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Hot-desking is certainly a buzz term these days, and more and more offices are choosing to streamline the way their employees work, by using this office space method. There are many advantages to hot-desking, not least the fact that employees have complete freedom of choice when it comes to where they work during that particular day. Collaboration is therefore a breeze, and the business benefits from this more relaxed option.
Of course there are dos and don’ts to hot-desking, and it’s vital to make sure that you implement a desk booking system, to avoid clashes over double bookings and two people wanting to use the same space.
Everything has a downside however, and in the case of hot-desking, there are a few. Firstly, what if you have employees who are simply not used to not having their own desk? People can become quite stuck in their ways, and feel threatened when they don’t have a personal space they use every working day. Once you get around that, the very real problem is quite clear - where on earth are you supposed to store things?
Yes, it’s an issue, but there are many ways around it!
Lockers & Coat Stands
The issue of personal belongings, such as bags, coats, hats, scarves, etc needs to be addressed first. You can purchase coat stands for jackets and coats, or you can ask staff to place these in their own personal lockers. It’s vital that you allow staff somewhere safe and secure to store their bags during their working hours. This isn’t just a case of office storage, it’s a security issue, and this is the first thing you need to address. Thankfully, you can easily buy locker units which fit in with your decor, and are available in a range of bright colours!
Lockers are normally placed within a corridor or near to a doorway, so that staff can grab their bags and coats on their way out of work every day. This means that every employee has their own personal locker, with their own personal key, This way you wouldn’t have any issues with your personal belongings going missing. On another note, this also cuts down on the amount of clutter in the office, as bags and coats aren’t on the floor, or on the backs of chairs.
Office Storage Cabinets
Office storage cabinets are the obvious choice here. Again, these are available in a variety of different colours and designs, so they can be slotted into your existing office decor. These can either be simple, e.g. a one-drawer design, or they can be larger and feature more space. It all really depends on what you need and how much you need to store away.
You can arrange these around your office as you see fit, but having one storage unit per office desk is a good idea, or at least once between two. Obviously, because the office is more streamlined, personal belongings won’t be kept in these units, but anything which is work related, such as brochures, booklets, files, etc. These units should also be lockable, wherever possible.
Credenzas
If you’re going for a more relaxed or homely vibe to your office, a credenza is a great choice to go for. These are a little like a sideboard or cupboard you would have at home, but they’re ideal for storing small items, such as files or even stationery. From the many office storage ideas out there, this is probably the lowest key and less office like in design, but it gives a contemporary look to your space, whilst also giving you the storage solution you need.
Credenzas can be layered up, or they can stand alone, either at the side of desks or along walls. It all depends upon how much space you have and your overall existing design. You could even place these in meeting rooms.
Bookshelves
Freestanding bookshelves are a great idea for stacking box files, brochures, magazines, or other small items, which basically need something to lean against. You can either go for high bookshelves, or you can opt for something lower and wall-fixed; again, it really depends on your design. Bookshelves can also look very contemporary when designed correctly, or they can go the other way completely, and look quite traditional, especially when made from darker shades of wood.
Book shelves are normally designed in ‘cubes’, i.e. separated cube-shaped areas for items to be stored, and this allows you to section off any items, and avoid clutter. The whole point of hot-desking is to streamline and minimise an office, so don’t go adding excessive clutter on your bookshelves!
Regular Shelving
Aside from bookshelves, regular shelving on the walls can be a good idea for storing miscellaneous items. Yet again, box files and brochures look good on these types of shelves, but remember not to store anything confidential or sensitive, as these are open for everyone to reach and read.
You could arrange a shelf over every office desk, or you could go for a shelving collection on each wall. Again, it depends how much space you have and the type of walls you have also. If you’re looking for office furniture in Manchester, you’ll find a huge range of different types of shelving, as this is one of the most popular and common types of office storage solutions around.
Pedestals
They tell you not to put things on pedestals, but when it comes to storage, go for it! Pedestals are ideal as personal storage units, so it could be that you give each member of staff a personal pedestal, lockable if possible, and they can store their office items. Remember, the whole point of hot-desking is that there aren’t any personal items on a particular office desk, but it might be that your employees have some kind of belongings they need with them whilst they’re working. A pedestal is an ideal solution for this problem.
Pedestals usually have wheels, so they can be moved around quite easily, and at the end of the day, there could be a pedestal parking area, where these are kept until the next day, or whenever required. You’ll find different sizes of pedestals, and again, many different colours, so they don’t need to stand out too much in your regular office design.
In keeping with the pedestal idea, there is also the option of a storage cart. This serves much the same purpose, but they’re ideal for when meetings are taking place, and perhaps samples or handouts are required. These items can be stored in one spot until a required meeting is taking place, and then simply moved into the conference room. They could even be stored in there, to keep them out of the way of the regular office space.
Which Storage Solution Suits You?
There are many different office storage solutions out there, and it completely depends upon what you need to store, how much you need to store, and the design of your office in terms of which you opt for. Remember, you’ll find a huge range of designs, colours, and sizes these days, thanks to the growing popularity of hot-desking as a working method. More and more businesses are trying this out, and most of them tend to stick with it after they realise the benefits that occur as a result of freedom to move around and collaborate with other members of staff.
What is your take on hot-desking generally? If you’ve tried it before, did you like it? Alternatively, did you miss the personal space that a regular office working set up gives you? Most people are quite torn on the idea, but it’s also usually the case that those who have a preconceived idea haven’t actually tried it for themselves! There are many advantages, and once you get used to it, it’s a very beneficial way of working for both the employee and the employer.
The problem with hot-desking is choosing the right kind of office furniture to suit every requirement, and also ensuring that high quality desk booking software is in place. If you don’t have this, people are just doing to turn up and perhaps try to use the same desk, which could cause conflict and problems. Not the best start to a Monday morning!
If you’re thinking of trying hot-desking, check out office furniture in London choices for not only your storage options, but also for your office desks and chairs, and everything else in-between! Taking the time to really plan your office, including your storage requirements, means that you won’t need to do the whole thing again in the near future, working out as a cost effective exercise in the long run.
Drop us a comment, and let us know if you have any other storage solutions for a hot-desking office, as well as your general opinion on hot-desking overall.