Some people think that hot desking is a new concept, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Although it has become popular recently, the concept has been around since the 1990s. However, until the return of the workforce post-pandemic, it wasn’t very popular in several organisations. But, with hybrid working and a large section of the workforce still working from home primarily, hot desking has finally caught on to the fancy of the corporate world.

What is Hot Desking?

Hot Desking is a desk-sharing trend used for flexibility in offices and workspaces. In organisations that follow the concept of hot-desking, workers will not have an assigned space or seat whenever they walk into the office. Instead, they will take whatever desk is available at the time.

This arrangement suits the modern workplace because it offers a lot of agility and flexibility to workers. Modern businesses are constantly looking for ways to enhance flexibility to foster innovation, collaboration and teamwork. Hot desking is one of the ways they can achieve some of those goals. That’s perhaps why the practice of hot desking has become more common these days, despite it being introduced 30 years ago or so.

A major benefit of hot desking is that it brings down the running costs by around 30%. There is no reason why any employers shouldn’t choose it. However, hot desking does not benefit organisations alone. It carries several advantages for the employees and workflow too. Let us discuss some of them below:

Increased collaboration

Hot desking results in better collaboration between an organisation’s employees because it encourages people to move around the office. This, in turn, leads employees to higher team interactions and facilitates interaction with fellow workers they normally wouldn’t interact with. Another benefit of hot desking is that it allows staff from different departments of the office to work together on projects.

Tidier workspaces

If you don’t expect to return to the same desk tomorrow, you are unlikely to leave your personal items, knick-knacks, and other stuff behind at the end of a workday. It means the desks/office will be much tidier than if you were using it every day. Hot desking pushes the employees to be minimalists. And even if you are unable to add personal touches to your workspaces, you will enjoy a much cleaner and more organized office every time you walk in for work. Inevitably, this will increase your effectiveness and productivity.

Autonomy

Hot desking brings in a degree of autonomy because it allows you to change your day-to-day environment and remain mobile. It means you can enjoy greater flexibility and autonomy over your daily workspace. Hot desking also makes people few because they are no longer tied to their desks.

Lower costs

As traditional offices provide their employees with a permanent spot to work, that space will remain unutilised if a particular worker is out of the office, travelling, or working from home. With hot desking, there is no change of any office spaces remaining vacant or unutilised because the space will be assigned to an employee coming in to work on a particular day. So, hot desking cuts down space needs and so, organizations can downsize their space needs. Furthermore, companies can ensure optimised usage of existing space especially because not every employee needs a permanent desk.

Better performance and the exchange of knowledge

Flexible seating arrangements are made through hot desking aids to improve employee performance and encourage better exchange of knowledge within the organisation. It facilitates better communication through more face-to-face interaction and an accelerated decision-making process. Some organisations might be concerned that hot desking could harm productivity because people are used to a quiet and regular workspace to focus on their jobs. Maintaining a flexible, and easy-to-configure, multi-use space can work better for an organisation than a rigid workstation or desk.

If you are looking for more information on hot desking and how it can help you increase your effectiveness and productivity, get in touch with us today.