ACCESS CONTROL
To facilitate hybrid work policies and preserve employee wellbeing , offices need access control solutions suited to the task . They must be flexible , integrate smart technologies , and be easy to use .
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 the ‘ hot lockers ’ is frictionless . They simply use their 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 . 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 . Organisations can use a similar system to support regional or national team days that boost collaboration and company culture . Employees across a company can meet in one centralised
location with secure storage for their belongings without facilities or office managers having to coordinate new card access for them .
Wellbeing benefits beyond the office
Employee wellbeing goes beyond the four glass walls of the shared office , which is why we are seeing many organisations offering gym facilities for their staff . An active lifestyle has many health and work benefits that can ’ t be overestimated . According to the NHS , a short interval of exercise will fight off tiredness at work late into the afternoon . While regular exercisers are 129 % more likely to report feeling more productive at work . On top of this , exercise improves employees ’ attitudes towards work itself . Seventy-three per cent of employees who exercise in the morning say they are more satisfied at work . Having exercise facilities at work , therefore , improves employee performance and makes the office a more desirable location to work , which is why 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 .
For office workers , keyless access is a massive bonus . Many high-street gyms require people to bring their own padlocks . When you forget it , they make you buy one at an inflated price . As well as being an unnecessary expense , this is also frustrating . For a workplace gym , this would not help with morale . 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 .
Due to the keyless access , the facilities managers have saved a significant amount of time not having to manage the locks too . The locks largely take care of themselves , and the additional capacity has given them time to focus on other high-priority tasks . The same goes for gym staff , who , rather than dealing with locks , can focus on supporting gym users . And , if something does go wrong , such as an employee leaving their belongings behind or forgetting their temporary access code , the key override function means the problem can be swiftly resolved .
From hassle-free access to effortless key override , both Sópers House and the County Council remind us that when it comes to employee wellbeing , the less friction , and more flexibility , the better . As things are made easier to use , and employees are given choice in how they use them , employee morale and productivity is likely to increase . Locks like Codelocks ’ KL1000 G3 and the KL1100 RFID are supporting wellbeing initiatives in many organisations – visit codelocks . co . uk to learn what they can do for yours .
APRIL 2024
29
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