Office workers have been returning to their offices in droves, which has put increased attention on workplace wellbeing. Joanne Milne-Rowe, Sales Director at Codelocks, discusses the ways smart lock technology can play a role in supporting different wellbeing initiatives.

The past few years has been chaotic for everyone. One of the areas seeing some of the biggest changes is office spaces. Recently, companies are witnessing other significant changes, with over 40% of employees returning to a five-day in-office working week. There is a growing demand for more support from offices. Employees are calling on employers to have better initiatives and policies to support employees’ wellbeing.

Not only this, but from the 6th April in the UK, employees will have the right to request flexible working from their first day. This means that hybrid working is not a temporary trend but is here to stay. Companies are trying to adapt to these new challenges such as hot desking. However, this adds other issues.

 

A Key Developmental Idea Is ‘Hot Lockers’.

 

Faced with this challenge, one UK County Council decided to create ‘hot lockers’ for their hybrid employees that could be shared by different people on different days at varying times. They used Kinnarps lockers combined with the Codelocks KitLock KL1100 RFID lock. The locks allowed facilities managers to give all employees unique, card-based access to each locker, saving time and money needed to cut thousands of unique locks for individual lockers. Thanks to the RFID technology and central control system, the facilities managers are also capable of overseeing employee access for all lockers simultaneously and remotely.

'As for employees, the process of using ‘hot lockers’ allows simple card to access and lock the locker when they need to store their belongings. When they’re not in the office, the locker is available for other employees to use.

The added benefit of a system that uses the KL1100 RFID is that it can be implemented across several office sites, giving employees the freedom to choose which office they want to work from.

 

Unlocking Wellbeing Beyond the Office

 

Employee wellbeing goes beyond the four glass walls of the shared office. As employees return to work, they want the option to be healthier. A solution to this has been some organisations offering gym facilities to their staff. Gym memberships not only help enhance the wellbeing of employees but it’s been proven that short intervals of exercise help to reduce tiredness in the afternoon, as well as improving employees’ attitudes to work itself.

Sópers House wanted to renovate its offices to give employees and visitors gym access.As a co-working space, Sópers House needed a solution that, like the County Council, allowed keyless temporary access to all shared lockers. It was crucial to the success of the project that coin-, key- or padlock-operated locks commonly found in gyms were not used. The solution was the KL1000 G3 from Codelocks, a stylish digital keypad-based lock with key override functionality.

'The KL1000 G3 keyless entry eliminates the need for padlocks and coins, the money they might cost, and the frustration that can come from them.

For office workers, keyless access is a massive bonus. Many gyms require people to bring their own padlocks which can be a hassle when forgotten. So, why waste time and effort messing around with padlocks when you could have a stylish digital keypad-based lock with key override functionality? The KL1000 G3 not only removes the need for padlocks and coin, but also the cost, and the frustration that can come from them.

Codelocks KL1100 RFID and KL1000 G3 lock allows employees to leave their belongings at the office. The Council’s employees are free to move between locations, which can shorten their commute or allow them to collaborate with different colleagues in person. Other organisations could use a similar system to support regional or national team days that boost collaboration and company culture. Lockers can act as one centralised location with secure storage for their belonging as well as enabling employees across the company to meet in one centralised location. The locks largely take care of themselves, and the additional capacity has given them time to focus on other high priority tasks.

Overall, from ‘hot lockers’ to wellbeing, everyone is starting to invest in easy access. So why not let your keyless access be the right one with Codelocks KL1100 RFID and KL1000 G3? Creating a flexible, comfortable, and productive work environment shouldn’t come with extra complications. From office workers to gyms goers, the products can be adapted for everyone’s use. Don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

03, Apr 2024