The coronavirus pandemic that arrived in early 2020 has changed how we work. Not only is remote work more common and accepted, but in-person work has also evolved to adapt to changing office operations.
For example, because there are fewer people in the office, hot desking has become popular in many businesses.
What is hot desking? And how can you benefit from it? Read on to find out!
What Is Hot Desking?
Hot desking (also known as ad-hoc seating) is where employees occupy any desk that’s free when they arrive at the office. This is a practice born from the marines, as they made use of what little space they had by sharing beds by shift instead of having 1 person per bed.
This means there’s no permanent seating chart and workers can’t just leave their things in/on the desk they worked at.
Benefits of Hot Desking
As you might’ve already guessed, a big benefit of hot desking is you maximize the use of office space. But what else?
It Saves You Money
When combined with a partly remote team, hot desking can save you money. You won’t have to rent out such a large office space, for starters. This also means lower utility bills.
In addition, you won’t have to purchase as much equipment, such as desks, computers, keyboards, mice, monitors, etc.
It Encourages Collaboration
When you’re stuck in a static seating arrangement, you don’t really interact with anyone else but the few people sitting next to you. But with hot desking, your surrounding coworkers change every time you go into work!
As a result, this encourages collaboration since you’ll interact with people you don’t normally speak to. It makes cross-team work easier. A side benefit is it makes the office a friendlier and more welcoming place.
How to Manage Issues With Hot Desking
While hot desking has its benefits, there are some potential issues that can arise. However, there are simple solutions that make hot desking still worth your time.
For example, if desks are severely limited, you can make use of an app like Meetio.com so workers can “book” a workspace before they arrive. Booking a hot desk then ensures they’ll have somewhere to work as soon as they walk through the door. Employees won’t have to waste time walking around, trying to find a free space or someone leaving soon.
Also, there can be a lack of privacy and personalization. Solve these issues by offering private spaces (like meeting rooms) and office equipment that can easily be adjusted, such as chairs and monitor stands.
Enjoy Hot Desking at Your Workplace
So what is hot desking? It’s eliminating assigned desks and set seating arrangements. Instead, workers use whichever desk’s available when they arrive.
As you can see from this article, there are many advantages to hot desking, such as more flexible working. Reap these benefits by having your workplace implement hot desking today!
Keep reading our blog page for more innovative ways to make the office more efficient.
