What is Hot Desking and How Can it Save Your Business Money?

Because more people than ever have begun working from home for some part of their work week (up to 70% of people according to a recent cnbc.com article), dedicated workstations can often sit empty.

This not only wastes money, but is also a poor use of resources that could be otherwise utilized. Enter: hot desking. The idea is to optimize workstations, keeping them flexible and as occupied as possible.

There are two main strategies when it comes to hot desking — Zone and Hoteling. Both require some extensive organization, but luckily, app companies have not slept on this trend and have created software to allow you to easily take advantage of this.

Zone Hot Desking

This is when you establish different areas that people can reserve in order to work together in a group. As offices become more open and more people like to work on laptops in lounge spaces or in conference rooms, these stations become reserved mainly for times when people have to collaborate. Which, let’s face it, is the only real time someone needs to be in the office to get their work done.

Hoteling

This is when people reserve space on a dedicated workstation only when they need it. Again, this requires some coordination, but it has been shown to reduce costs and improve efficiency in the workplace. 

So are there any downsides to hot desking?

Mostly, the downsides have to do with less time to connect as a group and issues with hygiene. Because so many people use one station, it’s imperative to keep it clean or risk everyone getting sick.

But if you can stay clean, and create outside opportunities for company bonding, hot desking can save you a bundle on increased rent while providing another benefit for your employees. Want to know more about the trend? Fundera created this infographic to help you roll out hot desking to your employees.