1,200 compartments for 2,400 employees. Why flexible work model required smart lockers

As part of its expansion and move to a new building, the global pharmaceutical company saw an opportunity to introduce a more modern and flexible way of working. Through a series of workplace consultancy sessions, the company decided on a shared-desk model based on a 2:1 ratio: 2,400 employees sharing 1,200 workstations. But for the model to work, personal storage had to become equally flexible.

Providing every employee with a fixed locker would have undermined the concept and consumed half a floor – making smart lockers a necessity rather than an optional amenity.

Blocks delivered 1,200 smart employee lockers that give every employee secure access to storage while allowing the workplace team to assign, reassign and monitor locker use in real time. The result is a flexible workplace with fewer lockers, better use of space and less administration.

The challenge

The company needed a storage system that could support a 2:1 employee-to-desk ratio, with 10 employees sharing only five desks. Frequent changes across teams meant lockers had to remain easy to assign and accessible without turning everyday storage into an administrative burden.

The project focused on five goals:

• Provide clear visibility into who uses each locker and for how long, thus also
• ‍Prevent long-term locker blocking
• Improve space efficiency through fewer lockers and higher utilisation
• Enable a clean-desk policy
• Reduce administration by eliminating lost keys and replacements

“Smart lockers were not a nice-to-have – they were a precondition. Without them, the shared-desk model simply wouldn't have worked. One locker per person means you've lost half a floor's worth of space to storage. With Blocks lockers, we broke that equation. The space we freed up is now where people actually want to spend time. That's what good workplace design looks like.”

— Gregory Speck, Architect and Designer, YUAR

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The solution

Blocks provided flexible and dynamic locker management through an All-in-one solution combining modular boxes, hardware and software. The system allows the workplace team to assign, reassign and monitor locker usage in real time, giving employees secure access whenever they need it.

The team can adapt quickly to employee changes, use limited storage efficiently and maintain order without additional administrative effort. Unlike traditional assigned lockers, the same infrastructure can also support the secure sharing of assets.

The project brought together Blocks' hardware, software and storage expertise with furniture by Steelcase, architecture by YUAR and workplace advisory from CBRE.

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The result

Blocks enabled the company to manage a 2:1 employee-to-desk ratio without compromising personal storage. Employees can work flexibly while retaining secure and convenient access to their belongings.

Simplified administration

The intuitive admin interface makes locker reassignments and configuration changes quick, reducing manual effort and coordination time. There are no physical keys to distribute, lose or replace.

Greater flexibility and scalability

The system can be adjusted as teams, locations and workplace layouts change, helping the company remain agile without redesigning its storage infrastructure.

Improved security and access control

Centrally managed smart lockers provide secure storage and full visibility over usage while supporting internal compliance and IT standards.

Blocks lockers made the transition from traditional offices to a shared-space setup seamless. The smart storage solution by Blocks was not a nice-to-have, but a requirement to actually implement the shared desk model in the first place. And as teams naturally change, the flexibility of the system allows the company to adapt locker access without any administrative hassle. — Bartolomej Holubar, Co-founder and CEO, Blocks

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