Recently, following a change in locations, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to experience first hand the latest trend in workspace management that is, hoteling. I-O practitioners in consulting firms are probably quite familiar with the concept, since several people to whom I have mentioned the topic found it intriguing, and I thought it might be worth discussing here, albeit briefly. One s personal phone extension is automatically transferred to the phone at the appropriate station. In theory, this rollover should work at any location linked to the same system making contact easy and efficient . The same process, of course, can be used for conference rooms and offices as well.
All systems have their plusses and minuses.
It also ensures that you can be reached by clients and colleagues without having to provide an alternative phone number every other day. Moreover, since you never have a permanent space, unless you bring your family photos and that stress squeeze pop-out head with you every day, there are no personal items at your space either. What I find most interesting about the hoteling concept, however, is its potential impact on the psychological state of those who use it. It seems to me that this would be an interesting area for research. Finally, unless you hotel together with a group or team, your desk neighbors are likely to be total strangers.