Desk booking brings a lot of advantages to your company when used correctly. Switching from the traditional office setup to utilizing desk booking systems need thorough research and study.
Before anything else, you must first ensure that the transition is beneficial to you and your team members and identify the possible problems that may arise. After that, you must then determine possible solutions and prevent these problems from happening in the future.
Potential Drawbacks of Room and Desk Booking Systems
Using a desk reservation app and a front desk booking system is a modern way of efficiently running the office. However, there can be possible problems that may come along the way, such as:
Loss of Privacy
Undeniably, there is a high level of privacy with the standard office desk. Team members usually keep personal belongings in their desks or drawers and personalize these areas as a sign of ownership.
Desk reservation software promotes mobility and flexibility. Thus, team members lose a “base camp” and a sense of privacy and comfort.
Less Personal Space
Personal space is essential for everyone, and transitioning to a hot desk office setup may make team members feel like they have lost it. Having a sort of little “me time” during short breaks in the office is essential. It helps you compose yourself from time to time and avoid stress from work and other people.
Getting the right space allows team members to be engaged in the work environment and achieve work stability.
IT Challenges with Hot Desk and Online Desk Software
The traditional stationary desking seems to be more comfortable when it comes to IT accessibility. When you have your desk in the office, you usually have your computer, too. Your login credentials, phone extensions, and necessary information route to a specific desk.
With desk booking, team members move from desk to desk each day, and IT expectations change. The IT department will need to ensure proper routing and networking despite team members changing desks daily, which may seem to be a complicated task.
Adopting Desk Booking Systems Might Affect Mental Adaptation
Hot desks are currently an alternative workplace system for most offices, especially that there is a pandemic. Most older or veteran workers might hesitate to transition to this setup because they are less familiar with a flexible work environment.
Hot desking through desk reservation app and front desk booking systems as a permanent solution may affect their mental adaptation and overall productivity.
Possible Labor Inefficiencies
Working with focus and enthusiasm is vital in every office. And most often, modern transitioning with room and desk booking systems bring unfamiliarity to many employees.
The discomfort from a desk and work environment that changes daily leads to team member inefficiency. They may not efficiently play their role and do their tasks due to some factors brought by a new workspace.
Seating Challenges in a Hot Desk Office
Because a hot desk promotes seating variability, some challenges may arise. Two or more team members may like to go to a specific workspace, or another desk space may go unused due to its location in the office. Keeping track of employees might also be tricky since they will have no specific station where you can easily find them.
Recognizing these possible problems in desk booking or hot-desking is essential. It will significantly help you plan the transition and prepare backups if things don’t work out as planned. With the pitfalls of the hot desk setup mentioned above, here are some solutions and ways to eliminate them.
How to Quickly Resolve and Prevent Issues Surrounding the Room and Desk Booking Systems the Right Way
The hot desking problems mentioned above are sometimes bound to happen. But with proper planning, you can entirely avoid them. Here are some tips to achieve a smart approach in creating a hot desk office.
Because privacy is essential, create privacy opportunities by dedicating specific areas that emphasize this. These are usually quiet areas in the office that your team members can access anytime through desk reservation software. The act of a team member staying here tells everyone, “I want to work alone today.
Are you worried about team members’ personal space? Lockers are undoubtedly an excellent way of giving back their personal space after shifting to a flexible office system through online desk software. You may also add some areas in your office where people can relax, such as a game room, entertainment area, and the likes.
Coordinate with your IT department before giving a go to the transition. Ensure that you use user-friendly and integrable desk reservation software to avoid trouble with IT and your overall office system.
Strive to make an easy transition. Introduce hot desks to your team members gradually and provide efficient training for them. You can do trial days for the change so they can slowly adapt to it. Encourage your team members to use it and support their needs at the same time. An easy transition makes your people love the office throughout the process.
Try to identify efficiencies early. It would be best to listen to your employees on what they think about the transition. Gathering feedback and opinions about it is one way of detecting possible problems that can significantly affect productivity.
Ensure a record system through an integrated workplace management system or a desk booking software that shows real-time updates. This software will tell you which areas are favorable and which ones are not. It will also help you identify spaces that need necessary improvements or whether a hot desk setup is suitable for you.