How the understaffed security industry could shatter dreams of nightclubs reopening

By Shahzad Ali, CEO of Get Licensed

While COVID-19 has devastated industries worldwide, there are none that have been more affected than the nightclub industry.

Shutting their doors for the last time in March 2020, it has been over a year since the UK danced in a nightclub until the early hours of the morning.

And while thousands of clubs prepared to return to normal ahead of June 21st, the rise of the delta variant has set them back once again.

85 percent of the industry’s staff revealed they are considering leaving following a tough year, made only worse by the severe shortage of security guards, vital for the nightlife industry.

Shahzad Ali, CEO of Get Licensed discusses how the shortage could prevent nightlife from reopening, the importance of security for the industry and what needs to be done to tackle the challenges that may lay ahead.

Industries go hand-in-hand

– Examining the important impact that security workers have had on the nightlife industry: Managing premises access, enforcing rules, handling dangerous situations and protection.

– It is a legal requirement for anyone working within the security sector to have the necessary training and qualifications from an SIA approved licence to tackle any issues they are faced with.

– Discussing the importance of security staff in the nightlife industry, issuing statistics and relevant information on the well-established relationship between the two industries and where it stemmed from.

A global shortage

– According to reports, new door supervisor SIA licence applications in the past 12 months are significantly down on previous years.

– Exploring why security guards are opting to work for other venues rather than returning to jobs in nightlife.

– Explaining how the rising costs and requirements for licenses and renewals are damaging to the security sector and the nighttime industry in a time of global crisis.

Winning them back

– Why there is more to be done in the security sector to encourage staff to return to these roles.

– How this process can be done: eliminating zero-hour contracts, improving working conditions and ensuring the cost of training is worthwhile.

– Exploring the role of training providers to encourage staff to return, how we can reassure reluctant staff what nightclub bosses can be doing to ensure their security staff are respected in future roles.