Most businesses will have to entirely rethink how they work in 2020 and 2021, as well as what a “normal” workday looks like for their staff. COVID-19, the global pandemic, has rendered a huge percentage of the workforce unable to commute to work to prevent the virus from spreading. Most, if not all, people were forced to work from home as a result of the pandemic (WFH)
As employees return to work around the country, many businesses are considering long-term solutions and weighing their possibilities for new, flexible solutions. This includes looking at hot-desking, desk hoteling, and other types of flexible working arrangements. But what are the differences between these three options, and which one would be the greatest fit for your business? Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is hot desking?
When an employee arrives at the office each day, he or she can find and work at any open seat (desk or workstation). Workers dislike open office layouts because they never know where they’ll be working each day, who they’ll be working next to, or if they’ll even be able to find a desk.
For example, someone in Accounting who needs to focus on putting up a large report can end up sitting next to someone in Sales who spends the entire day making calls in this scenario. It’s easy to see the Accounting employee becoming increasingly irritated with each passing minute.
Companies can alleviate this by imposing restrictions on who can work where and establishing “neighbourhoods.” Perhaps staff in marketing and sales are assigned to the fourth floor (or any two groups that work together frequently). Providing some governance around the “hot desks” is one approach to adopt flexible working concepts.
A company could also establish a “silent zone” on a certain floor or sector for anyone in any business group who needs to undertake focused, heads-down work. Understanding how your staff operate and what kind of workspace they require is crucial. You can make hot-desking feel less like fighting your way through a jungle and more like following a well-marked trail by using these tactics.
What is desk booking?
Rather than functioning on an ad hoc basis, this seating arrangement is more of a book-in-advance style sitting. Consider it like planning a trip; you’ll need to book your hotel ahead of time to ensure you have a place to stay. In this case, apply this logic to your seating. Employees must reserve a seat before entering the office.
Smaller offices with fewer seats than employees are common in organisations that trend more toward desk hoteling. These teams usually function in a hybrid format so that they don’t have to seat their full crew every day.
As a result, hybrid teams working in cramped quarters will need to develop some form of desk reservation mechanism. Employees are planning their in-office days ahead of time and are aware of restricted space, thus desk booking is a preferable alternative in this case. Arriving at the workplace only to find it full would be a huge disappointment. This is avoided by using a desk hoteling service.
Desk booking, like hot-desking, requires the right technology to be successful. Through a space management software, employees would be able to browse office maps of available, bookable workstations. Because this will take place off-site, having a mobile or application-based booking system is essential.
What is desk hoteling?
Desk hoteling is a word that refers to the act of “checking in” and “checking out” of a workstation, however, it’s really just another way of saying “desk booking.”
Office hoteling software, like desk booking software, allows team members to reserve a desk area for a limited time. Employees can “check-in” as they arrive at the desk to certify that the workstation is theirs for the time being.
Desk hoteling, like hot-desking, is a good solution for hybrid teams when separate desks for each employee aren’t necessary. It’s smart to employ a desk booking or hoteling solution, regardless of what you call it. Having some way of tracking who has reserved which desk may streamline the experience for your team.
Hot desking is a workspace alternative that accommodates the changing demands of the workforce and company, as more companies adopt a hybrid workplace model. It’s adaptable and cost-effective since it eliminates superfluous real estate expenses. A dedicated desk for each employee isn’t necessary because not all employees will be in the office all of the time. Companies can suit the demands of the personnel in the office that day with a hot desking setup. With the inclusion of a desk booking tool, hot desking may become even more efficient.
There are more parallels than differences between desk booking and desk hoteling software. They satisfy the needs of the hybrid office while also offering as a means of temporarily leasing a workstation. Desk booking and desk hoteling software are a clever approach to benefit from the benefits of hot desking—improved flexibility, lower expenses, and teamwork promotion—without the aggravation or territorialism that might come with it.
