Office lockers, IT kiosks, and package stations for the office: What the new study reveals about the hidden costs of modern workplaces
“New Work” is considered synonymous with flexibility, appeal, and efficient use of space. But it is precisely where modern work environments appear to be particularly advanced that new operational inefficiencies often arise: in physical hand-offs, IT expenses, package and mail processes, and all the small office workflow transactions that take place daily in large companies.
A recent study led by author Marco Gola shows that hybrid work models and desk sharing, in particular, generate significant hidden costs without the appropriate process infrastructure. The thought leader in workplace handoffs and in-house logistics is thus drawing attention to a blind spot in many “New Work” concepts: the physical aspect of modern collaboration.
Key finding of the study:
Modern offices are not just spaces for interaction and collaboration. They are high-traffic transaction spaces. Anyone who fails to strategically incorporate office lockers, IT kiosks, office package stations, and other handoff infrastructure risks incurring high search, waiting, error, and opportunity costs.
The Operational Blind Spot of New Work
The debate about the modern workplace is often dominated by cultural issues: flexibility, well-being, creativity, employer appeal, and space efficiency. What is often missing, however, is a sober look at the operating costs incurred daily in hybrid offices.
This is exactly where the study comes in. It examines physical office workflow transactions in large companies and shows that offices are much more than just places for meetings and focused work. They are also hubs for delivery, distribution, return, storage, and documented handoffs.
These include, among others:
- Mail and Package Delivery
- Issuance and Return of IT Equipment
- Peer-to-peer handovers between employees
- Key and Tool Issuance
- Deliveries from External Service Providers
- Return Processes and Internal Material Flows
The study makes it clear: Taken together, it is precisely these seemingly minor processes that determine whether a modern workplace functions effectively or creates unnecessary friction.
Why Hybrid Offices Create New Friction
The core problem lies in asynchrony. In traditional offices, employees were available at fixed desks and during relatively predictable hours. In the hybrid work environment, that is no longer a given.
As soon as people start working flexibly, sharing desks, and varying their attendance patterns, physical handoffs become more complex:
- Is the recipient even home today?
- Where is that person sitting right now?
- When can a laptop, package, or key be handed over?
- Who is responsible for properly documenting the transition?
What works seamlessly asynchronously in the digital realm often remains surprisingly dependent on synchrony in the physical world. This is precisely what leads to wait times, time spent searching, the need for coordination, and media discontinuities.
The following are particularly affected:
- IT Vending Machine / IT Dispenser for Laptops, Smartphones, and Accessories
- Office Lockers for Documented Handoffs in the Office
- Parcel stations for the office for internal and external deliveries
- Lockers for keys, tools, and sensitive documents
- Ticket systems with a physical follow-up process
A key finding: The number of in-person handovers is much higher than expected
The study led by Marco Gola shows that a single employee in a large company can directly or indirectly trigger well over 100 to 200 physical handoff transactions per year. Extrapolated to 5,000 employees, this results in an annual volume of 500,000 to over one million transactions.
This is the point at which small, individual processes come together to form a major business reality. After all, even a few minutes of search time, walking distance, or coordination effort per task can quickly add up to significant costs in a modern workplace.
Exemplary Friction Costs
- Search Times
- Walking routes
- Waiting times
- Undelivered Mail
- manual follow-ups
- lack of documentation
- Interruptions to Value-Adding Work
Typical Use Cases
- IT Equipment Issuance
- Laptop Exchange
- Smartphone Take-Back Program
- Internal package distribution
- Mailroom Processes
- P2P Transfers
- Key and Tool Issuance
Strategic Relevance
- greater process reliability
- less operational friction
- greater transparency
- better compliance
- lower litigation costs
- Seamless integration into New Work
Desk sharing without a process infrastructure gets expensive
The study’s cost comparison is particularly interesting. Three models were compared: the traditional office with fixed desks, desk sharing without smart infrastructure, and desk sharing with smart transactional infrastructure.
The result is clear:
- Traditional office: approximately €713,750 in annual overhead costs
- Desk sharing without smart infrastructure: approximately €2,571,250 in annual friction costs
- Desk sharing with intelligent transactional infrastructure: approximately €468,750 in annual operational and infrastructure costs
The study thus shows that while desk sharing saves space, it can lead to an explosion of hidden costs without the right process architecture. Only with an intelligent infrastructure can the benefits of modern office concepts be effectively realized in practice.
