It’s no secret that office space in America is very expensive. In fact, no less than seven U.S. cities figured in Jones Lang LaSalle’s ranking of the most expensive office rental markets in the world.
Given the current pandemic, however, businesses are reconfiguring offices to make them more cost-efficient. One of these ways is hot desking, wherein multiple employees can use the same work desk but at different times of the day. This practice is often done in offices where there are multiple work shifts or where employees are not required to report to work every day.
Having multiple employees share the same desk does pose certain challenges. Luckily, a hot desk booking app can make reserving a spot simple and foolproof.
What to look for in a hot desk booking app
If you’re keen on implementing hot desking in your office, here’s how to select the best booking desk solution:
- Ease of use. Introducing new systems is never easy, which is why ease of use should be at the top of your list when considering hot desking solutions. It should take no longer than a few seconds to reserve a desk and your chosen solution should offer multiple ways of doing so. For instance, Meetio Desk lets you book a workspace using an app or through a puck-like device affixed to the desk itself.
- Transparency. If you have a larger office, finding an open table will be quite the challenge. That’s why your hot desking suite should be able to integrate with TV monitors around your office so people can easily spot-free seating areas. If you’re using an app-based solution, available desks should also be easily viewable through a smartphone.
- Touch-free option. Employees are only slowly trickling back into the office and safety precautions must be observed to avoid outbreaks. Hence, it is ideal if the desk booking solution you choose offers a hands-free check-in and check-out functionality. For instance, some suites allow a person to simply scan a QR code before and after they use a desk. The less physical contact, the lower the risk of catching COVID-19.
- Scalability. If your office is only starting to experiment with hot desking, then only a few tables will be shared by workers. But what if you plan to roll out this initiative throughout the company? When this happens, your system must be able to scale up easily as you add more workspaces for hot desking. The last thing you want is a system that can’t keep up with the influx of bookings once you’ve fully implemented such a system.
- Searchability. With hot desking, people are free to sit anywhere they want. However, there are times when teammates will want to sit close to each other if they are working on a certain project. As such, a hot desk booking app that allows users to search where colleagues are sitting is a great feature to look for in a solution.
The future of work is changing and so, too, are the workspaces. With hot desking saving companies up to 30% in overhead costs, this trend is here to stay.
If you're interested in knowing more about hot desking - download our free guide below!
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