Provide comprehensive training to all staff on how to record the right information and document important, but confidential, details.
Nightlife businesses are dynamic, energetic, and constantly moving. It’s important to have a process for recording incidents so that they can later be reflected on, such as when you’re designing for safety, or if a serious incident has occurred and police request information on the incident.
Your process for recording needs to consider the different teams within your business so they communicate incidents in the same way, preferably centralised. For example, if your security team respond to an incident and remove a person from the venue – has this been communicated to your management team, or venue staff?
Recording adequate details about incidents also support your staff to know how to respond in the future, identify repeat behaviour, and feel empowered to prepare for a situation which might arise. It helps standardise your response across all staff members, including when you have agency staff, contractors, visiting promoters or new staff members.
Staff should know that no matter how minor an incident might seem, it must be recorded – in an appropriate amount of detail and in a factual manner without personal opinions.
Where it involves a staff member or contracted staff, such as security, or a visiting artist, they should also know that each situation is dealt with fairly, regardless of who else is involved. This is important as it can reduce fear of victimisation acknowledging that people who do speak up about harassment should not ‘become’ the problem in the eyes of their employer. Your staff should know their rights.
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