All About Hot Desking
Did you know that only 8% of employees prefer working from an office full-time? That’s according to a recent survey by Zoom.
Modern workers want flexibility, and that’s why they prefer workplaces that are either fully remote or offer some sort of a hybrid work model.
But as companies adopt hybrid models, they need to think about resource utilization. You must implement strategies that help you make the most of your resources based on your hybrid workplace model. That’s where hot desking comes into play.
Read on to learn how exactly hot desking works.
What is Hot Desking?
Hot desking is a workspace system where employees are not assigned specific desks or working spaces—instead, they can pick and work from any available desk on a first-come, first-serve basis.
With hot-desking, none of your employees will ever have a fixed desk. However, it is possible to provide lockers where employees can secure their personal belongings if needed.
Companies with the hybrid work model are best positioned to benefit from hot desking. The system allows these companies to cut down on real estate costs. That’s because you’ll have a different number of employees coming to the workplace on different days of the week.
As such, you can pay for enough floor space to accommodate the maximum number of employees you’d expect in a day. The employees will then come in, pick a random desk depending on their preferences or project needs (e.g., sitting close to someone they need to collaborate with), and complete their work from there.
Some people use hot desking and hoteling interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between the two. Let’s discuss that next.
Hot Desking vs Hoteling
What’s the difference between hot desking and hoteling?
Hot desking is when employees come into the workplace and pick any available hot desk. On the other hand, hoteling refers to when employees are required to book an available hot desk in advance.
In both cases, employees do not have personal desks or workspaces. However, with hoteling, you can book a particular desk or space in advance and reserve it for yourself.
Features of a Hot Desking Space
Here are the features you’ll need to accommodate to build a productive hot desking space:
– Access to power outlets, internet, and phones — Make sure every hot desk has a power outlet and internet connection. For internet connection, confirm that the Wi-Fi is accessible for desks across the entire floor. Alternatively, there should be ports for ethernet connection.
Some departments will require access to other resources. For example, the customer support and sales department will need access to phones where they can take or make sales calls and customer support calls.
– Flexible seating options — Flexible seating arrangement is the core feature of hot desking. Create a thoughtful floor plan that will ensure optimal productivity and collaboration. You can also create different zones within the floor for different purposes.
For example, you could have quiet zones that would work best for individual work and collaboration zones where several employees can interact and work together.
One way to ensure your system works well is by creating a simple internal website to house all the resources on your hot desking system like your policy and best practices.
Use a tool like Domain-Name-Generator to look up and purchase a domain. You can then use this website to integrate a booking system that’ll allow employees to book shared spaces, like conference rooms.
That brings us to the next point…
– Bookable private meeting spaces — Depending on the needs of your business, you may also need private meeting spaces where employees can take sensitive client calls or do meetings.
To eliminate chaos, you’ll need to make these meeting spaces bookable, i.e., they can’t operate like the hot desks. Employees should book these meeting spaces in advance to ensure the smooth running of operations. The private offices can also be used for department meetings and conferences.
– Storage for personal belongings — A productive hot desking office environment provides secure storage for employee’s personal belongings. This is essential because employees may not need to carry everything they work with in their commutes.
There’s also the question of whether one should keep their items on the desk when taking a lunch break or attending a conference. You’re free to make a unique policy on this for your workplace.
However, unlike in coworking spaces where users tend to move around with their items, most private companies let employees keep and use a hot desk throughout the work day. So, they can leave their items on the desk when taking private meetings and breaks.
– Access to common areas — An excellent hot desking floor plan must feature common areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and even meditation rooms. These areas play a pivotal role in maintaining team camaraderie. Company management is responsible for maintaining these rooms to ensure they’re in good condition to serve their teams.
Benefits of Hot Desking
A well-executed hot desking system will benefit both you and your employees. Here is a breakdown of the top benefits of this flexible office arrangement:
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Cost Efficient
Your company can save money with hot desking in two primary ways. First, the hot desking model reduces your overhead costs. You can spend less on rental or lease expenses, especially if you’re a hybrid company expecting a fraction of your workforce to work from the office. This allows you to lease just enough space because employees will be sharing the desks.
The other way hot desking saves money is through resource sharing. Because employees are sharing the hot desks, you don’t have to buy and equip each employee with resources like phones, docking stations, and so on.
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Maximum Space Utilization
Hot desking ensures maximum space utilization by eliminating unnecessary desks or working stations. You can ensure you have enough desks for the percentage of employees you expect to work from the office at any particular time.
The rest of the space could be converted into common areas, conference rooms, or private meeting rooms.
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Offers Hybrid Work Flexibility
Hot desking makes it easier for you to manage hybrid employees. It allows you to balance the needs of your workforce without blowing your entire budget.
Plus, employees can come in and get to work from any desk without making any bookings. It’s convenient and aligns with the growing demand for flexibility from modern top talents.
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Encourages Better Collaboration and Networking
By adopting a flexible seating arrangement, employees can easily collaborate with colleagues from various departments, enhancing efficiency and innovation. This dynamic work environment encourages spontaneous interactions and networking opportunities. Apart from new team members, they also get an opportunity to network with new people over a coffee break, which could open up partnership possibilities.
Digital business cards can streamline these connections, allowing employees to effortlessly share contact information, social media profiles, and personal websites with new acquaintances. Whether working from the office or a coworking space, these digital cards make it simple to build relationships. Hence using the best digital card solutions that allow customization options can boost networking and collaboration efforts at these co-working spaces.
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Better Workplace Hygiene
Employees must clear the hot desk once they’re done working. That leaves the desk clean and tidy for the next person.
This creates better workplace hygiene, unlike in a traditional office, where employees get too comfortable on their permanent desks and start cluttering the place.
Pitfalls of Hot Desking
Despite its many advantages, hot desking also faces several challenges. Understanding these challenges beforehand is vital so you can develop countermeasures in advance.
Here are four of the most common challenges of hot desking:
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Incompatible With Non-Hybrid Environment
Hot desking may cause a mess when the workforce is 100% onsite. Some benefits, like cost-effectiveness and office space utilization, will also be eliminated. The system only makes sense when you have hybrid and remote workers.
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Possibility for Conflicts
The truth is that the hot desks on your floor will not be 100% similar. Some desks will inevitably be better and more enticing to employees. Unfortunately, this can lead to conflict and resentment as the employees will start competing for the same hot desks.
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Difficult To Accommodate Special Needs
Accommodating the special needs of certain employees can be really challenging when employees are shifting desks every day.
For example, project and team leaders, as well as employees who work with vast resources (like files), may have a hard time doing their work when they have to sit at a different desk every day.
Conclusion
Hot desking is a flexible workplace system where employees can sit on any desk instead of operating from permanent stations. This system can be efficient for your business and boost team collaboration.
But, it also comes with shortcomings that you must address. Besides increasing the possibility of conflict, it also eliminates the personalization of working stations, which can hurt some employees’ motivation.
Consider the benefits against the pros to determine whether this system would work for your company.