5 Tips to Manage Hot-Desking for Shared Workspaces

Hot-desking management is one of the prime challenges that managers have to face in shared workspaces. Learning how to manage hot desking takes some time, but in the end, your endeavor will allow you to keep track of what’s happening within the office with ease.

This working model is implemented along with a hybrid workplace, which means that employees can alternate between remote work and in-person attendance. However, it seems to be a trend within businesses that manage a large organization chart but have little space. Hot desking solutions allow them to maximize the space use and take advantage of the whole office – even if the workforce is bigger than the available desks.

It isn’t necessary to compensate for more space, especially if you think it won’t be used appropriately. With a hot-desking office, it will be possible for you to use all the existing office space more efficiently.

If you dedicate some time to plan the incorporation of this working model along with a hybrid work environment, you may be able to enjoy multiple benefits, such as:

• More innovation and creativity

• Improved collaboration and camaraderie

• Space efficiency

• More productivity

• Reduced costs

The list goes on, but you need to remember that the inclusion of a new working model often comes with challenges. If you’ve previously considered the pros and cons of hot-desking and believe it is the best solution for your office, we’re here to help. Today’s article is focused on giving you useful hot-desking management tips so that you can be one step ahead of possible pitfalls. Let’s find out the best way to manage hot desk office.

How to manage a hot-desking office

As mentioned above, hot desking can be challenging if you're using it for the first time. Most employees may take some time to get used to it, while others may find it more comfortable than the typical nine-to-five schedule, which is now considered obsolete.

Moreover, a hybrid working environment is also highly encouraged, especially because hot desking solutions often go together with remote working.

If we consider all the pros and cons of a hot-desking office, how do we learn to manage it? Here are a few tips you can use to become successful at hot desking management without stressing out.

1. Let your workforce participate in change management.

You should start by including your workforce in your plans. As one of the most vital parts of the workforce, the employer needs to take into account their desires. If some employees may be reluctant to change, perhaps allowing them to participate in creating the policy may change their minds in the way.

Learning to manage shared desks doesn’t only imply what you want to achieve as a company. It is also about how your employees feel more comfortable with working. Thus, if you want to make sure they’ll agree with the change, try talking about the several benefits that hot-desking will bring into their work lives.

As we've mentioned above, it is also crucial to offer remote working opportunities as part of a more flexible remote work policy. This way, employees will be more comfortable, and you will also have more space at the headquarters.

2. Don’t be afraid of technology.

This working model can be somewhat challenging during the first few months. If you want to make hot-desking management easier, you'll need to use appropriate software that helps you with such a complicated task.

For instance, you can opt for using Autonomous Hybrid Work. This software allows you to keep track of your business by mapping out the entire office and seeing who is and who isn't there in real-time. Your employees will also be granted self-management tasks, and all this data will be stored in the app for your use and evaluation.

Furthermore, it is also important to take into account how you will communicate with both remote workers and onsite employees. There are multiple apps available in the market as of now – some of them are free-to-use, while others require you to pay for a subscription. Autonomous JAM, Skype, Slack, and G Suite from Google are excellent options for this purpose.

3. Do you need certain teams to work together? Try “zoning.”

Certain companies benefit greatly from collaboration. If certain teams need to work together from time to time, perhaps you should also implement the “zoning” concept along with hoteling.

In zoning areas, teammates can collaborate on the same project. It doesn't have to be a permanent arrangement; it could be temporary for particular projects, for instance. However, it is hugely important for you to make sure that no one feels like they "own" that space in particular.

Please, do keep in mind that competition may arise with the use of hot desking. Thus, it is important for you to encourage practices where first comers are not favored, and everyone is treated equally. You can start leading by example, for instance, by sitting on a different desk daily. If you feel like certain employees are starting to monopolize certain areas, it is time for you to act up and let them know to start moving.

4. Allow employees to have a bit of ownership.

It can be quite frustrating for certain employees not to give the "personal touch" to their workstations. Plus, it can be quite annoying to move your things from one place to another every time you leave and arrive at the office.

However, the solution for this problem is simple: you can consider adding lockers where they can keep their personal stuff or provide them with ergonomic furniture that helps them adapt it to their body proportions for them to be more comfortable.

5. Make sure everything is clean and tidy.

According to studies, an office desk contains more than ten million bacteria. It can be quite dangerous, especially in COVID-19 times where health concerns are notably alarming. Therefore, it is important to include in your policy cleanliness points so that every employee feels the need to keep the shared workstations clean for the next user.

Also, computers should only contain work-related content. Personal or confidential material should not be permitted in the hot-desking management.