Hot desking

Hot-desking is a form of agile working and a common source of dissatisfaction for practitioners. A survey of social workers (Stevenson, 2019) found more than eight out of ten practitioners felt hot-desking was not compatible with the work they do. More than six out of ten who were currently hot-desking said their experience was ‘entirely’ or ‘largely’ negative. Most also said they had not been properly equipped or supported for hot desk.

Leaders may be considering introducing hot-desking as part of a hybrid work model, where people may work at home for part of the week and share office space for the rest of the time. Hot-desking can be effective if managed carefully, but losing a familiar workspace and being separated from team members can make people feel isolated and unmotivated, and their wellbeing and performance can suffer (Ayoko & Ashkanasy, 2019; Morrison & Macky, 2017; Webber, 2019).

So, introducing hot-desking requires more than simply providing practitioners with laptops and asking them to share desks. The following guidance will be helpful:

(a) If you are considering introducing hot-desking in your organisation

(b) If you are already doing so, to check that conditions are optimal

• Planning: Consider carefully how long it will take to move to hot-desking, the resources you need and the budget you have. Identify your desired outcome and how you will measure its success or failure. Ensure you assess the impact at the team level, as well as the individual level.

• Enhance buy-in: Involve practitioners in developing your hot-desking policy from the start. Asking for feedback and ideas will increase acceptability and minimise resistance. A steering group can provide creative ideas to inform hot-desking policy and help you monitor progress over time.

• Manage the change: Explain the reasons for introducing hot-desking. Highlight the benefits but acknowledge potential disadvantages. Listen to concerns – e.g. about how hot-desking might impact on working relationships, workforce wellbeing and job performance. Consider how it may impact on people’s sense of belonging and commitment and how this might be addressed.

• Expect disruption: Even if people have been working remotely, hot-desking will be a major change, and will take a while to bed in. Policies may need to be revisited and adapted.

• Confidentiality: Emphasise the need for privacy of data by never leaving computers unattended when email or confidential documents are open.

• Hot-desking in practice: Ensure you have the appropriate technology and sufficient workspaces. People can waste precious time searching for a workstation or getting to grips with unfamiliar or unreliable technology (this can also be a source of anxiety). Decide whether desks will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, through an informal desk-sharing system, or via apps to formally book desks and rooms.

• Try zoning: Consider providing larger office space where team members can hot-desk alongside their leaders (rather than in undesignated areas). This will encourage discussion of work issues and enable leaders to provide updates and offer support.

• Inclusivity: Chairs and computer monitors need to be easily adjustable to accommodate people’s individual needs and preferences. Consider the needs of those who require specialised equipment, such as adapted keyboards and chairs.

• Create a variety of spaces: Wherever possible, offer workspaces for different types of task, such as breakout rooms, cubicles for one-to-one meetings or private phone calls, and quiet areas to facilitate deep concentration.

• Personalising space: Studies show that an inability to personalise our working areas with things that define our identity can be stressful. Think of ways to provide people with a sense of ownership by encouraging them to add personal touches to their workspace. They could bring personal itemsthat are small and portable, vote on a choice of pictures for the walls, or put personal photographs on a noticeboard.

• Clean desk policy: Workspaces and computers should be kept free of personal or confidential material. People may be less inclined to keep shared desks clean and tidy than their own personal workspaces. Provide a shared space where they can eat lunch away from their desk.

• Accept that hot-desking may not work: People often gravitate to the same spaces and some people may stake out their territory by ‘adopting’ a desk as ‘theirs’. As well as causing resentment, a hot-desking space can easily revert to the traditional arrangement of practitioners having permanent desks.

• Some guidance on introducing flexible working practices is provided here.