Introduction 

The ideal post-pandemic workplace means modern organizations must monitor occupancy and enforce capacity limits in office premises. And a robust desk booking software holds the potential to tackle multiple workplace management challenges. 

Also Read: What is a Desk Booking Software? 

Firstly, the tool enables on-site workers to choose where they want to work to effectively collaborate with their colleagues while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Since employees can make reservations on the desk booking solution via their smartphones, no face-to-face interaction is involved.

Besides that, the platform makes it easier for facility managers to track and analyze space utilization, keep shared workspaces sanitized, and ensure employee safety from threatening viral elements. 

Here’s an in-depth guide to help you select a desk booking software well suited for your organization. Let’s begin with a deep dive into how this tool empowers you to manage hybrid workspaces and heighten your organization and its employees’ safety. 

How Can Desk Booking Software Help Your Company?

Earlier, workplace managers kept an eye on the on-premise traffic but seldom needed to control how many people were huddled in any room. Flash forward to today, companies must focus on de-densification in the workplace. This means organizations have to keep their workplace occupancy low, aligning with protocols designed to control capacity and on-site traffic better.

That’s where desk booking software can help. How? Let’s see.

#1 Limit On-premise Staff With Desk Booking Software 

In the post-Covid-19 era, nearly 55% of workers admitted preferring to work at least three days a week remotely. In such a scenario, if a company adopts a hybrid work model, the employees will work from the office on nearly three days weekly. Here, companies can face multiple operational dilemmas to cope with the new reality that Covid-19 has introduced.

To successfully run a hybrid workspace, employers must enforce safe distancing protocols and eliminate wasted space. Here, desk booking software can help.

How? Let’s see. Employees can book desks across conference rooms, cafes, meeting spaces, and more with an intuitive mobile desk booking software app or a self-service kiosk. Facility managers can track pre-scheduled employee visits and occupancy levels in rooms. 

#2 Use Desk Booking Software to Decide Which Teams Will Be On-site 

On a given day, office visitors, including on-site employees, clients, interview candidates, etc., may increase on the premises. Companies must adhere to workplace occupancy limits in such scenarios while ensuring that no high-priority task is dismissed from the to-do list.

Here, companies can allocate desks in relevant office spaces in advance with desk booking software. 

Furthermore, even in a hybrid workspace, some teams may function from on-premise locations concurrently to successfully perform their jobs. Workplace managers can coordinate with various team leads to understand who needs to work on-site the same day and plan desk schedules accordingly with desk booking software.

Bonus Read: Benefits of Hot Desking

#3 Alleviate Front Desk Employees’ Burden with Desk Booking Software  

Managing desk schedules with spreadsheets are challenging, especially for mid to large-sized organizations. Here, the larger the company’s workforce, the more time and resources the process entails. It could also eventually lead to non-compliance with health safety protocols if you miss a single detail.

Besides, when an individual is responsible for overseeing every employee’s request, confirming a room’s availability, ensuring optimal on-site occupancy, and recording personnel details, it can quickly eat up their entire day.

That’s why once teams have established the best hybrid workplace schedule as per the company’s operational requirements, facility managers can create an operational roll-out plan. 

With desk booking software, companies can easily facilitate desk management and simultaneously manage office schedules in different locations. This way, facility managers won’t have to coordinate with multiple employees who’ll visit the office at any specific hour or even a common time of the week to accommodate a single change.

Hence, desk booking software can help organizations design a schedule that meets their employees’ needs efficiently. Space scheduling systems can ease collaboration between on and off-site employees comfortably while maintaining social distancing protocols. 

#4 Deploy Desk Booking Software to Cut Back On Office Expenses

Another significant benefit of utilizing desk booking software is the ability to lower real estate costs. 73% of senior real estate executives acknowledged that flexible office space is a significant part of their long-term real estate strategies in the post-pandemic era. Besides, today, companies are focusing on creating activity-based workspaces where the aim is to accommodate more employees with fewer but dedicated workspaces.

Desk booking software apps empower you to design a functional modern-day workspace with flexible seating and modular rooms instead of conventional arrangements.

