Shortages in security labour market prompt The Keyholding Company to relaunch temporary guarding service

In response to the present challenges of hiring quality, reliable security guarding services due to labour shortages, The Keyholding Company has relaunched its emergency and temporary guarding service.

Over the last 6-12 months, the issue of labour shortages in the UK has been widely highlighted, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting a record 1.2 million job vacancies in the three months to November 2021, and more than a half of businesses stating they were unable to meet demand as a result.

The reasons behind this are myriad, and are better left to market analysts to ascertain, but the security industry has been one of the many sectors impacted. In October, The Guardian reported that a “bouncer shortage” was affecting UK nightlife, while a month later the UK Door Security Association argued that the shortages could lead to a “threat to public safety”.

In response, The Keyholding Company (TKC) has relaunched its emergency and temporary guarding service which gives guarding and facilities managers a “subs bench” of SIA-licenced guards they can call on as cover for holiday, sickness, vacancies and unplanned absence. Designed to support both direct clients and clients serviced through channel partners, this renewed focus comes in response to the current nationwide shortage of trained security officers caused by COVID-19 and other industry challenges that have decimated resources.

The company believes the relaunch is exciting for the industry because it’s ‘tech-first’. Combining its technology with a network of 200 “highly accredited” local partners, the service allows clients to access a pool of 11,000 officers online, explains the vendor. Guarding jobs can be booked directly through the platform which it says ensures rapid job delivery, clear audit trails and job status monitoring.

Sean Hargreaves, Solutions Director, TKC: “Direct clients and guarding suppliers we have supported with mobile security for years are finding it increasingly difficult to ensure consistent coverage of full-time guarding positions. In the past it was possible to find resource to provide cover last minute, but now it’s a constant source of stress. Plus, when they can find the guards there are concerns about reliability, with many managers being let down at the 11th hour.”

Managers are also said to benefit from TKC’s focus on technology. As with any service offered on-demand, clients can place a security guard request online through their client platform. Job requests are then published to the network and the job is won by the first approved partner to accept it.

Charlie Gordon Lennox, CEO, TKC: “This relaunched service transforms the way we are delivering emergency and temporary guarding. Adding a scheduling team, building new online management tools and introducing new guarding workflows in our custom-built workflow app ensures we can offer reliable, trained guards quickly.”