Hot desking, which allows employees to choose where they sit in the office, has been a (get ready for it) hot topic the past few years. Not to be confused with hoteling, which allows you to reserve the space ahead of time, hot desking or desk sharing is a first-come, first served arrangement where employees do not have assigned workstations. As organizations are implementing flexible work policies and employees aren’t coming into the office 5 days a week, it can be a smart way to manage office space.
It’s a topic I’m frequently asked about as I’m meeting with clients, and it’s typically followed by a barrage of questions:
- But does it work?
- How does it work?
- Don’t employees want their own space?
- Where do people put their personal items?
- How do new employees get acclimated?
And the list goes on. While hot desking does not make sense for every business, it can be a good solution for companies looking to either A) reduce their overall real estate footprint or B) reallocate space within the floorplan, swapping out individual workspace for more collaboration areas. Still, there is a lot of concern over feeling like you’re “taking something away” from employees. I get that, but I think we need to reframe the conversation. It’s not about what you’re taking away, it’s about what you’re giving employees: flexibility. Sure, they don’t have a dedicated desk to put a framed picture of their puppy or hang their Live, Laugh, Love sign, but they also aren’t required to commute to an office five days a week.
My current workplace set-up is one in which there are assigned neighborhoods for two departments to accommodate their file storage needs (HR and Finance), but everyone else is unassigned. I’ll admit, having come from a place where I had a dedicated private office for almost 10 years, it’s a structure I had hesitations about. But it’s a structure I quickly learned to appreciate. I now choose where I work based on the work I need to do that day. That might mean jumping into an office for privacy and focus work. Or it might mean throwing my feet up in a lounge space to write my monthly blog. See image below. Amazing, right?
I felt inspired to write about hot desking after meeting with some new colleagues who were talking about their experience with our unassigned seating arrangement. Like me, they initially had their reservations about not having a dedicated space, but then had an epiphany. This new way of working breaks up the monotony of the traditional workday. How they described it made so much sense to me. Going to the same space, day after day, starts to invoke that dreaded Monday morning feeling of “here we go again”. One of them remarked, “I had to ask myself, why did I feel the need to decorate a workstation and make it my own? It was because I was trying to make a sad, uninviting place somewhat better. I would much rather be in a well-designed, dynamic space.” I couldn’t agree more.
Of course, people are creatures of habit, and you will have some employees that go to the same spot every day regardless. Is it an issue? I don’t think so. I have yet to run into a situation where someone asked me to move (or gave me the stink eye) because I unknowingly took “their spot”. Everyone understands the policy, and everyone respects each other. In general, I also find that people choose the same area of the office vs. the same specific desk.
If you are thinking about ditching assigned desks for hot desking in your workspace, here are a few recommendations on how to execute it successfully:
- Clear communication and change management. Share the reasons for the change and highlight the ways it will better meet the needs of the organization and the individuals. List the expectations and guidelines, such as what items can stay at the office and what goes home. Make sure employees know they are responsible for cleaning the desk and removing any personal items at the end of each day.
- Provide personal storage. Without a home base to stash belongings, employees will need locker space. For example, I use my locker to store my wireless keyboard and mouse, business cards, and an emergency supply of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
- Have a plan for onboarding. We all know that starting a new job can be a daunting process. Not knowing the the social norms of the new workplace and then walking into a free-for-all seating situation can be intimidating. I think it helps to utilize the buddy system. Pair the new hire with a more tenured employee to sit near those first few weeks and make introductions.
- Incorporate personalization in unique ways. If you can’t keep a picture of Fido at your desk, how about adding shelving in a common area that displays everyone’s adorable pet pics? Or a gallery wall featuring employee art? It’s an opportunity to get creative with your space.
- Be strategic. Make sure hot desking makes sense for your organization based on how your team works. You will want to run through different seating scenarios and have a plan for days when you’re at full capacity. NextLab has a tool that can help with this based on how often your employees are coming in and optimal desk sharing ratios based on research.
I’ll end with this: hot desking isn’t for everyone. In my experience, Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to adapt to this new way of working than their Gen X and Boomer colleagues. But I do think that a workplace built around flexibility, variety and employee choice is how you attract and retain employees of all generations. Now excuse me while I go see what the Reese’s situation is in my personal locker.
Need help formulating your workplace strategy? Contact Sarah