Moreover, if organizations do away with masses of unused space, they can also cut back on paying for the sq. ft., seating, cabling, lighting, internet connectivity, phone, computer systems, etc.

How to Choose The Desk Booking Software Perfect for Your Organization?

Desk booking software hosts the latest features for office space management and a wealth of potential to tap into right off the bat. Discover answers to the following questions to select an effective, modern-day desk booking software management.

#1 Can You Easily Manage Your Company’s Day-to-day Work Schedule Using Desk Booking Software?

Hot-desking or hoteling equips employees with more flexibility to reserve a workstation that successfully complements their daily and weekly needs. This is especially vital in the modern-day office structure when employees switch between off-site and on-site tasks. 

Using desk booking software to enable workers to select their workspace or station or allocate desks as per their needs can help customize their on-site experiences.

#2 Does Your Desk Management Software Help You Better Manage Your Workplace Capacity?

Since every community worldwide has unique reopening requirements, social distance recommendations, and capacity restrictions, space management is a primary concern today. Whether you plan on scaling up or down, managing workplace capacity is an ebb and flow that must meet the local and societal protocols. 

Using desk booking software, facility managers can comfortably monitor the deployment of desks, spaces, and workstations in the office. Since managing occupancy in workspaces means limiting the number of employees and visitors on-site at any given time, your desk booking system must be equipped accordingly. 

With desk booking software, companies access a massive data pool while keeping a tab on rooms or stations ready for use and in use. This way, workplace managers can tap into an extensive dataset where the seating arrangement is visible and modifiable in real-time. 

Desk booking software also helps organizations prepare for busy days when on-premise rooms are abuzz with visitors, stakeholders, board members, etc. It also informs workers to plan their remote work strategies.

#3 Is Your Smart Desk Booking Software Empowering Your Employees with A Safer, More Productive, Socially Distanced Workspace?

Unfortunately, social distancing norms can feel too stringent in workspaces, especially when employees return to offices after a long time. Maintaining a healthy workplace management strategy means finding ways to promote appropriate practices, enforce them, and ensure productivity without damaging employee morale. The right desk booking software enables you to do that and more. 

Here’s how. A good desking tool will help companies capture, track, and analyze employees’ on-site activities, warranting adherence to all prescribed guidelines. Ultimately, workplace managers can automate the system to send alerts to employees. For instance, if a worker tries to book a desk extremely close to an occupied one, the desk booking software should stop that from happening with a simple notification. 

Or, if an employee is gearing up for their mid-day cafeteria break, but the space is crowded as per the guidelines, the system must alert them. Besides that, facility managers can also deactivate desks that don’t meet the physical distancing protocols, like leaving a desk or two empty between separate workstations.

#4 Does Your Desk Booking Software Routinely Sync Seating and Workstation Usage?

Imagine this- an employee walks into the office premises. Their mobile automatically checks them in, notifies the rest of the workforce that they are on-site, and directs them towards their allocated desk. A modern desk booking software will ensure that it books a workstation suited to the employees’ requirements. 

Besides, when the employee leaves for the day, the system automatically releases their desk for another employee to set up their workstation. 

In a hybrid workplace, this automated check-in and seat allocation will help facilitate improved space management. Facility managers can use the data- of when a station is occupied or released- to effectively manage on-premise occupancy. 

Moreover, this way, organizations can reduce the number of “ghost bookings” where desks appear reserved but empty. Desk booking software must ensure intelligent scheduling for managing both on and off-site employees and provide flexibility in choosing between desks ready at a moment’s notice or those already reserved offline.

#5 Will Your Desk Booking Software Aid Organization’s Cleaning Protocols?

85% of employees say health and safety in the workplace are more important today than before the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s why as companies open doors for employees again, guaranteeing that these shared on-site spaces are clean and hygienic will be pivotal in the hybrid work model’s success.

Organizations can sync up their cleaning operations with automated seat allotment processes with desk booking software management. 

