Centralized workplaces used to mean a personal workspace for each employee—a desk or cubicle that a given worker sat at every day while doing their job. It was an accepted part of the formula since it allowed people to personalize their space. It also made it easy to locate coworkers when you needed to speak to them.
The rise of hybrid workplaces has changed that, and today hot desking solutions are the new normal. Instead of going to the same desk space every day, employees reserve a desk where they’ll be working. They’re informed by email which desk that is, along with which employees will be in the office that day and where they might be located.
Hot desking has become one of the linchpins for a successful hybrid business model, and effective hot desking solutions are key to companies reaping the benefits. So, what is hot desking, and how can it benefit your business? And, what does the future of hot desking look like?
What is Hot Desking?
Hot desking is simple enough in concept. It’s a hot desk booking system in which desks are used by different people at different times, depending on who is in the office and what their specific work needs might be. Employees simply reserve desks for the day and time they’ll be working on site. While that wasn’t necessary for a traditional workplace, hybrid work models have made hot desking essential.
The goal is to maximize space efficiency and reduce the amount of redundant workspace. When properly implemented, hot desking meets this need. Businesses can function with less square footage and ditch unneeded cubicles, saving a great deal of money in the process.
A proper hot desking solution requires excellent organization and scheduling. That’s typically included in setting up a hybrid workspace, and managers are usually charged with maintaining a working system—a time-consuming process. A proper software app with the right tools is essential to successful hot desking solutions because it can streamline the process considerably.
The Advantages of Using a Hot Desking Solution
The biggest benefits of hot desking come as part of a properly implemented hybrid workplace. If at least some of your workforce performs their duties from home on a given workday, there is no need to set space aside for them to use. But the number of employees coming in on a given day can vary significantly. The flexibility of a hybrid workplace allows for this ebb and flow.
Implementing a hot desking solution as part of a hybrid environment ensures workers will have a proper workspace on those days when they need to be in the office. Businesses benefit by reducing the size of their workspace, cutting day-to-day expenses considerably without paying for anything they don’t need.
In addition, hot desking solutions can often increase collaboration in the office. For example, employees working on the same project can be grouped together for the duration of that project. The setup also helps larger companies provide space for employees who work at satellite offices, striking the right balance that’s essential to an effective hybrid workplace.
What Hot Desking Looks Like Post-pandemic
Hot desking—and indeed hybrid workplaces in general—has been part of the landscape for years. The pandemic accelerated the practice, as health concerns made remote work a sudden reality for almost every business in the world. In the process, many companies discovered considerable benefits to having a hot desk policy.
The improved flexibility gave businesses the ability to respond quickly to new challenges. In addition, the improved work-life balance helped employees be happier and more loyal. Far from blunting productivity, hybrid workplaces often showed higher levels of output. As the world emerged from the pandemic, the format quickly became the new normal.
With people now dividing time between home and office, hot desking solutions are becoming more necessary. However, the system behind hot desking has changed. What began as a temporary need has evolved into a structure that constantly shifts and changes.
The number of people working in a hybrid workplace on a given day will grow or shrink as projects and necessities dictate. Managers need to know how to make the best use of their workspace and its constantly shifting specifics without spending too much time on the matter. A good scheduling app—particularly one made with hot desking solutions in mind—can be invaluable.
Will Hot Desking Stay in the Future?
Along with other aspects of a hybrid workplace, hot desking solutions appear to be here to stay. New working conditions, shifting societal changes, and technological advances bringing the world closer together have contributed to an ever-evolving new normal. As we move forward, effective space management will be key to business success.
Hot desking solutions enable companies to do more with less space, while employees appreciate the healthy work-life balance that hot desking can provide. Flexible workplaces allow for greater collaboration among workers while letting them save time and accomplish tasks more readily.
Hot desking and similar aspects of hybrid workplaces have provided long-term solutions to lingering business problems. It’s safe to say that the practice will be part of effective company organization strategies for years to come.
Future-Proof Your Hybrid Solutions With Smarten Spaces
Hybrid workplaces are the way forward for many businesses, and hot desking is an essential part of that equation. For hot desking to work, companies must use the right software tools.
Transparency and accessibility are often the keys. Allowing employees to reserve and schedule their desks empowers them and gives them a practical way to facilitate effective hybrid work. Smarten Spaces helps you implement hot desking solutions that work for your company, unique to your needs.
Hybrid workplaces are defined by change, and their flexibility allows them to move with the future, no matter what it might be. Smarten Spaces lets you future-proof your businesswith comprehensive hot desking solutions—contact us today to find out how Smarten Spaces can work for you.