Desk Sharing or hot desking is no longer just a modern concept used by start-ups or companies from Silicon Valley. Companies from all over the world are increasingly taking advantage of the benefits of hot desking. Read on to find out what exactly the hot desking advantages and disadvantages are.

What is hot desking?

Hot desking refers to a form of work organization in which employees are not assigned a fixed workstation but instead choose one flexibly every day. In a modern working environment, employees are often working from home, traveling, or attending customer meetings, so it is rare for all employees to be in the office at the same time.

The idea of shared desks is therefore based on the free allocation of existing workstations, and the concept involves saving space, which promotes the flexibility of an office. The free choice of space is intended to avoid monotony and habit. Daily self-organization, on the other hand, promotes productivity and creativity, resulting in greater motivation in the workplace.

Common hot desking advantages and disadvantages

Various companies, whether young start-ups or global corporations are already successfully practicing the shared desk principle, but a flexible office does not only have benefits. We have collected the most common hot desking advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits of hot desking

Flexibility in the office

The shared desk concept is ideally suited to an agile way of working and therefore promotes flexibility and creativity. The constant rotation that comes into the company has a particular impact on creativity and supports it through new influences, as employees encounter each other anew every day.

Exchange and flow of information

By constantly changing desks, employees naturally come into contact with more people than they would at a fixed workplace. Colleagues also talk to each other across departments, which leads to discussions about working methods, challenges, and best practices.

Promoting employee satisfaction

The right office equipment that meets the needs of employees plays a major role in employee satisfaction. With desk sharing, you can contribute to the satisfaction of your employees by optimally aligning all spaces with the work processes.

Save costs

A shared desk office can save additional costs. This is partly because companies do not have to rent large office spaces and partly because they do not need as many workstations as employees, as not all employees are in the office every day. There are always people working from home, on business trips, on vacation, or sick.

Disadvantages of hot desking

Inner turmoil

For some, the daily search for a job can be a stress factor. Especially at the beginning, when the process is newly introduced. In order to make the introduction as pleasant as possible, change communication and a test phase can help to create a habit among employees.

Reduction in team dynamics

Although a flexible office promotes cross-departmental exchange, the dynamics and cohesion within the own team can diminish. To counteract this, employees should keep an eye on their own team dynamics and introduce measures if necessary, such as having the team sit together X times a week.

Time requirement

Of course, the search for a suitable workplace takes time. Therefore, a digital tool for finding and booking the right workplace is usually a sensible investment. In addition, a new desk, chair, and laptop have to be set up and wired every time.

Flexopus - probably the most intuitive desk sharing tool

In an era where choosing the right workspace takes time, Flexopus presents a worthwhile investment thanks to its digital platform and native app. Flexopus' intuitive desk-sharing tool stands out for its efficiency and ease of use by making it easy to find and book suitable workspaces, meeting rooms, and parking spaces.

Flexopus also offers seamless integration with Microsoft Exchange. This integration enables smooth synchronization of workspace bookings with employees' calendars and allows meeting rooms to be booked directly via Outlook. In addition, there is also a Microsoft Teams integration that allows employees to book workspaces directly in the familiar Microsoft infrastructure.

Does hot desking make sense?

The workplace booking concept is generally worthwhile if the workforce works flexibly and there are many colleagues who work partly from home or are often on-site with customers. However, it must be implemented correctly and requires the commitment of everyone involved. Everyone should be allowed to contribute their opinions, ideas, and concerns. If there is a works council, it should also be involved in the planning at an early stage.

Of course, a test phase is a very suitable model for driving the decision-making process forward, but bear in mind that hot desking is a very interactive concept that thrives on bringing people together at work to promote collaboration. If everyone understands the principle, there is a good chance that productivity, satisfaction, and collaboration will develop positively. An intuitive and simple workplace booking system like Flexopus lays the foundation for your successful implementation.