When it comes to creating the perfect office environment, with the most amazing office furniture, the best systems, and the happiest employees, there are many boxes you need to tick. If you’re thinking about changing the way you work entirely, it’s vital that you do your research and include your staff members on any decision or discussion. Remember, this change affects them more than anyone, and if you want to keep morale high, value their opinions and their thoughts!
Of course, that goes without saying, but it’s surprising how many businesses make these changes without consulting with those who actually do the work. It’s not about simply changing the business office furniture, or swapping suppliers for your paper or toner needs, it’s about changing the entire running order of the space you’re working in.
There are several office systems which are buzz phrases in the business world, but perhaps none other than ‘hot desking’ – you only have to utter the words and most employees roll their eyes in disdain. Hot desking isn’t that popular, but it is a system which works in terms of productivity. There are other systems you can look into however, and another is something called agile working.
To help you consider which might be best for your office, before you head to the boardroom furniture and discuss it with your employees, let’s talk about these two systems in a bit more detail.
What Are Agile Working and Hot Desking?
Agile working is a flexible way of working, and it allows employees to make their own decision on where they work and how they want to do it. Of course, there will be procedures in place in terms of processes, e.g. a starting points to an end completion point, but there is a certain amount of ‘wiggle room’ for personalisation in-between.
The idea behind agile working is that staff members don’t have to sit at their regular office desks, and they may feel more productive that particular day by working in the breakout space, or the canteen. It’s about freedom of choice, but it does throw some challenges to the office environment in terms of cover.
On the other hand, hot desking is a situation in which nobody has their own personalised desk space, and they will choose where they sit on any given day, depending upon the task they have to complete.
For instance, they may choose to sit next to a person they’re collaborating with, or they may choose to sit in a quieter zone – taking advantage of office pods, screens or acoustic panels – to concentrate on close work.
The biggest bug-bear with hot desking is that nobody has a desk to call their own and this can cause a certain amount of anxiety amongst some employees. On the plus side, it does allow staff to focus on tasks in the best way possible, e.g. sitting in a place which will allow them to complete it to the best of their ability. This also helps to create more space within the office, because the layout can be more creative or fluid, with collaborative areas, etc.
As you can see, the two systems are quite similar in some respects, but different in others. So, which is best? It really depends upon your office environment, the tasks your staff need to complete and your staff overall. Do you feel that installing a hot desking system, whereby nobody has a set desk will cause distress to any of your employees? Or, do you think they would cope with it well? It’s important to think about this factor because it will drastically impact on morale.
Do you feel that an agile way of working is more suited to your employees, or do you have a lack of space in terms of where else they can choose to sit?
Exploring all options will help you create the best and most productive working environment for your business, and for your individual employees.