Locking in workspace innovation
The workplace is constantly evolving and changing, from hot-desking to hybrid working, here are three emerging trends to look out for in 2024!
The hotelification of the office
If you haven’t heard of hotelification, it is the repositioning of the traditional office environment as a high-end workspace, with hotel-like amenities.
It’s no secret that some people have had to be persuaded to return to the office post-pandemic, so perhaps by providing luxury, engaging spaces, employees will hopefully learn to love the buzz of the office again.
What does hotelification mean for architects or office specifiers? Well, it might mean a different approach to locks throughout the office. With a lot more foot traffic, and changing of desks, comes an increased need for security.
As people come and go through the “hotel”, will employees need hotel keycards to access meeting rooms? Or perhaps they’ll use an app on their phone to remotely book a meeting room and receive a code that unlocks the meeting room door at the scheduled time.
Similarly, we can certainly forecast employee lockers becoming an essential part of the hotel-office, to store possessions securely. These are workspace lockers that employees can reserve for a period of time, to keep their items safe. We’re already seeing them become more popular, as demand for our employee locker locks increases.
Creating an exceptional employee experience
Employee experience is the result of all the interactions an employee has in the workplace. It’s a specialised field closely related to employee engagement which focuses on creating a great working environment for organisations to get the most out of their people.
Of course, this factors in well designed, ergonomic, office furniture. Think sliding cabinets that open and close with minimal friction. Or the satisfaction of opening your lockable desk drawers effortlessly.
Technology is playing a big part in employee experience. For example, employees can now book an employee locker remotely, from the comfort of their smartphone. There’s zero frustration of double booking, and the employee remains happy and energised to focus on more important things.
Cross-generational needs
A workplace is for everyone. And of course, different generations will have different preferences and ways of working. Office design needs to embrace all generations, in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and part of one team.
Generally speaking, different generations will place values such as autonomy, flexibility and collaboration at different levels of importance. Variety of workspaces has never been more important.
We’ll likely see a mix of open areas for collaboration, or private rooms for meetings or solo tasks. Of course, those private rooms will need a good lock management system to ensure everyone has fair access to them. While normally used for temporary locker storage, the remote booking system from Lowe & Fletcher is also ideal to reserve meeting rooms at the touch of a button.
Speak to the experts
If you’re an architect, designer or specifier looking to speak with a smart lock manufacturer, let’s schedule a call and discuss how we can work together on your project. Fill out your details here to arrange a meeting.
