Hot on the heels of 2022’s Great Resignation, employees unhappy with in-person working demands are either quiet-quitting or continuing to vote with their feet, forcing more companies–especially those with an entrenched in-office requirement–to reevaluate their policies.
But while being remote can be highly convenient and empower staff to be more productive, there is no substitute for working together in person. Interpersonal relationships are strengthened when people are present and engaged, and ideas flow freely as team members collaborate more closely. However, in traditional in-person office systems, these amplifiers of business growth are also pegged to the cost of maintaining an office under a long-term lease.
Hot desking in a coworking or private office space can be a great way to bridge the gap between remote and in-person work sustainably and has become a core component of many hybrid working approaches. Hot desking allows individual workers and small teams to work flexibly and stay connected while benefiting from full-suite amenities and cultural and event programming without private office overheads.
If you’re considering whether hot desking is the best solution for your business, this guide could help.
What is Hot Desking?
Hot desking is a workplace system that can be deployed in private offices and coworking spaces and enables employees to use available desks at different times on a first-come, first-served basis. Traditional coworking models utilized the hot desk concept primarily in communal workspaces. In the new world of hybrid work, this concept is also being used within all coworking space types, including dedicated desks and private offices tied to a company instead of individuals.
Adopting this way of working helps companies optimize space utilization, improve efficiency, and reduce real estate and maintenance costs. The term “hot desking” is likely derived from the US Navy idiom “hot racking”—switching sailors with different shifts between the same bunk at various times.
While the term “office hoteling” is often used interchangeably with “hot desking”, they are not the same thing: office hoteling describes when employees dynamically schedule unassigned seating in advance. Like hot desking, free addressing is another model by which unassigned seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis but uses workplace management software sensors to track when each desk is occupied. In a hot desking scenario, workers look around for an open desk.
Key considerations for evaluating a Hot Desking workspace
As workers move around, they will need ready access to power outlets, technology, high-speed internet, and printing facilities. Access to private spaces is a must, especially for workers working on sensitive projects. CANOPY locations incorporate quiet lounge areas and meeting spaces, sound-proofed phone booths, and conference rooms open to hot-desking members.
Check that kitchen and washroom amenities are well-stocked and maintained and that the neighborhood allows teams to grab a bite or meet vendors, partners, and investors for a business lunch or dinner. CANOPY locations have been carefully chosen to place our members at the heart of SF’s Pacific Heights, Jackson Square, and FiDi neighborhoods and provide an expansive Silicon Valley location in Menlo Park’s Springline, all of which offer elevated dining experiences and boutique shopping.
What are the benefits of Hot Desking?
If you’re an independent consultant or freelancer, hot desking in a coworking space can help mitigate the malaise or loneliness of working from home while connecting you with a community of professionals across various industries, helping to foster innovation and generate sales and partnership leads. It’s a highly flexible, low-cost alternative to renting dedicated office space and enables you to work in multiple locations–you might work at CANOPY Jackson Square today and at CANOPY Menlo Park after a Silicon Valley meeting tomorrow.
The same benefits apply to members of hybrid teams, and bringing teams to ideate in person will enhance the ability of workers to conduct deep work, communicate and elevate energy and engagement across the board. Hot-desking is a great way to employ top-tier remote workers without being tied to a single in-person location and scale up or down quickly, according to your unique business needs. Opting to hot-desk within a private office maximizes office space by reducing assigned desks from the floor plan.
Within a turn-key coworking space, admin and cleaning staff are outsourced, and facility and amenity maintenance is included for greater convenience. Because coworking spaces manage furnishings and amenities, there’s also no need to plan for renovations or to upgrade your furnishings. CANOPY is furnished with Herman Miller desks and Sayl chairs to ensure members are always comfortable and benefit from the best functional and ergonomic workspace.
Many coworking spaces also employ an events staff that plans regular cultural programming and happenings–recent CANOPY events have included a brand builder workshop, wine tastings, an evening with five women Nat Geo explorers, and a panel discussion by leaders in a sustainable fashion. Coworking spaces also invite their members to take the floor and lead public or members-only events–another great way to share your company’s important work with your community and perhaps leverage the PR potential of presenting to a broad audience.
Disadvantages of adopting a Hot Desking environment
If the hot desking environment is oversubscribed, without management tools, workers might find it hard to find open desks for the day or during busy periods, especially if they want to sit together as a team. The ambient noise of people collaborating around them might be distracting and inconvenient for taking meetings or calls. Humans are creatures of habit and quickly settle on a favorite spot to sit–perhaps by a window or the coffee bar–so the thought of changing desks each time we come to work often doesn’t sit well.
A thriving hot desking situation at its core empowers people to show up to a thoughtfully designed location whenever they’re inspired and immediately get to work. Before signing up, use-test spaces by requesting a complimentary day pass. (You can sign up to experience CANOPY here.)
How to measure whether your organization’s Hot Desking policy is effective
Tracking hot desk usage and ensuring your organizational system is meeting the needs of your team can take time. Still, careful analysis can help to streamline your approach and related costs. Workplace analytics and resulting space utilization and occupancy rate metrics across hot desking hubs can help you to define how many desks are needed in each location. Anecdotal worker satisfaction is another valid qualifier.
Ready to try Hot Desking?
In addition to offering Personal Desk memberships, which include lockable August storage, a shelving unit, and wired internet, CANOPY offers three desk options on an individual basis at all of its locations:
- Nomad is geared toward the traveling professional who’s always on the move. Nomad Members have access to a range of shared workspaces for 60 days per year, including conference rooms, outdoor terraces, phone booths, and more.
- Hybrid, which empowers members to choose which ten days per month they’d like to bring their laptop and work in the communal area of the location of their choice.
- Community Table is ideal for more constant community members, as this level provides freedom to work in all communal workspaces without time constraints.
If you’re considering hot desking within your own dedicated space, CANOPY Private Offices, enclosed by a sound-proof glass partition and furnished with Herman Miller desk systems, can accommodate up to 14 people at any time. You can invite more workers on a hot-desking basis by utilizing complimentary guest passes or via communal space memberships.
Book a tour at a CANOPY location to discover how hot desking can enhance productivity and benefit your business.