuring full pay for all staff and pay increases for uniformed staff, and creating many new jobs. Positivity and support played a central role across all operations.

Here to care

Ensuring greater peace-of-mind for staff and customers alike, wasn’t just an option for Matrix Security when tough times hit – it was a responsibility. So, we worked harder to look after our customers around the clock and across all lockdown levels.

“Our business is a critical one, so continued 24/7 operations just had to happen no matter what – customers rely on us to keep them and their premises safe at all times, lockdown or no lockdown,” explains Scott Carter, Matrix Security CEO.

Unwavering commitment to customers and staff, required ongoing communications to all teams that were both informative and up-to-date. This ensured all Matrix Security staff could efficiently carry out their roles in accordance with strict health and safety protocols, workplace regulations, without the worries of potential lockdown breaches or putting their own lives at risk.

A specific Covid-19 Operations Manual was prepared within days of the Level 4 lockdown, ensuring best-practice performance across many critical sites. Ongoing transparent communications regarding pay and pay increases, were also prioritised.

“Ensuring we carried out our planned wage increases for uniformed staff in April remained a top priority, as well as assuring full pay to all staff across lockdown,” explains Scott.

“Reassuring our people that their health and jobs were safe was just as important as keeping our customers safe across turbulent times. Everyone deserves peace-of-mind.”

Beyond the call of duty

As an essential service, the entire Matrix Security team was prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to assist businesses and government agencies who required extensive security operations. So, patrol officers – long serving and new – joined forces to protect critical infrastructure: an airport, a power station, food processing facilities, quarantine centres, medical amenities, closed schools and vacant construction sites. And, serving alongside them, Matrix Security managers donned uniforms to strengthen the force in numbers, ensuring everyone stayed safe and performed to high standards.

Assisting others during lockdown didn’t just come in the form of additional security. Matrix Security took full advantage of its essential services position, to reach out to those individuals and businesses facing unemployment.

“As a business we were in a fortunate position to employ many Kiwis who had suddenly found themselves out of work,” says Scott.

“This didn’t just mean handing out a job, it opened doors to new careers for many people, helping them learn new skills and forge new pathways ahead.”

Staying adaptable

Taking full advantage of a dire situation and turning it into positives, is what the Matrix Security team set out to do across the state of emergency. And, we’ve continued to embrace certain lockdown skills and tools into ‘new normal’ operations – including virtual meetings.

“Our sales and most administrative staff have always been able to work remotely. However, increased engagement with virtual meetings (VM) via platforms like MS Teams, Zoom and Chime, across lockdown, really stepped up our ability to operate this way,” explains Scott. “So, we are now keen to extend VM capability to staff at our operational sites in the Waikato and Taranaki.”