Smart Lockers
Return to work
How smart lockers can play a role in safely returning to work
How smart lockers can play a role in safely returning to work
Due to the COVID pandemic, many businesses are being forced to redesign their workspaces to make them safer for staff. Although it is not yet known what the world will be like when COVID has been defeated, but we can be sure that worker safety will still be paramount; after all, COVID will not be the only virus out there, and businesses will be desperate not to suffer in the same way again.
Redesigning & rebuilding from the inside
Studies have discovered that while the pandemic has affected practically every single person on the planet, it hasn’t necessarily affected them all in the same way. For example, those who work from home may not have noticed much of a change in their daily routine, while others who normally endure a daily commute into towns and cities will have been more significantly affected. Then there are those people who, due to health conditions, are more vulnerable than others to the dangers posed by bacteria and viruses, so businesses must appreciate that a one-size-fits-all approach to safety in the workplace is not going to be enough.
But how do businesses evaluate the needs of their workforce? The answer, thankfully, is quite simple. They use data, tracked, stored and analysed, to inform their decisions. Only then can changes be made that will be of benefit to every individual member of staff.
Smart Workspaces & digital processes, from ‘Nice-to-Haves’ to ‘Must-Haves’
This, of course, means changes must be made. Technology that was once thought of as a luxury may become a necessity. As some businesses have already found, fewer staff available to work due to illness or social distancing has resulted in the need to streamline processes, cutting out unnecessary steps and improving the way business is managed. In many instances, this has only been made possible by the implementation of new technology: digital signage, virtual workspaces, online meetings (just look how many people use Zoom now as a result of the pandemic!), and much more.
This is where HUBLOK smart lockers can really make a difference.
Smart lockers for agile offices and centralized ‘Hubs’
We can foresee a future where it is the norm to work remotely, with office spaces only being used as central hubs for occasional visits by staff. This means staff will not have their own designated desk space, but rather use communal areas on an ‘as needed’ basis. This, in turn, will mean that staff will need somewhere to store their personal belongings in the knowledge that they will be secure yet not require constant vigilance.
The true benefits of smart lockers helping change the future of the workspace
Adaptability & flexibility of workplace lockers
With HUBLOK’s intelligent lockers, personal storage units become smart and safer. Lockers are assigned to individuals by means of mobile app technology. This contactless method means a user can choose the location, size and duration of the locker best suited to their needs. The user is notified by text when an item has been deposited inside their assigned locker, and it remains inside until the user collects it at their convenience, opening the locker by using the app on their smartphone. In this way, the locker and its contents are handled by fewer people, resulting in a much-reduced risk of bacteria being transferred.
Lockers that know when they need cleaning
Once a locker has been used and emptied, it knows it needs to be cleaned ready for the next user. At this point, the locker becomes unavailable and will only become accessible once it has been cleaned.
Smart lockers, smart materials
Each locker can be specially coated to create an antimicrobial surface, resistant to bugs. This coating can be used on any type of material used to build the lockers, including laminates, powder-coated painted steel, copper surfaces and solid surfaces featuring non-porous and seamless materials.
We can also manufacture lockers with an array of specially created antimicrobial materials such as:-
Laminates with antimicrobial properties
Powder-coat painted steel with antimicrobial properties
Materials infused with copper
Solid-surface, non-porous materials with no seams
Smart Locker Software: reporting for contact tracing, usage & user experience
Due to their in-built technology, HUBLOK lockers can be managed and controlled remotely and at any time of day or night. A controller gets a real-time overview of the entire system as well as being able to monitor individual lockers for reporting. For example, a controller can easily see which types of lockers are most heavily used, who they are being used by (especially helpful in these days of contact tracing), and whether there are any problems with the lockers, such as missing items. HUBLOK ‘hub-and-spoke’ model lockers situated in different parts of a building can be monitored from one central location.
Manage multiple locker locations
The overview management system means that an unlimited number of locker systems can be utilised at different locations at the same time and still be ably managed by the central hub. The central hub controller has full administrative access to every locker in every bank in every location, meaning there is no need to issue new cards to new employees or temporary staff members. No waiting, no delays. The locker system offers total seamless integration.
Contactless technology
The mobile app gives the user complete contactless control over their assigned locker. One of the key functions includes the ability to open the locker door via the user’s smartphone, reducing contact between users and lockers and thereby reducing the chance of germs spreading.
Smart lockers are not just for personal item storage
HUBLOK locker systems are not only useful for storing personal belongings. They can be implemented to help sort incoming and outgoing mail, courier deliveries and pickups, and simply to store valuable items, such as machinery awaiting repair. With their secure, digital operating systems, lockers are the perfect storage units for any communal recreation area or highly trafficked space where security and safety are all-important.
Visitor Management
Smart lockers also make it easy to keep track of visitors and keep their personal belongings secure. For example, these lockers can feature multiple visitor credentials on one dedicated locker bank or be integrated into digital scanners that ‘talk’ to a wide variety of visitor management systems.