Diversity, Ethics and Professional Conduct
Ethics and integrity
Security work depends on public trust. Core ethical duties include honesty, impartiality, confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, refusing gifts that could influence judgment, and using authority only for its intended purpose. Know the difference between a bribe and a courtesy, and that "everyone does it" is never a defence. Guards must not use their position for personal advantage, retaliate against complainants, or access information out of curiosity.
Diversity and human rights
Manitoba human rights law prohibits discrimination on protected grounds in services and employment, including race, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital and family status, and source of income. Guards must provide equal service, make reasonable accommodations, and avoid profiling. Bias - explicit or implicit - affects who gets watched, challenged or reported. Cultural awareness means recognizing differences in eye contact, personal space, and communication style without treating difference as threat.
Professional conduct
Expect standards on appearance, punctuality, sobriety, respect, use of social media, and reporting misconduct. Confidentiality continues after employment ends.
Traps
Questions test whether you would search someone more closely because of appearance, share incident details online, accept a cash gift to overlook a rule, or stay silent about a colleague's excessive force. Silence is complicity; report through proper channels.
Rule of thumb
Ask: would I treat every person at this site the same way in this situation? If not, identify why, and correct it.
Worked example
A guard notices a colleague repeatedly challenging shoppers of one background. The guard documents specific observations and reports to the supervisor. That is not disloyalty; it is the professional duty to uphold equal treatment and protect the employer from liability.
Occupational Health and Safety and Personal Wellness
Rights and responsibilities
Manitoba workplace safety law gives workers three core rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in safety, and the right to refuse work that is a danger to health or safety that is not normal to the job. Employers must identify hazards, provide training and protective equipment, and investigate incidents. Workers must follow safe procedures, use equipment as trained, and report hazards and injuries.
Hazards in security work
Know the categories: physical (slips, trips, weather, noise), ergonomic (prolonged standing, lifting), biological (blood and body fluids), chemical, psychosocial (violence, verbal abuse, shift work, fatigue), and violence as a recognized workplace hazard. Understand lone working risks and controls, incident reporting, and the importance of not cleaning up bodily fluids without proper training and equipment.
Personal wellness
Shift work, night shifts, long standing hours, and exposure to conflict affect sleep, stress and judgment. Know the basics of fatigue management, hydration, physical conditioning, and stress management, and that impairment from alcohol, cannabis, medication or fatigue must be reported and must not be worked through. Peer support and employee assistance programs exist for a reason.
Traps
Exams test whether you would refuse unsafe work without reporting it (report and follow procedure), whether you would skip protective equipment for speed, and whether you would drive while impaired by fatigue. Another trap is assuming violence is "part of the job" - it is a hazard to be controlled.
Rule of thumb
If a task feels unsafe, stop, secure the area, report, and wait for direction. Document the hazard, not just the injury.
Worked example
A guard is asked to clean a washroom where blood is present, with no spill kit or training. The guard declines, isolates the area, notifies the supervisor, and records the request and the hazard. That is a lawful safety refusal, not insubordination.