Related terms
What is a hot desk?
With the rise of hybrid working, the concept of the "hot desk" - an unassigned workstation - has become increasingly popular. It serves a number of purposes: giving employees a choice of workstations, maximizing occupancy rates, and reducing unoccupied workspace.
How does hot desking work?
Unlike desk booking, employees who use hot desking do not need to reserve an office. They just sit down at one of the available workstations when they arrive. This concept can be applied on company premises, in private offices or incoworking spaces .
The hot desk allows employees to change workspaces on the fly. The position chosen on arrival at the workplace is not fixed for the whole day. So everyone can sit at one desk, then leave it a few hours later for another. The advantage of the hot desk is that you can change working environments and vary the services on offer.
In coworking spaces, services are often included in hot desk packages:
- Wi-Fi connection ;
- sockets ;
- telephone booths ;
- shared relaxation areas (kitchen, cafeteria, etc.);
- storage lockers.
Should we start hot-desking?
Benefits
Hot desking has many advantages:
- Flexibility.
Employees can move from one workspace to another at will.
- Dynamism.
Regularly changing workstations helps avoid routine and motivates employees.
- Collaboration.
It's an approach based on conviviality and the collective occupation of space, to encourage exchanges.
- Occupancy rate.
The hot desk helps to reduce unoccupied space, and thus improve office occupancy rates.
The advantages of hot desking are even more pronounced in coworking spaces. Coworking is an even stronger vector of flexibility, dynamism and collaboration. Coworkers not only have the opportunity to change workspaces within a coworking space, but also to change coworking locations for greater diversity. Collaboration, meanwhile, goes even further, with both intra- and inter-company exchanges.
Disadvantages
A hot desk is not the best solution for employees who carry out confidential assignments or handle sensitive information. Closed offices offer these employees greater privacy.
Regular workstation changes can also be problematic for teams who need to collaborate continuously. For example, if two employees need to work side by side, there's no guarantee that this will be possible with hot desking.
On the other hand, the workstation is not personalized, as it has to be left to someone else when the employee leaves. This can make it more difficult for employees to make the space their own and feel comfortable in it. The company can offer a storage system so that employees can keep their personal items, such as laptops, safe.
The hot desk allows employees or self-employed workers to choose a workspace to suit their current needs and activities.