For instance, if an employee releases a workstation, the custodial staff will simultaneously receive a notification, knowing that the area needs cleaning. The designated desk can go offline or appear deactivated for employees until the sanitation team sanitizes it.

Facility managers can easily use connected workplace communication tools to relay information between multiple teams and synchronize operations. 

Recommended Reading: WHO Guidelines for Office Sanitization

#6 Does The Desk Booking Software Reduce Overhead Expenses?

When companies configure desk arrangements by teams, neighborhoods, wings, or even individuals, it offers a clear idea of how office space is utilized. It, in turn, also unlocks ways to optimize the in-use space. Besides, the desk booking software must offer actionable intelligence on allocating and manipulating spaces across the office premises. 

It will also equip companies with insights into what kinds of work setups are in demand today. Whether employees opt for isolated workstations or meeting rooms are more in use, organizations can have the relevant data at their disposal. This way, organizations can convert underused spaces into visitation areas or hybrid meeting rooms with specialized plug-and-play facilities for enhanced productivity.

Overall, companies can lower real estate costs with a productive hybrid workplace backed by innovative desking solutions.

Benefits of a Desk Booking Software

Now that you know how to choose the right desk booking software let’s sum up the benefits of deploying a suitable solution.

1. Conduct Spatial and Effective Planning

Adhering to occupancy limits and controlling on-premise traffic ensures employee safety and enables proper space usage. Whether organizations start with 50% on-site capacity during re-entry or keep 80% of employees remote, desk booking software management will ascertain that employees aren’t crammed into rooms and workstations are allocated as per the organization’s operational requirements.

With flexible desk booking software, pool data on who is on-site, where they are spending time, and how many employees and visitors your facility can safely accommodate.

2. Quantify Space Utilization

In the post-pandemic era, re-imagining real estate and strategic workplace configuration are must-dos for organizations worldwide. With the latest desk booking software in place, quickly measure and quantify space utilization. Answer the following questions quickly.

• How are individual workstations and shared office spaces being used?
• Are these spaces backing the on-site workforce or staying underutilized? 
• Is there room to reduce overhead costs?

3. Create Personalized and Purposeful On-site Experiences 

In a hybrid workplace, lower occupancy translates into more rooms and workstations available for other purposes. For instance, those functioning on-site can utilize these spaces to mitigate downtime effectively. With desk booking software, create a sustainable working model with advanced insights into reserving and releasing desks for multifaceted employee engagement. 

Similarly, the intelligent system enables employees to choose how, when, and why they utilize various offices, thereby customizing their on-site experiences.

Also Read: Hybrid Workplace Challenges & Solutions

To Conclude

Employees will ultimately drive the hybrid workplace revolution, but an organization’s operational success hinges on suitable desk scheduling solutions. 

With WorkInSync’s desk booking software, empower your employees with the choice to easily reserve workstations and see where their colleagues are seated. Moreover, book-specific sets of desks for teams to improve on-site collaboration while following social distancing protocols.

Check out our suite of desk booking solution today. Subscribe to our blog and stay updated with the latest desk booking software updates. 

Did you know the concept of “booking” office spaces isn’t nascent? In the 1990s, employees working in offices with hot desking did not have a dedicated workspace. Instead, they could take up whatever desk was available at the time. This is essentially what desk booking software offers in the modern context. 

As you know, the traditional workspace model is undergoing yet another facelift. There has been a cultural shift in how employees “go to work,” and understandably so. With the pandemic yet to be curbed, a 9-to-5 work in office is no longer a safe – or the desired option – for most employees. According to a report by Accenture, workers are inclined towards a hybrid model 83% of the time. 

We’re now looking at companies emerging from traditional office wombs and into a brand-new world of flexible, dynamic, and hybrid work models. This also means organizations need to accommodate employee preferences. Be it:

• Remote work 
• In-the-Office work
• Hybrid work 

So, now, the question is: how can a company, whether big or small, execute such a hybrid workspace strategy successfully? This is precisely where a desk booking software comes into the picture. How? Let’s explore in detail below. 

What is a Desk Booking Software? 

