How To Help Your Nighttime Security Guard Stay Awake

If you have recently decided to hire security guards to patrol the inside of your business at night, then you may be concerned that the guard may doze off periodically during the evening. Some employees find it hard to stay awake when they are typically sleeping. If this is a concern of yours, then keep reading to learn about some tips that can help you keep your guards awake and alert at night.

Implement A Patrol Tag System

Your business security strategy should include the completion of timed tours throughout the building at night. This means the guard will need to physically inspect each space or room. If your business is large, then one tour every 30 to 60 minutes is wise. For a small one, a good timeframe is an inspection every 15 to 30 minutes. 

To make sure the guard is up, moving, and completing scheduled inspections, install a guard tour system or a patrol tag system. These systems feature card or fingerprint readers in every room or access point of the business. As the guard completes his tour, the reader must be activated at each point. The readers record the time and store the information in a database.

If you want to keep track of performance, then make sure to install a tracking system that comes with its own software package. These packages can record a comprehensive history of performance and create an analysis based on the recorded history.

Offer Snacks

While some security guards drink coffee while on the job, caffeine tolerance can happen in a matter of days. This means that the caffeine in coffee will no longer make the guard feel awake after just a few days of coffee consumption. This will make them feel drowsy, and the effect may be exaggerated by low blood sugar levels. Helping the guard increase their blood sugar can help them to fight drowsiness. Make sure to provide snacks for the employee. Some good options to increase blood sugar include crackers, apples, grapes, fruit juice, and raisins.

Activity can help the guard feel awake as well by increasing blood flow and oxygen levels in the body. Think about placing snacks a distance from the guard station so they have to walk to grab one. 

Also offer plenty of water through a large water bottle or a refrigerator filled with bottled water. Dehydration can lead to drowsiness as well, and helping the guard fight dehydration can assist them in staying awake.