Related terms
Desk sharing definition
Desk sharing puts an end to the individual office: it reinvents the way of appropriating the workspace to better meet the needs of agility, collaboration and mobility of employees. Is it a good solution for all companies? We take stock.
What is desk sharing?
Desk sharing is an organizational method that eliminates the need for dedicated workspaces. The concept of the individual closed office that each person decorates with his or her personal belongings is over. The idea is to encourage collaboration and team building through desk sharing.
With the advent of new ways of working, the occupancy rate has decreased. To optimize space, companies can reduce the number of individual offices to open up the work area and turn it into an open space.
What are the differences with the flex office?
Desk sharing and flex office share the same objective: to appropriate collectively a non-assigned work space.
- The desk sharing consists in reducing the individual offices thanks to the implementation of telecommuting.
- The flex office goes further by creating other types of workspaces within the company to meet different uses (concentration, collaboration...). To go further, the flex office approach can be coupled with spaces outside the company to diversify the proposals. In this case, we move towards the concept of activity based working.
What are the best practices for implementing desk sharing?
To initiate the transition to desk sharing, it is essential to identify the habits and needs of the various departments in order to choose the right office ratio. If, at first sight, everyone is concerned, the employees of the accounting department, for example, are rather sedentary, while those of the sales department are often on the move to meet customers, leaving their offices more often vacant.
Then, it is necessary to provide employees with the appropriate tools, such as :
- a software or an application to find a place and reserve it in real time;
- a flex office management solution to define spaces and check the occupancy rate of offices.
If necessary, the company may need to do some remodeling to create new common spaces, such as a meeting or relaxation area - this promotes mobility and employee well-being.
What are the obstacles to desk sharing?
The disadvantages of desk sharing include:
- loss of reference points;
- Lack of customization of workstations;
- an unexpected peak in attendance...
To avoid obstacles and successfully deploy the concept of desk sharing, it is necessary to involve employees (organization of spaces, choice of furniture, etc.) and establish operating rules.
The key? Optimized collaboration, team spirit and employee well-being!
