The use of hot desks is a form of workplace management. The idea is based on the concept that employees no longer have a fixed workplace in the company but the desks which are shared and occupied daily. Employees either have a personal laptop or connect to the network via a virtual desktop. Hot desking is suitable for companies whose employees work according to a flexible working time model and/or in the field or from home.
Some Tips on How to Work Effectively in a Hot Desk Facility:
- Recognise the hot desking condition – are all workstations available to you? Is it necessary to reserve a desk? You may ensure that you know exactly what to do when you get into the office in the morning by asking these and related questions.
- Learn how to use the phone system where applicable – do you still have a landline? If so, how is it transferred from one desk to another each day? Is it possible to transfer your landline calls to your mobile phone?
- Be prepared and organised – being prepared and organised make everything easier, including hot desking. It is unlikely that you will be able to leave organised stacks of papers or post-it notes on the desk each night. It is important that you use other ways to deal with ongoing work, such as task lists.
- Make use of the chance to minimise data. Personal storage space is likely to be limited. It is a good time to go over files, books and determine what is still important to preserve, what can be archived, and what needs to be discarded.
- Consider your reference materials – because you won’t have an office or cubicle wall, you’ll need to store them differently. Examine what you presently have pinned to the wall and consider how and when you use it; if you use it frequently, such as a phone directory, add it all to your organiser so you can carry it with you. If you only use it a few times a month, create a reference file that you can keep in your personal storage space and perhaps electronically.
- Learn which tools you use on a daily basis. It is simple to accumulate a large number of objects on your desk if you sit at it every day, but if you’re really hot desking, you have to transport all of your belongings. It is beneficial to carry just what you require, not only for the sake of your back, but also to make packing up easier at the end of the day. So, over the course of two weeks, discover what you actually do on a daily basis. One technique is to place a sticker on goods every time you use them and then you can discover which items you need to bring with you into the digital hub.
- Enquire on what to do if you require alone time — It is sometimes necessary to be alone, such as when examining a lengthy document, and this might be challenging in an open design workplace. Check the situation ahead of time; can you reserve a meeting room for example?
- Learn to focus — some individuals are inherently louder than others, whether they’re chatting on the phone, typing, or eating, and this may be distracting. Although it is impossible to totally eliminate noise in an open plan workplace, see if there are some parts that are quieter than others. If not, do you have access to an mp3 or CD player? Or how about using earplugs?
- Learn to cope with distractions — this might be difficult in an open plan workplace because there is no way to lock the door. Hot desking, on the other hand, has the advantage of allowing you to sit in a new and different location.
- Check your desk and seat setting — after you first sit down, double-check that the desk layout is right for you, including chair heights. Do you require any additional equipment to maintain a safe working environment?
- Enjoy being social – by changing desks, you will be able to sit with new people and gain knowledge about them and their work. It’s an excellent opportunity to make new connections and learn about potential future employment fields.
