Guards who work in booths have to stand and sit for long periods during their shifts. Also, the nature of the work is such that they cannot leave their booths to get something to eat and/or drink except on their breaks and lunch. Sometimes, people get peckish and/or thirsty at times other than their breaks, particularly on exceptionally hot or cold days. There are many things you can build into your guard booth to enable the guards to have some refreshment during their shifts.
1. Food Storage
The first thing you have to have if you’re going to store food in a guard booth is a refrigerator. The refrigerator you select must correspond with the size of the guard booth itself. Necessarily, you won’t be able to have a giant stainless-steel refrigerator. But you could probably fit a good-sized over-under unit in a reasonably large guard booth. When designing and/or building the guard booth, you’ll have to allow space for the refrigerator and other food storage and preparation items. You shouldn’t build the guard booth and then try to put these items inside it after the fact.
You’ll also need adequate cupboard space for incidentals, such as dry condiments, canned items, coffee, nondairy creamer, and so on. There also has to be space for flatware, utensils, cups and glasses, a small assortment of pots and pans to use with the hotplate, and other similar items.
2. Food Preparation
Of course, you won’t be able to build a full kitchen into your guard booth, but you can make enough room for a few small appliances in an appliance garage that slides into a counter. Generally, a microwave, a coffee pot, and a hot plate are three reasonable choices for food prep. It’s also not unreasonable to have a blender to make smoothies or to chop ice for other cold drinks during hot weather. You’ll need adequate counter space for these items.
The most important thing for everything you plan to build into your guard booth is the collection of electrical outlets needed to power the appliances. You certainly don’t want the guards plugging in too many appliances into too many extension cords, which will create a fire hazard.
3. A Sink
If your guards will be eating and drinking in the booth, they’ll need clean hands to do so. Hand sanitizer will work for that, but you’ll also need someplace for them to wash up dishes, coffee cups, smoothie bottles, and the like. Building a sink into the guard booth will involve both extra time and cost, but it’s necessary for good sanitation practices. Having a sink where the guards can wash their hands also has benefits when dealing with the public. For example, having clean hands will reduce germ transfer when examining people’s identification.
Building food storage and preparation items into a guard booth is a wise investment, both in terms of improving conditions for your employees and building morale. Happy employees are productive and good ambassadors for your brand with the public.