How to Avoid Workplace Competition over Meeting Rooms

If you’re working in a company that requires a lot of facetime with your clients and/or colleagues, we’re guessing that you probably conduct meetings frequently. While this isn’t a problem by nature, many companies run into issues when a competition over meeting rooms starts to surface. To avoid workplace competition over meeting spaces, you may want to consider a few tactics you can deploy so that everyone can hold the meetings they need to, without feeling stressed in the office.

Utilize different spaces for different purposes

Sometimes large conference rooms are necessary for important corporate meetings, such as when the board gets together once a month. But other times, you may just need a quick status update meeting, and then the big table with approximately 20 chairs around it just doesn’t seem necessary.

Mixed use or activity based workspaces are some of the best for allowing employees to utilize different spaces as they need to, especially in regards to meetings. Even if your office doesn’t have designated huddle rooms, you can still try to make the most of what you’ve got. Perhaps you can book the lounge area in your office for an informal meeting, or reserve the big table in the cafeteria for a lunch briefing. Get creative in how you use the space you have, so that you can reduce reliance on the traditional meeting spaces, thus avoiding competition and conflict.

Create a more mobile office

One of the main issues with meeting room competition stems from the usage of equipment and supplies. Maybe you don’t necessarily need the largest room for your meeting of three, but if it’s the only room with a TV screen and you’re making a presentation, then your choices are limited.

You can avoid this by making your spaces more adaptable and mobile optimized. When you take equipment or supplies room to room, or be more reliant on wireless capabilities, it can allow you to be more flexible in where your meetings are held. Again, this can reduce the competition on specific meeting rooms when you and your colleagues feel that there is greater freedom in usage.

Deploy technology and a good booking system

When it comes to meetings, we know that technology is our friend. Sometimes reducing competition or any animosity over meeting rooms can simply come down to a better room booking system and availability viewport. When it becomes confusing or unclear which rooms are being used when and by who, this can naturally create frustration. When you take away those clarity issues, employees can feel more relaxed, even when there isn’t a room available always when they need one.

Being able to easily plan ahead, be notified when there are last minute cancellations, or have an overall view of what rooms are available if you want to hold a spontaneous meeting, will allow staff to have more control over their meetings. When we feel we are in control, it naturally reduces competition and a feeling of desperation for having what we need when we need it.

If you can think about how you use your space, your equipment, and your booking system in a better way, you can surely avoid nasty conflicts in the office. Meeting room booking shouldn’t be stressful or a source of friction in your office, and by taking these steps, you may be able to avoid competition over meeting rooms altogether.