Hot desking is like Marmite. You either love it or you hate it; there is rarely any middle ground involved.
However, despite this, it still remains one of the most used and effective desking systems around. If you’re thinking of incorporating hot desking into your office, there are a few things you need to think about beforehand. Planning everything carefully means you’re less likely to run into any problems and if the whole transition is smooth, your employees are more likely to be on board with the change.
If you’re not sure what hot desking is, it’s basically a working system that means employees don’t have an assigned office desk. They choose where they’re going to work on the day, according to what they need to do or who they need to work with. The reason that hot desking isn’t hugely popular is that many employees like to have their own space, i.e. their own desk. When you take this away, it can cause morale to fall because they feel like they no longer have their own personal area within the office environment.
Of course, this is a problem which can be overcome, you simply need to approach the change in the right way and involve your employees every step of the way.
Let’s look at 4 must haves if you want to develop an effective hot desking arrangement in your office.
Ergonomic Furniture
The fact that you have employees moving around the office and using different desks and office chairs means that you need some amount of adjustability to avoid aches and pains. Ergonomic furniture is important because it can be altered to the specific needs of the individual, and therefore cuts down on the potential for chronic pain conditions over time.
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Personal Storage
When you have your own desk, you tend to keep your bag and your other belongings in the drawers, usually lockable. When you are using a hot desking system, this isn’t possible. So, some form of personal storage is necessary. This might be personal lockers or it could be a small, portable storage cupboard for each employee.
Office Booths
It may not be that an employee needs to take up an office desk for a specific amount of time and that they simply need somewhere to discuss a work issue with a colleague. If that particular desk is wanted by someone else, you’re going to notice a problem. However, if you have office booths, those who want to discuss, brainstorm and collaborate can use these spaces without interrupting anyone else and without taking up a desk for a length of time.
A Booking System For Meeting Rooms And In Demand Areas
As you use the hot desking system, you’ll quickly find that certain desks and areas are more in demand than others. If you find that this is causing a queuing problem you need some kind of booking system which ensures people can book time in those areas beforehand.
By thinking ahead and incorporating must haves into your hot desking arrangement, you might find that it runs a lot smoother and is therefore accepted in a more positive way than otherwise.