Hot-desking has become one of the latest trend topics in the business world and there are reasons for that. With remote working becoming a valid option for workers, more companies have started to practice it to a certain level and hybrid work models have become the prominent structure for a lot of companies. And with the rise of the hybrid work model, there came the hot-desking.
Hot-desking is basically sharing a workspace with your fellow colleagues without anyone having a specific desk assigned to themselves. It’s a highly compatible method for hybrid offices because it turns the office into a mutual workplace for all of its employees without a need for a large space.
Although it sounds like a highly practical and efficient way of applying hybrid working to the offices, it has its potential negative aspects as well. Here in this article, we’re going to talk about the best and the worst sides of hot-desking and leave you with some suggestions as to how hot-desking can be turned into a more effective version of itself.
1.The Pro: It’s Cost Effective
Without a question, hot-desking is definitely a cost-effective method for hybrid offices. It’s simple, it allows companies to provide workspace for all of its employees without assigning each of them a desk. It saves space and thus money.
With a smaller office becoming enough for the companies, they can get rid of the extra costs of renting a bigger place and the utility expenses required to run it. Smaller space can also save from side expenses such as food and drinks in the office because a lesser number of people are expected at the same time.
2.The Con: It’s Disruptive
Who would want to get up in the morning, commute to the office and then spend an extra ten minutes to look for an available desk at the office? No one. And this is one of the biggest problems with hot-desking.
Since the entire logic behind hot-desking is getting rid of the personalized desks, it also poses the biggest threat against it. Losing track of who works where, searching for an available space and potentially being ended up with an unsatisfactory desk can cause a huge disruption in the office and it can cause employees to lose their motivation.
3.The Pro: It Improves Collaboration
In the traditional office model, where everyone is surrounded with the same people every day, communication between employees remains limited to who they are exposed to physically. However, if applied correctly, hot-desking can help employees from different departments of a company have the opportunity to spend time together.
Forming larger networks in the office helps with the company culture as well because people will be more aware of the people and the vision of the company. Having a variety of connections from different departments can also lead the way for new diverse teams to be formed, which can ultimately help the company progress.
4.The Con: Risk of Losing Sense of Belonging
Humans love personalizing the space they are in and their desk is no exception. We are used to seeing desks decorated with family photos, pictures and any kind of personal objects. Even the location of the desk affects the way an employee connects with their workplace.
But with personalization of workspaces being sterilized with hot-desking, there’s a potential risk of losing the sense of belonging for employees. Changing desks from day to day and getting rid of personal objects can cause employees to feel less involved within the company and it can affect their motivation in the long-term.
5.The Pro: It Eliminates Hierarchy
When the floors and the desks in an office lose their meaning as everyone sits at a random one, the hierarchy within the company seems to disappear, at least from the surface. In the traditional office format, most of the workspaces are planned according to the hierarchical status in the company.
But in the hot-desking model, this kind of application, although still possible, fades into the background and a junior employee can work alongside the general manager. This allows people to communicate regardless of their title and increases the overall commitment to the office.
6.The Con: Can Disrupt the Structure
Offices are planned with a structural design in mind and it’s usually taken into consideration that people with similar roles or departments stick together. But with hot-desking, this kind of structuring can be easily disrupted.
People who are used to working together learn becoming more efficient and productive over a certain amount of time and hot-desking might kill or laten this opportunity. So, for teams with close bonds, hot-desking can be highly damaging
In conclusion, hot-desking is, overall, a practical application that goes well with hybrid work models. It has its downsides and upsides but the road to development is open. Some companies have already started designing hot-desking tools that allow their employees to book a workspace in the office beforehand and even show what desks are available.
If a certain extent of planning is attributed to the hot-desking model, it can be utilized as an effective aspect of hybrid offices.
