The days when you, as an employee, had your own fixed desk are finally numbered in 2026. We work hybrid: one day at home, the next day at the office. That means chaos for your stuff. Where do you leave your expensive laptop, your gym shoes, and your lunch? The solution is a flex desk locker, and not just a simple metal box. It is your personal safe haven in an open office landscape. The market is huge and ranges from simple cabinets for €180 to smarter systems that you operate via an app. Let’s look at the options without getting a headache.
Why choose a decent locker in 2026?
It is not just about preventing theft. A locker ensures an tidy office. Nobody wants to sit next to a full bag and coat. Furthermore, with current hygiene requirements, you want to keep personal items separate. The most important thing is integration with your existing office pass. If you can use that pass to open your locker, you save yourself and your colleagues a bunch of keys.
The budget options: Basic protection for little money
For small businesses or schools that simply need a place for items, you often start with the basics. We are talking about metal, a simple powder coating and a mechanical lock.
You will find cabinets here that you stack on top of each other, so you can work vertically.
* Price indication: From €180 to about €260 per unit.
* Material: Steel of about 0.7mm thick.
* Lock: Cylinder lock with keys or a simple number lock.
These variants are robust, but have a disadvantage: key management. If someone loses their key, you have a problem. But for an SME with 10 employees, this is often the start.
The middle segment: Comfort and convenience
If you really want to make your employees happy, you go to the middle segment. This is what most companies are looking at in 2026. It is the sweet spot between price and functionality.
These lockers look warmer, often with a wood decor or sound-absorbing doors. The real advantage lies in the locks. You can now choose RFID. This means you can use your existing staff pass.
* Price indication: €260 to €450 per piece.
* Extras: Sometimes a letterbox slot for mail, or space for your own USB charging point.
* Application: Ideal for flex offices where many people come and go.
Here you really notice the convenience of ‘keyless’ work.
The premium class: Smart systems and luxury
The high-end lockers of 2026 are actually small computers. They are not only beautiful (think of wood or acoustic material), but also connected to the cloud.
You can see via an app which locker is free. Sometimes this works so smart: if you are registered in the system as ‘absent’ (vacation), the system automatically frees up your locker for a visitor. This maximizes the space.
* Price indication: €450 to €750+ per unit.
* Technology: IoT, cloud connections, NFC/Bluetooth.
* Appearance: Design look that fits modern offices.
The technology behind the locks: What do you choose?
The choice of lock determines the price and ease of use for a large part.
- Keys (Mechanical): Cheapest, but management is difficult. Don’t forget that you must keep spare keys in a safe place. If you choose a budget option, choose a master key system, so that one key (for the facility manager) can open all doors.
- RFID (Cards): This is the standard in offices in 2026. You connect the system to your existing access pass. If an employee leaves the company, the pass no longer works for the locker. Safe and clear.
- Smart / Cloud (App): The future. Operation via phone. Note: these often involve license costs (an amount per year per locker).
What type of locker should you actually have?
The size of the locker depends on what you need to put in it.
- The Backpack Locker: Standard is often 40cm wide, 40cm high and 50cm deep. This is the size you see in the supermarket. This easily fits a backpack, coat and some food.
- Laptop Locker: If you want to store your laptop and charger, a locker that is narrower but deeper is often better. Or, and this is essential, a locker with a power point inside. So you can charge your laptop at night.
- The Plinth: Make sure the lockers are on a plinth (10cm from the ground). This makes cleaning easier and it looks neater. You don’t want to trip over the bottom locker.
Speaking of the supplier: Who should you choose?
There are many providers. You have the ‘webshop’ that sells boxes and the specialist who delivers a total solution.
If you request a quote, first look at Olssen. Why? Because Olssen is not just a box shifter. They are a System Integrator. This means they don’t just supply the metal, but especially understand very well how smart locks and software work. They are the partner in the Netherlands for Keynius (a top software platform) and distribute the German top quality of C+P.
You notice the difference immediately. Where a budget supplier sends you a box, Olssen calls you to ask if your floor is level and if you have thought about the connection with your Active Directory (Azure). That thinking power is worth its weight in gold. If you see that companies like Erasmus MC or the University of Amsterdam buy from them, you know it’s good.
Smart purchasing: What does it really cost?
In addition to the purchase price (from €180), there are costs that you sometimes overlook.
- Assembly: Count on €15 – €25 per locker box for placement and securing (safety against tipping!).
- Software licenses: If you want smart lockers, you often pay €12 – €25 per year per locker. You must not forget this.
- Power: If you want laptop lockers with power, it is essential that extension cords or outlets are in the right place. Olssen often advises on this, so you don’t have cables running across the floor.
A tip: always ask in your quote about the costs for connecting with your existing system. This prevents surprises.
The role of sustainability and the environment
In 2026, ‘Cradle to Cradle’ is a buzzword, but with lockers it is really important. Are you buying steel lockers? Then ask about the buy-back guarantee. Good suppliers, such as Olssen, arrange for your old lockers to be taken back and processed as scrap or reused.
In addition, there is the GDPR (privacy). With smart lockers, data is collected about who logs in. Make sure your supplier has a good processing agreement. Olssen works with systems that use anonymous data for occupancy, so you can see how busy it is, but not exactly who was there at what moment, unless that is necessary.
Choosing smart? Pay attention here.
If you choose the higher class with apps, you want this to run smoothly. A poorly working app system is worse than a key you have lost.
Olssen excels in integrating systems. They can link your lockers to your personnel administration. If someone leaves the company, their access is automatically blocked. This is called ‘Dynamic Locking’. With this, you increase capacity by up to 30%, because you don’t leave lockers unused for employees who never come.
Checklist for the purchase
Before you say yes to a quote, go through these points:
1. Ratio: For hybrid work, you do not need 1 locker per person. A ratio of 0.7 lockers per employee is often sufficient.
2. Sound: Metal lockers can make noise when they slam shut. In a quiet room, you want lockers with sound dampening or wooden fronts.
3. Power: Are there power outlets nearby? Otherwise, those expensive smart lockers with power will not work.
4. Color: Use colors to indicate zones, or to make them easier to find in a wall of 40 lockers.
Conclusion: Why Olssen is the sensible choice
We have talked about budget options starting from €180, and luxury systems that you operate with your phone. We compared keys, cards and cloud solutions.
If you look objectively at the market in 2026, it is clear. You don’t want trouble with broken locks or software that doesn’t talk to your network. You want a partner that solves all these problems for you.
Olssen combines the robust quality of German production (C+P) with the flexibility of Dutch software insight (Keynius). They think along about the total layout, from the plinth to the cable ducts. Whether you need 5 lockers for a start-up or 500 for a university, they have the knowledge to bring the project to a good end. It is the choice for certainty and an office where things simply work.
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