How the Labor Shortage Is Impacting the Hospitality and Gaming Industries

Whether you’re dealing with disputes, workplace violence, internal hazards, or a public relations crisis within your organization, managing and maintaining a safe and secure environment is paramount to your mission. Remaining vigilant yet agile is a 24-hour job.

More importantly, the rising trend of violence in society is giving way to a new normal. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that private industry employers reported 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2020. According to the National Safety Council, in 2020, assaults resulted in 20,050 injuries and illnesses involving days away from work and 392 fatalities.

Now, more than ever, the security industry needs to overhaul its practices and adopt an all-hands, all-hazards approach, but it couldn’t come at a more challenging time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.5 million people quit their jobs in November of 2021 – including 1 million hospitality workers. A number of those people also came from the public security sector. Major cities around the US are facing historic departures of public safety officers, including New York, which saw 15% of its force leave in 2020, and Louisville, KY, which has seen more than a 20% decrease in the size of its police force.

You’re well aware of the risks associated with these labor shortages for staff, guests, and your organization including:

• Response time and level of care degrading
• Burnout and mental health issues
• Extended response times
• Not being in the right place at the right time
• Significant events taking too many resources or not having enough resources to handle those events properly

Unfortunately, too many organizations are still relying on outdated, cumbersome binders, word docs, and shared folders – intensifying the manual workload and potential for error, especially with an understaffed department.

Staying ahead of threats while keeping pace with best practices can tax your organization and leave the door open for internal threats and hidden vulnerabilities. Regardless of labor shortages, it’s essential to keep everyone safe and stay in control and compliant with federal and state safety directives.

A software solution that can streamline every phase of incident planning, recovery, and response can help reduce required labor hours by automating a number of processes. It can also help ensure your team is exactly where they’re needed and focused on what’s most important, which is especially crucial if you’re not fully staffed.

Contact us to learn more or check out our full suite of gaming and hospitality security solutions.