The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on healthcare workers, especially those on the front lines. Stress, trauma, burnout, and increased behavioral health challenges have all been identified. That’s why it's important to provide these essential workers with appealing spaces to rest and recharge.
Adding day-use and personal-use lockers to the healthcare environment’s employee spaces can provide functional, visually pleasing personal locker storage spaces that support overall staff well-being.
Smart Lockers in Healthcare Locker Rooms
Healthcare environments are inherently dynamic. Your employee needs to be flexible and efficient. Empower the same in your employee locker rooms by improving space efficiency and streamlining workflows with smart locker solutions that easily adapt to accommodate employees working in rotating shifts.
Accessing a smart locker is simple, fast, and error-free. Healthcare workers simply swipe their employee IDs at the locker room terminal and the system automatically assigns them a locker.
When their shift ends, they use their ID again to collect their items and release the locker for someone else to use. Employees no longer need to keep keys, bring locks, or remember codes because they open their lockers with ID scans, mobile devices, or the locker app.
Contactless Surfaces & Hygiene
Smart lockers are also touchless. Instead of having the employee handle a lock or pull open a lever, the system automatically opens the assigned locker for the user. They can stow their stuff and go about their day using an elbow to close their locker and secure it.
These contactless lockers are also designed for easy cleaning, which can help keep everyone healthy and safe. Depending on your hygiene protocols, the system can block that locker from re-use and notify the cleaning crew. You might also configure the lockers to encourage social distancing, setting the system to maintain a six-foot distance between lockers in use at one time.
Functionality & User Experience
Smart lockers for healthcare simplify user interaction while providing valuable insights to your administrators. Building managers can utilize real-time data and analytics available on an intuitive dashboard to better understand how lockers are used and where change might be necessary.
The smart locker system is easily reconfigured to ensure employees always find an available locker where and when they need it. You can use data for capacity and employee use to support your dynamic workplace with touch button simplicity in the system dashboard.
Security Benefits
Hospital security personnel can also benefit from the bird’s eye, dashboard view of who uses the lockers, occupancy rates, and frequency of use. Plus, if there’s an emergency, building or security managers can easily unlock a bank of lockers from the system dashboard.
Employees also go out onto the floor feeling secure that their stuff is safe. The flat surface of the smart locker doors means there’s no manual opening or locking mechanism for an unauthorized user to access a locker that isn’t assigned to them.
Traditional Lockers in Healthcare Locker Rooms
Smart lockers aren’t the only prescription we have in mind for locker rooms in healthcare settings. You might also consider the reliability and adaptability of traditional durable steel or modular laminate lockers. These modular lockers are customized to fit diverse healthcare settings, from small clinic break rooms to larger hospital staff locker rooms, and pair functionality with flexibility.
Our steel lockers offer robust strength for theft deterrence and come in a variety of basic and custom colors. But you might prefer the variety of wood, standard, and custom finishes available with our laminate lockers.
These adaptable lockers provide long-term utility while offering the versatility you need to adapt to employee needs. You might add bench seats for employee convenience or select from an array of accessories that help them organize their stuff and simplify access, such as:
- Document holders
- Lockable boxes for valuables
- Internal drawers
- Adjustable shelves
- Plug-and-play electrical components to charge devices
The flexibility available means you can easily design your locker room to support comfort and convenience and give employees a place to unwind between shifts.
Healthcare Locker Solutions for You
Providing secure, convenient, and respectful storage can boost morale and help your people avoid burnout. Patterson Pope’s locker solutions recognize and appreciate the critical work of healthcare professionals. Contact a Patterson Pope representative today to explore your current and future needs. We’ll work with you to provide a haven for employees while reflecting the dynamic nature of your healthcare environment.
