The term “hot desking” (also known as office hoteling) has been around for a while and refers to a workplace practice of having multiple employees using a single desk or workplace station during different rotating work schedules instead of each employee having their own desk and/or cubicle. Prior to the pandemic, hot desking was an efficient way of using minimal office space due to the cost savings and this was especially true in large cities where the cost of commercial real estate was high.
Hot desking became more prevalent during the pandemic when remote workers were called back to the office a few days a week. Companies could save money using this practice by having a few shared offices that accommodated their employees’ hybrid work schedules while saving money and resources not having to pay for unused office space.
There are advantages and disadvantages to hot desking as Anne Quito writes about in an article for QZ.com:
I’m writing this from a “hot desk,” and it’s leaving me feeling a bit cold. Like many companies that have reopened their offices after the pandemic, Quartz has adopted a shared workstation system, and new procedures to promote health and safety. Social distanced and sanitized, my desk feels like a surface where no variant of SARS-CoV-2 could thrive. But it’s also wiped away the thrill of having been assigned a small parcel of office real estate, an emblem of belonging somewhere, of being part of a staff.
Experts like Philip Ross, CEO of the management consulting firm UnWork, say that “hot desking” is the solution for the post-Covid office. He predicts that companies will need 60% less office space due to the popularity of hybrid work arrangements. Even before Covid-19, many companies have adopted a hot desk system, also known as “office hoteling.”
I asked CEO Knud Erik Hansen what he thought about the post-pandemic rage for hot desks. He shared my lament. “It is sad,” he says. “It’s a sign of belonging to a company. It’s part of our culture that you have a chair, a table, and an area where you can develop your work. When that disappears, I wonder if your loyalty to the company might disappear too.”
Jenn of CareersByJenn discusses what Hot Desking is, how it works and the advantages this workplace practice offers.
Social Media Trends as of November 25, 2022
Facebook #hotdesking: 2,400 people are posting about this
Instagram #hotdesking: 26,189 posts
TikTok #hotdesking: 245,800 views
YouTube #hotdesking: less than 100 videos and channels
Google Trends: “hot desking” has been around for some time but the phrase peaked during the week of January 16, 2022 when many companies were implementing this practice to accommodate their hybrid workers.
Sources:
CareersByJen channel. “Hot-Desking: Is it the New Future of the Workplace?” YouTube. Jan 26, 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xywrv9TjPzE.
“Hot desk” meme. MakeAMeme. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/ummm-yeh-im.
Quito, Anne. “Beware the chilling effects of hot desking.” Qz.com. Nov 8, 2022. URL: https://qz.com/work/2028302/hot-desks-in-a-post-pandemic-office.