Even before COVID-19, work environments were evolving away from the desktop computer and assigned cubicle model. Yet, today, post-pandemic, we’re continuing to see changes in how people work and where. With more businesses moving to smart spaces and hybrid work environments, implementing employee storage lockers is an effective way to help employees adapt and adopt a new approach.
First, what do we mean when we’re talking about employee storage lockers? Well, there are two main kinds of lockers used to provide temporary storage for your people’s personal effects.
With a variety of lock options, custom graphics, finishes and configurations available, either of these storage lockers can bring benefits to employees and transform the look and feel of your environment. Whether you need temporary use lockers that can be assigned as needed or want to give people permanent, personalized storage, there are workplace lockers to suit.
We know your people will appreciate the ease of unlocking the lockers where they keep their computers, coats and personal effects using their RFID card or a mobile credential instead of having to remember a code or turn and twist a physical lock.
If you’re evolving your space to be a smart building, you’ll want to create added convenience with smart lockers integrated with your workplace app. Add easy locker reservations to room and desk bookings on any connected device. Then, let employees easily access that locker with their smartphone credentials.
Our expectations regarding having to work onsite have shifted. In FlexJobs’ 2022 Career Pulse Survey, “87% of respondents stated that a remote or hybrid job would or already has improved their work-life balance.” Further, “only 3% are looking to go back to the office 100% of the time.”
In a separate study, AT&T Business predicted “while the fully remote workplace model is expected to take a dramatic decline from 2021 (56%) to 2024 (19%), the hybrid model is expected to grow from 42% (2021) to 81% (2024).”
This shift is impacting the in-person work environment. Read on to see how the move to smart spaces, coworking at unassigned desks and the shift to smaller office spaces are having an impact on storage. Plus, there’s the always important employee engagement factor to consider as well.
In this digital age, it is unsurprising that we’re also seeing office environments turning to technology to make work life better for employees. Businesses and commercial building owners are automating their buildings with a range of available technologies. Options include Internet-connected sensors and space monitoring, smart furniture, fixtures connected to smart climate control systems or voice-activated elevators.
Smart lockers are an obvious fit for these types of office settings. With a smart locker system, administrators can monitor and manage the lockers in real-time. Networked smart lockers can provide a dashboard view of who is using the lockers, what lockers are in use and even how long they are reserved to be occupied.
Smart lockers are also easier to keep clean and disinfected. Administrators can open an entire bank of lockers at a time with the touch of a button. Or, in the event of an outbreak, they can program lockers to encourage social distancing (making only certain lockers available for use). Smart locker control can also come in handy in an emergency situation.
Permanent desks assigned to individual employees are going the way of the fax machine. The migration to coworking spaces or unassigned desks within an office setting started with shifts in building design. Instead of giving every employee the same desk, chair, computer, and stapler, the focus turned to accommodate today’s individualized user needs.
Adaptable spaces are more common with areas targeting the specific task the employee is doing. So, there are quiet zones for intense focus, collaborative spaces for team meetings and brainstorming sessions and social areas for relationship building and relaxation.
All this flexible space, though, can leave people without places to put their stuff. Employee storage lockers meet the need for your staff to secure their personal belongings or work devices. Coworking lockers can be programmed to generate revenue at a location or simply make it a perk for your people who don’t want to lug around coats and computers all day. Click & Collect lockers enable efficient and secure exchange of files, equipment or other goods. Plus, since these are smart lockers, you can easily manage locker status across locations and view history to maintain accountability.
Many businesses are also downsizing their overall footprint. Commercial real estate and the related expenses are costly. The widespread availability of collaborative technology and a new generation of connected workers are just two of reasons for the shift.
Regardless of why you’re doing it, smaller office spaces can benefit from the convenience and space-saving benefits of employee storage lockers.
The Randstad human resources company moved away from the one-person-one-desk model and reorganized its space to have 0.6 seats per person. “No one has an assigned desk, but everyone has somewhere to go when they are on site” said Jeff Baer, Director, Workplace Solutions. Still, the dynamic space needed a reliable storage solution.
With smart employee storage lockers, Randstad:
Throughout all these changes, the focus on employee experience remains paramount. In an era when “quiet quitting” can be trending, organizations need to take employee engagement seriously.
Office design can be a contributor to positive morale. Especially, if you want people to want to come back to the office, you need to compete with the benefits of the home work experience. That’s seeing businesses add food options, fitness centers and other features. Include the availability of storage lockers to that list.
When software development company Peaksware wanted to build a new technology-forward building, smart lockers made sense as part of the design. “At the time, we were trying to build a very tech-friendly, very user-friendly office experience,” said IT manager Nathan Johnson. “For us that meant being able to tie in our access control system with the locker system.”
Employee storage lockers can meet many needs in your environment. Along with providing your people with a place to store belongings when onsite, you can also use day-use lockers to provide visitors convenient storage as well. After all, we know better today than to leave a briefcase out on a desk while stepping into a meeting with someone.
When you have onsite gyms or fitness areas, it can help motivate your people to get healthy knowing that they can store their devices and change of clothes in lockers there too.
Package and food delivery lockers can also boost employee satisfaction. If you want to keep your people onsite, offer them the convenience of getting lunch, groceries or other packages delivered to secure lockers where they work.
Click and Collect lockers can also streamline secure information and equipment exchange. Take your IT team for example. Let them avoid the constant interruption of collecting devices that need support and having to hand them back out again. Provide lockers where employees can drop off items that need repair. They can also use these lockers to easily pick-up computer equipment during on-boarding or for checking in and out loaned devices.
If the work locker conjures up an ugly, gray steel locker with vents, you should know that there are many more materials to choose from today. You can easily integrate lockers into your desired workplace design with the current range of finishes and configurations.
Locker storage can even add to your design. You might use custom graphics including a brand logo or image or motivational words to go bold instead of having the lockers blend in with the rest of the furnishings. Or you could establish low locker islands that double as large collaborative work surfaces. Locker walls are also a good way to delineate space in open floor plans.
This added storage is also an opportunity to add some biophilic design elements to your building. You might incorporate bamboo, natural wood and stone finishes into the lockers. Or leave room above the lockers to display plants and add some greenery to the work environment. Biophilia, after all, has been shown to decrease employee stress and absenteeism and help increase creativity and improve productivity.
Space and storage needs are evolving. We draw on more than 50 years of providing design, project management, installation and support for storage solutions in all manner of industries. Talk to one of our specialists to see how employee storage lockers fit in your environment.