Shared vs Assigned

Assigned locks are allocated to one employee who has sole use of that locker. The principal benefits of this system are that the locker is for one individual’s use meaning it can be used it for longer term storage. It also overcomes the difficulty of forgetting where the locker is (RFID locks do have the feature of finding locker location with the terminal solution) and remembering daily combination codes. The principal drawbacks of assigned locks are the cost of getting one for every employee and the wasted space when employees rarely use them due to working from home or out-on-the-road activities. Assigned lockers are ideal when catering for a small team who have a high and exclusive demand for individual storage space.   

Shared locks are a flexible locker system which allows employees to claim any locker in a bank which is not already occupied and render it unavailable for others to use. The principal benefits of a shared locking system are that they take up less space and money because less are needed to meet the needs of a typically hybrid workforce. Other benefits include the enabling of greater employee autonomy around the choice of locker. For example, if the employee has a foldable bike to store one day they can use a larger locker, and then only a small bag another day, they can choose a smaller locker. The principal drawback is it often takes time and effort to establish the right ratio of lockers to staff, to prevent there being too many or too few.