ACCESS CONTROL
Access control – the key to wellbeing in the office
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 .
» A FEW YEARS AGO , ALL WE SAW IN the news was the ‘ great resignation ’. Now we have another ‘ great ’ to deal with . According to Virgin Media O2 ’ s yearly Movers Index , 2023 was the start of the ‘ great return ’ as office workers returned to their normal offices after working from home . The data shows that now over 40 % of employees have returned to a five-day in-office work week .
Just as we heard a lot about the great resignation and employees ’ wellbeing , the great return is prompting similar talking points as people are once again confronted with the downsides of office life . The knock-on effect of these downsides has been a demand for better initiatives and policies to support employees ’ wellbeing . If they have to return , many employees feel they need to be supported .
The forms of support vary from hybrid working to gym memberships or hot desking between office locations . Common to them all is the need for effortless access control and flexibility as people find their way back to shared spaces and open-plan offices . In many
instances , the responsibility of making things run smoothly falls on facilities managers , office managers , and installers . To ensure success , smart locking solutions are a necessity . And as we ’ ll see , many organisations have used them with notable results .
Meeting in the middle – compromise and access control
The return to the office has not been welcomed by all . There are clear dividing lines between employees and leaders . Gartner research shows that 48 % of office employees believe that return to office ( RTO ) policies prioritise what leaders want over what employees need . The only solutions that avoid things like quiet quitting and plummeting wellbeing are ones where employees and leaders meet in the middle . Hybrid working , where employees spend several days in the office and several days at home , is the perfect agreement . It boosts employee productivity while also allowing inperson collaboration .
28
APRIL 2024
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