What is your first impression when you hear the term ‘hot-desking’?
Some people don’t have a reaction at all, whether others shudder in annoyance or even fear! Hot-desking is one of those subjects that is very grey - you either love it, hate it, or you’ve never tried it so you don’t have an opinion either way. Not many people simply ‘dont mind’ it.
The problem is, hot-desking is largely misunderstood. There are many new ways of working on the block, and these include co-working too. This means that you can find office solutions to suit your particular business, as well as your employee preferences. What you do need to avoid is the idea of something being a certain way, without anyone actually ever giving it go. This could be the case if you have older employees within your office, those who have been in the organisation many years. It’s likely that your older employees aren’t the biggest fans of change, and in that case, you need to encourage and reassure them that this change is not a threat, and is actually a solution to help them work more effectively and more comfortably.
In order to really outline what we’re talking about here, let’s answer one very important question - what on earth is hot-desking?
Hot-desking is basically the non-ownership of office seating and desks. This means that employees don’t have a specific desk they sit at every single day, and instead they are free to sit at any desk, depending on the work they need to do. Many businesses incorporate hot-desking during a total office refurbishment, to bring in new ideas and a new way of working. It’s almost like breathing fresh air into an old space.
Let’s check out the pros and cons briefly.
The pros of hot-desking include:
• Staff can sit at a specific area for a specific task, e.g. a quiet space or quiet work, or a collaborative space for team working
• It gives more chance for forging professionals relationships, rather than sitting in the same spot, and not moving from it
• Hot-desking can increase efficiency and effectiveness at work
• Employers can save space by using hot-desking
The cons of hot-desking include:
• Many employee simply don’t like it, because it takes away the ownership of a desk or space
• There are a few pitfalls that can occur, such as two members of staff needing the same space, and that means systems to avoid this need to be put into place beforehand
• It is important to buy quality office furniture, which can be more expensive, such as bench desks and executive desks, to stand up to the test
Now we know what hot-desking is, let’s check out the main dos and don’ts of implementing and running this type of system.
The Dos of Hot-Desking
Find Quality Booking Software
In order for this type of system to run correctly and without hiccups, it’s important to find a quality booking software and to ensure that everyone knows how to use it properly. This will avoid double booking issues. This means you can give information in real time in terms of which desks are free at any particular time, and cuts out on the chances of loss of time, due to trying to find a suitable desk for a specific task.
Educate Staff on Cleanliness
Because so many people are going to be using the same desk over a period of time, it’s vital that you educate your staff on what they can and can’t do when using the desk. For instance, eating at a desk is a no no, because of the risk of germs. Provide your staff with antibacterial wipes, which they can use to wipe down the desk before they use it, and after. It’s also a good idea to reinforce the fact that if staff are not well, they shouldn’t come to work, because that is a higher risk of contaminating the desk, passing on the germs to others, resulting in more people being off sick from work.
Provide Lockers For Staff to Store Belongings
Your employees will no doubt be used to having their personal items on show on their desk, such as photos or other ornaments. This isn’t the case in a hot-desking situation, so providing lockers for staff to keep their belongings is something to consider. In addition, this will also keep their bags, purses, and other important items safe during the working day. To avoid a plain and rather boring appearance to your office, due to the lack of personalisation, consider some funky office furniture to brighten the place up a little!
Incorporate a Maintenance Request System
We mentioned having a booking system in place, to avoid double bookings, but having a request system in place is also a good idea. This allows staff to report any problems with the desk, such as the computer issues, or a broken chair. This ensures that problems are solved before the next member of staff uses the desk.
The Don’ts of Hot-Desking
Avoid Talking to Your Staff Before Implementing This New System
Any change needs to be handled with care, but this is a major change, so communication between you and your staff is vital. Make sure that you have procedures in place for how the system is going to run, and that you communicate these carefully and clearly to your staff members. This will reduce the chances of any major confusion in the first few days of the system being implemented, and will also reduce any stress or worries about what the new way of working means for staff.
Overlook Written Polices
We mentioned having clear lines of communication at the start, but it is very important to have a written policy in place. This means that your staff can refer to this if they have any issues or real problems, and it also means that there is something there for everyone to refer to.
Avoid a Mixture of ‘Quiet’ Desks and Collaborative Desks
It’s a good idea to have an equal mixture of both types of desks, as well as something in-between. This means you are covered for all types of work and time is not going to be lost/productivity reduced. Remember that quiet work can mean anything from needing to concentrate on figures, to having conversations with overseas staff via Skype. Soundproofing for certain areas is also a good thing to consider.
Invest In Cheap Furniture
The whole idea of hot-desking is that you are implementing a new system that is effective, both in terms of cost and time. That means that you need it to last the test of time, which cheap furniture is not going to do. Always stick to quality office furniture, and if you’re looking for commercial office furniture, check out our website, where you’ll find a huge range of choices to peruse.
Think carefully about the types of work that your employees are likely to need to do, and then choose your furniture from there. Look for choices which are flexible, but which are also high quality and durable, to last that test of time we just mentioned. Remember that it’s not just going to be one person using that desk, it’s going to be several over a long period of time. This also means you need to ensure that office furniture can be adjusted for different people, e.g. different heights and body shapes, to ensure everyone is comfortable whilst they are using it.
What Do You Really Think About Hot-Desking?
Now you’ve read the dos and don’ts, and we briefly mentioned the pros and cons, what do you think about hot-desking now? Do you think it is something which could be utilised within your office space?
The truth of the matter is that once people try hot-desking, they don’t mind it at all. It’s really the unknown which causes concern, like anything in life! Here at Calibre Office Furniture, we believe that hot-desking can be a useful system to incorporate into an office, but it needs to fit that particular workplace and its employees. It’s really a personal kind of deal. We have a range of office furniture choices, to make the change easier on those working in your organisation, and to ensure that your new system will continue to work smoothly and seamlessly, well into the future.
Drop us a line below and let us know what you think about hot-desking!