What This Means for Businesses
The study does not advocate for technology for technology’s sake. Rather, it shows that office lockers, IT kiosks, package stations for offices, and software-based locker systems become relevant in situations where physical handoffs can no longer be improvised but must instead be organized in a reliable, documented, and asynchronous manner.
Especially in a modern workplace characterized by hybrid work arrangements and shared workspaces, such infrastructures are evolving from a convenience feature to a key component of business operations.
Author Marco Gola: A Study from a Practitioner’s Perspective
Author Marco Gola has been studying the process costs associated with physical handoffs in office and campus settings for many years. As a thought leader in workplace handoffs and in-house logistics, he analyzes the operational aspects of modern work environments, integrating workplace strategy, facility management issues, IT-related service processes, and documented handoff procedures.
Gola, a longtime IFMA member, is the author of several reflective articles and white papers. A recent study he led shows that the economic value of New Work cannot be measured solely by space metrics and office designs, but also, to a significant extent, by how well physical flows are organized.
Research Report
: Analysis of Office Workflow Transactions and Their Cost Structures in Large Enterprises
The complete study, including methodology, benchmarks, cost models, and strategic recommendations, can be requested directly.
Conclusion: Modern work environments need more than just attractive spaces
The study makes it clear: The next stage of New Work’s development is operational. Anyone who wants to successfully design hybrid offices must consider not only space, collaboration zones, and desk-sharing quotas, but also the costs of handoffs, the quality of internal logistics, and the reliability of physical workflows.
That is precisely why terms such as “IT kiosk, ” “office locker,” “office package station,” “costs of smart lockers,” and “costs of locker systems” are gaining strategic importance. Not as a furniture trend, but as a response to a real operational challenge in the modern workplace.
FAQ: Office Lockers, IT Kiosks, Package Stations for the Office, and the Costs of Smart Infrastructure
What is an IT kiosk in a company?
An IT kiosk is an infrastructure for the documented issuance and return of IT equipment such as laptops, smartphones, accessories, or replacement devices. In modern work environments, an IT kiosk helps organize these transactions in an asynchronous, secure, and traceable manner.
What are Office Lockers?
Office lockers are storage solutions designed for corporate environments. Depending on the concept, they serve either as personal storage or as transactional infrastructure for mail, packages, IT equipment, keys, or peer-to-peer handoffs. Office lockers are particularly relevant for companies that require documented and flexible handoffs.
Why are package stations useful for offices in New Work environments?
A package station for the office provides a designated, secure, and traceable drop-off point. Especially in hybrid work models with fluctuating staff presence, it simplifies internal deliveries and reduces search times, follow-up inquiries, and unnecessary trips.
What role do smart lockers play in the modern workplace?
In the modern workplace, smart lockers are more than just a convenience feature. They can play an important role in business processes when handoffs need to be asynchronous, documented, and secure. They are particularly relevant for IT equipment distribution, mail and package handling, key management, and internal material flows.
How can the costs of smart lockers be assessed?
The cost of smart lockers should not be viewed in isolation as merely a hardware expense. What matters most is comparing them to the ongoing friction costs of manual processes: search times, wait times, misdeliveries, administrative overhead, and productivity losses. This is precisely where the economic leverage often lies.
How much do lockers cost for a company?
The cost of locker systems depends heavily on their size, the number of lockers, the control system, integration, and the application scenario. Therefore, it is not so much the purchase price itself that matters, but rather the question of which operational costs can be saved or avoided as a result. In larger organizations, this business-related comparison is crucial.
Are office lockers more of an IT issue or a facilities issue?
Office lockers are often viewed in an IT context because that is where devices are issued. From an organizational perspective, however, they also involve facility management, mailrooms, operations, and compliance. They are therefore part of the physical service infrastructure of modern facilities.
Why is this issue becoming strategically relevant for companies now?
Because hybrid work, desk sharing, and flexible attendance significantly increase the complexity of in-person handoffs. Companies that have traditionally organized their processes through in-person handoffs and spontaneous coordination are more likely to reach their operational limits in modern work environments.
Request a Research Report
The full study , “Analysis of Office Workflow Transactions and Their Cost Structures in Large Enterprises, ” provides a detailed look at how New Work, IT kiosks, office lockers, office package stations, and smart handoff infrastructures are economically interrelated.
Request the report now to receive the key benchmarks, cost models, and strategic recommendations.
