Hot desk booking systems have become an increasingly important tool for organizations amid the rise of remote work, open office spaces and shared coworking spaces. Employees can select where and for how long they want to sit on-site with this system. In today’s hybrid work culture, hot desking or desk booking software unlocks the potential of your physical space and enable you to work at a more dynamic pace. Using hot desking to replace permanently assigned desks can help improve workspace optimization, co-worker collaboration, and flexibility in a more agile way.

Although it may be more cost-effective for some organizations and has its charm for certain groups of workers, it may also present challenges for others. A reduction in desks or the move to a less personalized work space could disrupt employee routines and can  impact company culture.

For that reason, prior to adapting to hot desking, Human Resources and operations managers need to consider its pros and cons. To help you understand hot desking and consider its utility to your organization, we outlined its major advantages and disadvantages. Have a look:

What is hot-desking?

Hot desking also known as desk sharing or desk hoteling is a method of office design and desk allocation in which employees don’t have their personally assigned desks. Instead, desks are reduced and, depending on company policy, seats are reserved in advance or are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The goal is usually to minimize real estate cost and maximize space efficiency by reducing redundant office space. Both private offices and coworking spaces can benefit from hot desks.

Hot desking: advantages and disadvantages

Hot desking benefits are no longer hidden from the organizations and hence is becoming a hot topic among companies. Organizations that offer hot desks for their employees are stepping in the right direction by future-proofing their workplace. However, that doesn’t mean that hot desking is right for every company and every industry. Everything in life comes with pros and cons, simply because no one thing can work for everyone.  Hot desking too has its own share of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of hot desking

1. Suitable for Hybrid work culture:

One of the major benefits of hot desking is its compatibility with hybrid work approaches. It makes sense to avoid allocating desks to people who don’t necessarily attend the office every day when employees are flexible between working from home and working in the office.

2. Better space optimization:

Companies with hybrid work cultures don’t typically have 100 percent of their employees in the office. Therefore, you should focus on finding ways to optimize the space you have. Using hot desks optimizes office space by removing assigned desks. Desks and spaces can be rearranged depending on the number of employees on a given day. You can easily rearrange your desk space, divide a portion of the area into hot desks, and/or create an open collaborative area if your available space exceeds your workforce.

3. Cost-effective:

A major benefit of hot desking is its ability to reduce real estate costs. A hot desk allows companies to maximize the use of existing office space, limit the number of desks assigned, and reduce their real estate portfolio or avoid expansion before it is necessary. In addition, convert previously fixed desks into hot desks and rent them out to improve ROI.

4. Better employee relationships:

Working at a hot desk allows team members to meet colleagues they might not have otherwise had the opportunity to meet. As a result, existing relationships can be strengthened, new connections can be formed, teamwork can be promoted, and cross-departmental relationships can be improved.

5. Improved collaboration:

Communication across teams increases when desk neighbors change every day, making the workplace more collaborative. Hotdesking allows employees to interact with different people rather than talking to the same colleagues every day, which encourages collaboration. This can be a useful advantage, stimulating new ideas and creating opportunities for improvement.

6. Workplace cleanliness:

A cluttered desk distracts employees from their work, but hot desking alleviates that problem. In addition, employees are required to keep their desks clean, as they may not return to the same desk again.

Disadvantages of hot desking

1. Increase in IT resources:

One of the major challenges that comes up with implementing hot desking is that it will not work without the right technology to support it. Make sure you don’t let your hot desk system become a frantic musical chairs game. Invest in the right hot desk booking software like truMe to manage people and spaces seamlessly.

2. Potential for disruption:

A major argument against hot desking is its potential to disrupt the workplace. Employees accustomed to routines and a fixed setup and those who seek increased privacy may experience some disruption. Disruptions may not affect their productivity, but they may cause them to pause.

3. Loss of Hierarchy:

It may cause unwelcome disruptions in companies with more rigid and vertical structures due to the increased equality it promotes. Your hot desking approach must accommodate the distinctions between managers, employees, and executives if your company emphasizes these distinctions.

4. Can hinder sense of belonging:

In order to maximize employee morale and minimize turnover, you should create a sense of belonging among employees. Having a hot desk can sometimes interfere with team building. Lack of assigned places may lead employees to perceive their workplace as less personalized. In turn, this can negatively affect company culture and the sense of belonging of employees, resulting in reduced productivity and low job satisfaction.

5. communication breakdown:

Hot desking enables you to choose where you want to sit in the office, but it does not mean you can choose who sits next to you. When team members are seated in different parts of the office, it can be difficult to communicate.

6. Hygiene and well-being issue:

The spread of germs and bacteria is easier when multiple people are using the same equipment throughout the week and on any given day. Furthermore, employees with special needs are guaranteed a workplace that is tailored to their needs in a traditional setting. Hot desking environments require changes to facilitate participation.

Companies and their employees benefit from hot desk booking software due to its ability to help them enhance space utilization, reduce costs, and improve employee engagement. The hot desk, however, is not for everyone. In order to determine whether it’s right for your company, you need to consider your culture and how much experience your employees have working in the office. it meant to increase productivity, collaboration, and communication. In the end, this is what you need to consider when making a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What major companies use hot desking?

All those companies which are in hybrid work mode, use Hot Desking. All IT majors, e.g. TCS, Wipro, HCL are using some kind of Hot Desking software. Many other MNCs are also warming up to Hot Desking.

Q. Does Hot Desking Improve Productivity?

Short answer is yes, it does. For any company where employees work in hybrid mode, a visibility on desk availability and seamless booking, access and usage of the same is indeed a challenge. this software can helps an organization meet that challenge, definitely improves productivity.

Know More

You may also see:

1. Hot Desk Booking System

2. Hot Desking solution