Hot desks have become the hot commodity of modern places. Even though the concept has been derived from hot bunking, a practice that can be traced back to the mid 20th century, employees appreciate the diversity and freedom of hot desking. From the perspective of a facilities manager, hot desking saves space.
Therefore, hot desking has benefits for all. But to guarantee success, there are a few simple hot desking essentials that you need to become familiar with.
Bonus Read: What is Hot Desking?
We have summarized the hot desking essentials for you. Keep reading to find out more.
1. Get a Good Hot Desking Solution
Several desk booking apps like WorkInSync have come under the spotlight owing to the establishment of hybrid workplaces. A suitable desk booking app should include a hot desking solution, ultimately allowing employees to reserve desks. Whether for a few hours or an entire day, the choice stays with the employees. With an interactive floor plan for easy planning, a hot desking solution is essential.
2. Find the Perfect Balance
Even though the opportunity to have 100% hot desks might be enticing, a step like this will only create more problems than it solves. Balance is the key. Evaluate workplace metrics such as space utilization, occupancy rates, and productivity benchmarks. Segregate your workstations into static and hot desks to ensure you can accommodate the need of your employees.
3. Provide Hot Desking Resources
Every hot desk should have the right resources for efficient and effective use. While a desk and a chair are good starting points, you also need to provide Wi-Fi relays, phones, ethernet access ports, and desktops where required. This will ensure that employees looking for similar resources wouldn’t have to run across the office for the same. When booking, they can opt for a hot desk offering the required amenities.
Also Read: Benefits of Hot Desking
4. Get IT Support
An overlooked aspect of hot desking is coordinating with IT services. To manage hot desks, you need to network them properly. Apart from providing the right resources, ensure that workstations have appropriate network access like computers, and VoIP phones, to name a few.
5. Centralize the Hot Desking Check-in Process
You need to have a centralized check-in process to ensure easy management of hot desks. Again, several hot desking tools are available that track desk occupancy, locate employees, and delegate seats with interactive floor plans. A centralized hot desking solution will prevent overbooking, under-utilization, seat conflicts and make locating employees easy.
6. Encourage Proper Hot Desking Etiquette
Set etiquette standards for employees who are hot desking. You should set hot desking guidelines to keep hot desks clean, appealing, and comfortable for every employee. Make your employees responsible for their space- even if it is for a day. This will instill a sense of ownership and respect for colleagues. Also, automate the sanitization process to keep the desks clean all the time.
7. Get Utilization Report
You can’t set up hot desks in your hybrid workplace and forget about it. Hot desking needs constant monitoring. Get utilization data to determine who is using the desks, how often, and to what benefit. Remember that hot desking improves space utilization in your hybrid workplace. If desks are underutilized, you need to figure out ways to fix them. Utilization reports are hot desking essentials because they provide structure.
To Conclude
Even with these hot desking essentials sorted, there will be challenges. However, if appropriately managed and monitored correctly, hot desking can open an array of opportunities for a hybrid workplace. And does it work for your organization? Well, you need to take feedback from your employees. Understand their requirements and align them with your workplace strategy, and well, you will be sorted well because hot desking is one of the best additions to a modern hybrid workplace. Keep these seven hot desking guidelines in your mind, and you can create a steady framework.
Are you interested in implementing hot desking for your organization? Schedule a free demo with WorkInSync, one of the highest-rated hot desking solutions.
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