Imagine you’re thinking of eating out at your favorite Italian restaurant over the weekend. Now, you can either make a table reservation in advance or check in directly. 

In the first case, you’ll receive a confirmation that your table has been reserved successfully on the restaurant’s second floor as per your specific requirement. Meanwhile, in the second case, you will get a table on a first-come, first-served basis, so you’ll have to take whatever table is available at the time. 

A desk booking software works in a similar fashion. It is essentially a sophisticated software crafted using a system of codes that allows employees to book a “desk” or “cubicle” for a day or more depending on need. Workers can also claim a desk through a desk booking software depending on proximity to colleagues or amenities required, such as notepads or desktops. 

Bonus Read: How is Technology Helping Companies Return to Office?  

All the bookings are made using an app integrated with the desk booking software that demonstrates a visual map of the entire facility, including individual workspaces, offices, common rooms, conference rooms, etc. And each booking request is either approved automatically or by a company manager/supervisor (or a management team) responsible for overseeing the reservations.

How Does a Desk Booking Software Work?

A desk booking software allows employees to reserve a workstation at the physical office using any interface. 

Whether they prefer using a desk booking software for on-the-go desk reservations or a browser to book a desk beforehand, they can access any software-enabled platform to:

• Identify and reserve workstations on demand
• Check out details, pictures, resources, floor maps, and other related information for a particular space  
• Filter choices depending on availability, location, and type

Now, there are primarily two ways desk booking management works: Hot Desking and Hoteling. This is also the reason why such booking software is occasionally called desk hoteling or hot desking software. 

While each term defines a set of more or less similar processes, there are specific particularities you should know about. 

Desk Hoteling

This is a flexible workspace practice wherein employees can find and claim any available workspace in advance for a certain period. They can rely on a desk booking software app or web browser to make the reservation. Want to more about hoteling in the hybrid workplace? You can read all about hoteling here. 

Hot Desking

Here, the employees show up directly at the office facility and book a workstation depending on the availability and demand at the time. Employees can use QR codes, RFID tags, etc., to check available desks, which are then assigned in the order of arrival. We have put together a list of advantages of implementing hot desking. Learn more about the benefits of hot desking here. 

Undoubtedly, the desk booking software is incredibly user-friendly for individual employees. But what if a team or group of employees needs to collaborate? How can they reserve a specific area for use? In such a case, the management can permanently book a huddle of workstations for the team as a “neighborhood” to facilitate easy collaboration. 

To give organizations the best of both worlds, most desk booking software allows both hotel desks and hot desks for the employees to use. 

Also Read: 7 Essentials of Hot Desking 

However, there’s more! Alongside an assortment of useful features, the desk booking software also comes with a slew of benefits.

Advantages of a Desk Booking Software

There are numerous reasons why giants like Google, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and more have relied on desk booking software for hot desking and hoteling. Some of those are discussed below.

1. Reduced Real Estate Footprint

An efficient office desk booking software will help keep tabs on the utilization capacity of a particular facility. With such data insights at your fingertips, you will better manage a flexible workforce while leaving guesswork behind. 

So, even as your employee count goes up, you don’t necessarily need to invest in newer office spaces. Instead, you can put caps on the occupancy numbers and rotate employees based on the necessity for optimal space usage. This can bring down your real estate footprint significantly without a loss. 

Take HSBC, for example. The finance giant’s CEO and other senior managers recently relinquished their work desk in favor of hot desking through a desk booking software. A move that will help the company reduce its real estate footprint by 40%. This will also translate to enhanced savings on leasing office spaces, all thanks to the company’s effective desk booking software.

Recommended Reading: Why Real Estate Consulting Needs Technology? 

2. Increased Cost Savings

Besides the real estate costs, implementing desk booking software allows for the easy management of a hybrid workforce. With regular tracking of occupancy rates, you can bring down incidental charges, like stationery and printer paper, along with maintenance costs. Fewer employees working in the office also means you’re saving a considerable amount on utility bills while allowing equitable access to office resources.

