Storage lockers are smart investment for architects to make when designing an employee break room in any type of building.  Break rooms are normally configured with basic plumbing and electrical outlets to accommodate essential appliances like refrigerators. 

Most have some kind of counter and sink area too.  Adding personal storage to such an area will improve working conditions on multiple levels and help reduce corporate viability.

Every business has problems with theft.  Many valuables such as purses, laptops, and any type of expensive electronic device are never safe on a desk, in a cube, or even under the car seat.

However, such items will be safe when locked in storage lockers, and the best place to locate the storage area is in the employee break room.  There are two reasons for doing so.  One is centrality to the work place, and the other is accountability.

A centrally located storage area allows everyone to get their belongings into the storage locker and get to work quickly.  If the time clock is also in the break room, people must go right past the clock before they retrieve their belongings.  This is one simple, highly effective way to deal with people who forget to punch their time.

Employee break rooms also increase accountability because they are seldom empty for very long.  Someone is always in the break room.  If a thief goes into the break room and tries to steal anything, he or she is likely to be spotted by someone.  There is no guarantee of this happening, so more and more organizations are simply putting a surveillance camera in the break area and pointing it directly at the storage lockers.

Just a few simple measures like this actually reduce liability and costs across the board for any organization that is willing to take them.  On other levels, storage lockers are vital to operations.  Police and fire fighters use them for equipment storage and uniform storage.  Equipment loss is minimized by consolidating equipment in a single, personal storage area.

In hospitals, lockers in employee break room lockers keep all personal items and clothing completely separated from patients.  Staff can change into their uniforms, place their day clothes and valuables in a locker, then wash up for duty. 

Placing lockers in retail and restaurant employee break areas seem to have a curious way of improving discipline.  Workers will not be carrying around their cell phones all day if they are required to leave them in the locker.  If storage is combined with the break area that sends a signal that the break room is the only acceptable place to use a telephone during the scheduled break.

Personal storage lockers also keep workers more focused by minimizing theft.  Once something gets stolen in a store or restaurant, the worker who feels victimized generally causes a great swell of emotion to rip through the entire facility, destroying morale in its wake.

Keeping belongings safe keeps this from happening, and in turn, keeps employees more focused on task.