Understanding the Relevance of Hot Desking System in 2020 and Beyond

The idea of hot desking in the early years is remarkable; however, it did not seem desirable for some people. As it continues to evolve in the modern workplace, developers aimed to address a few concerns about it. In this article, you will have a closer look at this management strategy and how it works to make your business operations smooth and hassle-free.

What is Hot Desking?

It is a flexible work strategy, alternatively known as “free address,” that started during the 1990s. Employees do not have a permanent seat assignment, so they can choose where to sit on a first-come, first-served basis. Its advantages include:

• Maximum flexibility for employees
• Wise space usage
• Minimal real estate cost
• Less cluttered office without a pile of personal belongings
• Hassle-free facility cleaning

According to a survey conducted in 2018, 52% of corporate real estate leaders are planning to implement unassigned seating in their offices. Aside from improving space availability, they want to give employees more autonomy while working.

Hot desking improves the desks-to-users ratio, making all spaces effectively utilized. Additionally, it makes facilities easy to clean because it prevents piling up of personal belongings. If you are looking for flexibility and efficiency, this is for you!

What are the Challenges in Hot Desking?

While there are many advantages to enjoy it, there are also a few drawbacks if done manually. Some of these struggles include:

• Conflict over preferred areas
• Difficulty in locating coworkers and other team members
• Difficulty in tracking desk usage
• Keeping areas clean
• Finding the right space might be difficult sometimes

Among these, the most-occurring problem is finding a space. Those who arrive later at the office spend about 15-30 minutes searching for an available workspace. Chances are, the early comers already took the areas with a peaceful environment or near natural lighting in the office.

Another struggle is finding other team members. With flexible seating, there is no way to tell where everyone is sitting. As employees change seats every day, finding who sits where is hard.

And presently, the Coronavirus pandemic intensified a few concerns regarding cleaning and sanitation in desk sharing. Some people might be uncomfortable as shared spaces are the common virus transmission grounds.

How are these Challenges Addressed in the Modern Workplace?

The innovation of a desk reservation system eased the burden of adopting the free address office system. It offers multiple benefits that saved time, money, and energy in running a business and managing an office. The modernity and advancement of technology today provided solutions for the significant challenges stated above.

Finding Workspaces

Evolved technology made the free address system much more straightforward. Employees can find a vacant space through their mobile devices in their homes’ comfort and reserve these spaces in advance. When they arrive at the office, they can directly go to that workspace and start working, thus, saving time and increasing productivity.

No Conflict over Preferred Areas

Using reservation management software reduces conflicts in desk usage. Double bookings and overbookings are common mistakes in shared workspaces, and these incidents could lead to further trouble and delays in work. The first-come, first-served basis system integrated into the software lets users secure a workspace by displaying reservation status on a real-time basis. Real-time updates are essential to keep others from taking booked spaces. Because of this, a well-synchronized system is a must.

Locating Coworkers in the Facility

Looking for a specific person in a flexible seating system is a complicated task. Quickly finding coworkers is adopting a hot desk finder that integrates with your communication tool in the office. Fast communication will help you collaborate efficiently, even without sitting beside each other.

Tracking Desk Usage

Monitoring desk usage in the office helps you determine where and what to improve in these spaces. Software for desk booking includes generating reservation reports to let you know which desks are highly preferred by users and which ones need some changes.

Maintaining Cleanliness

People are wary of their places and the things they use, especially that the world is currently under a state of a health crisis. With this in mind, cleanliness must come before anything else. While shared desks become breeding grounds for viruses, free reservation system software can automate a cleaning schedule after each user. This feature controls and prevents contamination despite multiple desk users.

What are the Important Considerations before Adopting the Flexible Seating System?

It is overwhelming to know that there are great solutions in managing the office, whether large or small. But before you jump into decisions for your company, there are a lot of things to ponder. Whether hot desk booking is appropriate or not depends on the following:

The Need for Confidentiality and Privacy

Essential pieces of information are best kept confidential. If you think this is necessary for your company, technology-aided management will help you achieve wholly secured and well-backed-up data.

Office Layout

Whether your office is spacious or not, you can create an office layout that supports hot desking. Considering technology logistics in designing your office makes a suitable office environment. If you aim to reduce personal belongings placed on work desks, providing a locker for employees is an excellent solution.

Additionally, it would be best to consider the necessary types of equipment used in each desk so you can design spaces accordingly. For example, attaching outlets and cable connectors for laptops make employees switch seats conveniently. Adjustable chairs and desks to make employees comfortable is also a great idea.

Team Member Insights

Before doing a considerable change in the company, consulting your team members is a vital step. While many will be happy about the change, others might have a few concerns. Adopting a desk and room reservation system for shared desks and meeting rooms would mean additional technological abilities. Navigating through the software and operating new devices might be a challenge for some, so assure them of the assistance and pieces of training they need.

Necessary Booking Solutions

When it comes to flexible workspaces, the right technology makes all the difference. Without a proper booking system, flexible office seating becomes useless and hard to manage. The most efficient booking software is one that offers a hot desk app. The app makes the whole thing more convenient as it allows all users to create, modify, or cancel a reservation even without a desktop. Whether you are having a quick coffee session, lying in bed, or on your way to the office, securing a workspace comes in just a few finger taps through the app.

Hot Desking in the Future

The modern world increased remote work arrangements. The flexible schedule was significantly amplified after the Covid19 lockdowns, as companies slowly transition back to the office setup. In the long run, this solution will be appropriate for pandemic situations and be a necessity for most businesses in any industry.

Better Organization

Besides personal desks, you can also adopt a meeting room scheduler to make the whole facility organized and maximized. Gone are the days of manually logging who uses what because the best reservation programs free download software will do it for you. Lay down your floor plan in a 3D map, enable reservation settings, and wait for users to select their spaces at any time they want. While you go sitting on your chair or doing other tasks for the company, reservations can quickly come in without needing to assist them in the process. 

Safer Environment

Worry no more about using cluttered and disorganized desks. With the proper software, cleaning and sanitation schedules come as needed without delays. During the pandemic, adopt customizable software to help you strictly follow the preventive measures against the Coronavirus. Social distancing, wearing protective gear, and monitoring body temperature are essential. Switch from desk to desk in a safe and virus-free facility, and work with a worry-free mind.

Improved Communication

Your business’s overall success relies on your ability to communicate and relay information to your team members. In the 21st century, the most commonly used communication tools are different messaging apps and platforms. And sometimes, these platforms do not work well with large-sized teams. Aside from using the right communication tool, a Microsoft meeting room manager that integrates with your pre-existing software creates a significant impact on team collaboration and work results.

Running a business takes a lot of brainstorming. It would be best if you choose the right strategy and ensure to spend your finances wisely. This challenge became more struggling after the Covid19 pandemic as companies need to operate in the “new normal.” Finding the best strategies and ways to implement them is up to you as a business manager, and you know that manual or traditional processes are no longer efficient today. 

So far, the free address or flexible seating technique is the most useful, beneficial, convenient, and cost-friendly solution. Through hot desking, you can maximize your time, spend your money wisely, and increase the team’s overall performance and productivity.