Case in point: EY’s Chicago offices first started the office hoteling trend some two decades ago. Since then, the company’s annual savings were earmarked at $47 million or more due to reduced square footage.

3. Supports a Flexible Workforce

If you’ve implemented a desk booking system, your employees will have greater flexibility. Whenever they have to work on-site, they can easily reserve a station, even a cafeteria slot, days in advance using the desk booking software. And when they arrive at the facility, they’ll know exactly where they need to sit without any nasty surprises in tow. 

On top of that, they get complete autonomy to choose where and how they work. This fosters a resilient and empowered workforce that is also immensely productive. Thus, a desk booking software is crucial for supporting a flexible workforce. Such a robust system will also help improve the employee experience and appeal to new talent.

So does the upsides of desk booking sound like a sweet deal for your company? Then don’t think twice about deploying desk booking software. But once you’ve decided on a suitable vendor, next comes implementation. This is where things can get a bit tricky.

How to Implement a Desk Booking Software?

The sudden move to remote work after the COVID-19 outbreak was unarguably a jarring experience, especially for employees used to the traditional work model. To spare them another similar experience, you must carefully implement a desk booking software to get the hybrid workspace strategy rolling. 

The transition from a 9-to-5 workspace model to an asynchronous one should feel seamless to your employees, not interruptive. With that said, let us understand how you can get started successfully.

1. Draft a User Policy for Your Desk Booking Software

No business changes should be made overnight, let alone decisions that concern the goodwill of your employees. To make sure there are no bumps along the way, begin by drafting a policy for the new hybrid model. 

Ask questions like: Is employee attendance mandatory on certain days? Can a team of employees claim a specific area? Should desk reservation requests be approved automatically? Or do you need a manager to monitor the space use? Once the objectives are cleared and the policy ready to roll, send out the information company-wide and keep every employee in the loop, whether permanent or contractual. This will build employee expectations before the actual implementation. 

However, the efforts shouldn’t stop once the desk booking software has been rolled out. It is also essential that you carry out frequent and consistent communication to inform employees about:

• Best practices for using a flexible workspace 
• The onboarding process for the desk booking app and related tools
• Desk booking benefits

Such dedicated initiatives and efforts can also help you encourage faster adoption of the desk booking software by different teams.

Also Read: Why is a Meeting Room Booking Software Essential? 

2. Create a Code of Practice 

To keep all the employees, including specific teams, contractors, and freelancers, on the same page, you should enforce a set of good practices and procedures for employees to follow. 

Having such a document in place will facilitate easy onboarding for the new hires as well. 

3. Provide a Consistent Experience  

When employees need to come to the office for work, there should be no delays or discomforts. Whether they’re using the desk booking software or local kiosks, they should quickly locate a workspace within a particular location on demand. 

That also brings us to the resources and amenities available for collaboration. With some of the team members working from home, the in-office workers should also get easy access to a set of robust collaborative tools and technologies. This will enable them to keep the communication going and execute team-specific goals without difficulty. 

Moreover, to identify such gaps in your implementation plan, keep monitoring the space utilization data and take clues from the seating practices and common employee grievances to improve the user experience.

4. Improve Implementation of the Desk Booking Software

While still at the initial stage, you should focus on improving the software implementation at the team level. There will be several trials and errors before you can successfully implement and run the desk booking software. The idea is to monitor every process to provide remedial solutions as and when a problem surfaces. 

So instead of relying on the stock vendor demo, different teams should use training plans customized for their specific requirements. These can include: 

With such robust planning and execution, you can ensure your employees and the organization are benefitting from your desk booking software.

Invest in an Effective Desk Booking Software

With hybrid workspaces still evolving and changing, you will need highly effective desk booking software and other infrastructure to meet the employee demands head-on. 

WorkInSync’s desk booking software offers the perfect solution to your hot desking woes. With a highly institutive desk booking app, your employees can book workstations in advance, locate coworkers, filter amenities, and access real-time sanitization status. 

 Also, the platform allows you to reserve a particular set of desks for specific teams to create “neighborhoods” and facilitate easy collaboration. Request a demo of our desk booking software here.

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