Lockers at office location

[helston90]

We're about to move into a newly refurbished part of the building with new cycle stores, showers, lockers etc.

I inquired about getting a locker to make sure my name was high up on the list and was told they would be coin operated ones for users on a daily basis- I wrote back pointing out that they wouldn't be used like that and people would just keep the key for as many months as they have stuff in there and the management would have no idea of who's got one or if they're being used. I for one will plant my shower stuff and office wear in there on day one and take the key home.

The facilities team then asked, without having someone to administer the lockers, what the better solution would be? Self administering lockers I feel will descend into chaos and we have no one to keep an eye on who's got what.

Any suggestions on how this can be resolved would be greatly appreciated.

 

[martint235]

I had long discussions with my employers about lockers as they objected to my cycling kit hanging up next to my desk. They got some lockers in and I refused to use them as they are the 3ft by 2ft type, my kit would just fester in one of those. I sent a couple of links for ventilated 6ft lockers and haven't heard back but I'd be loathe to use a small locker

 

[Drago]

Administer the lockers? What the zarking fardwark they on about? You start there you get a locker with a key. You leave you empty the locker and leave the key in it for the next inhabitant. How the name of all that's holy does that need administering?

 

[rugby bloke]

Lockers with keypads rather than keys. Zero the code when the person leaves than issue a new code to the new user. Some admin required - a central list of the codes / master codes for each locker. Facilities need to own the process, plus be responsible for:
Disposing of any kit left in lockers when people leave.
Carrying out audits to check who is allocated each located and if they are using them.
Speaking as an FM professional I wold not expect this to be beyond the wit of the FM department.

 

[mjr]

I inquired about getting a locker to make sure my name was high up on the list and was told they would be coin operated ones for users on a daily basis- I wrote back pointing out that they wouldn't be used like that

If they're coin operated ones like in St James Multi-storey in King's Lynn, then you can't turn and remove the key without a coin (or similar-sized object) inserted into the slot - and even then, they don't always work because someone has thought it funny to put gum or something else in the coin slot. Unsurprisingly, most people ignore the lockers and lock any empty bike-specific bags/boxes to the bike and take their briefcase/satchel/handbag/shopping bags out of them, which then get dropped into the panniers or trunk box before they ride away.

I don't know what the right solution is, but there are tons of options so surely something should be possible. And if they don't charge workers for storing their car and the junk carried in it (=having a free staff car park), is charging cyclists contrary to their travel plan?

 

[Profpointy]

what I'd do if ever lumbered with being locker monitor is not have keys at all bit let users bring their own padlocks. Twice a year, i'd (announced beforehand) cable tie all the lockers and two weeks later remove any padlocks and empty any still cable-tied lockers. Stuff dumped into one combined cardboard box for two weeks then box goes in bin. No lists, no issuing keys, ni hassle

 

[fossyant]

It's happened where I am, all the lockers are used, keys gone. In fact there are very few 'users'.

Your kit won't dry in a locker either.

 

[Arjimlad]

My son's school has lockers and they have to bring in their own padlocks. They sign for the locker so the caretaker knows who has which one and will help them get into the locker if they get into difficulty.

 

[Tin Pot]

...If only someone could come up with a system of handling keys?

Giving them out, well, we could call that "provisioning" and tie it into some mad way of telling if we had enough lockers...I know, let's call that "capacity management".

Oh but wait, how will we know if people are still using or still need lockers? Perhaps something zany like an access "recertification" process!

I can't see how we'd continue to exist if people leave the organisation or lose the keys...something stupid like a "leavers process" or "replacing keys" ha, ha. Mad!

It's all so fantastical and complex it could never happen! Imagine if such craziness took hold of lots of businesses? Why you'd have a whole security industry around it, and who would want Access Management done properly anyway?

It's insane to even consider!

 

[Brains]

Ask to be appointed the Executive Obergruppenfuhrer of the Lockers.
You run a spreadsheet with the name of the individual and the locker number
You keep one key, they keep the other key
Once a year you do a stock take and ensure that you know who has which locker and that they still want it.
You offer to do this out of office hours and for free. It could take as much as one hour a year,

 

[400bhp]

Lockers with keypads rather than keys. Zero the code when the person leaves than issue a new code to the new user. Some admin required - a central list of the codes / master codes for each locker. Facilities need to own the process, plus be responsible for:
Disposing of any kit left in lockers when people leave.
Carrying out audits to check who is allocated each located and if they are using them.
Speaking as an FM professional I wold not expect this to be beyond the wit of the FM department.

^^THIS^^

I would add (from experience) getting your line manager to sign off that you the lockers are used by the person on a regular basis. We have cyclists (and runners) here who use the facilities on a daily basis but have no locker, yet I know there are fairweather cyclists that have a locker.

 

[Drago]

We were banned from putting stuff on top of our lockers because "it's dangerous". The management conveniently ignored the fact that they issue us with more kit than will fit in the lockers they bought - major boob by facilities there - or that kit doesn't spontaneously leap out at people.

Anyway, one quite FOI request to the local HSE showed that they have received no reports of people bein injured by stuff leaping off of lockers since record keeping began in the early 70s.

If you want to save public money then dispense with the services of people who have time on their hands to come up with stupid rules like that , and who are so so incompetent they order hundreds of lockers that are too small to be fit for purpose.

 

[Brains]

We were banned from putting stuff on top of our lockers because "it's dangerous". The management conveniently ignored the fact that they issue us with more kit than will fit in the lockers they bought - major boob by facilities there - or that kit doesn't spontaneously leap out at people.

Anyway, one quite FOI request to the local HSE showed that they have received no reports of people bein injured by stuff leaping off of lockers since record keeping began in the early 70s.

If you want to save public money then dispense with the services of people who have time on their hands to come up with stupid rules like that , and who are so so incompetent they order hundreds of lockers that are too small to be fit for purpose.

Many lockers are too small for the kit required, even if its just a suit, a few shirts a pair of shoes and a towel
Before Lockers are ordered work out the minimum depth, length and width required, it's surprisingly large.
I would not look at anything under 500x500x1000 even for a office location.
Obviously a site location the lockers need to be larger still

 

[Mrs M]

I had a locker at work once (in 29 years).
Went to put something in it and it was full of someone else's stuff.
I don't use a locker.

 

[Drago]

Amusing story. I knew a bobby who was on his way out on a disciplinary. He filled his locker with cheap meat and threw away the key. Within a week the locker room was quite ripe, within a fortnight the building was almost uninhabitable.