If you're new to the idea of hot desking, these tips will help you get started on the right foot:
Create a hot desk policy: Whenever you're introducing a new concept to your workforce, you're bound to receive a flurry of follow-up questions from your employees. To mitigate the Q&A flood, I recommend creating a Hot Desk Policy that spells out the rules and answers all the most likely questions upfront.
Make your sanitization policy clear: If you're able to hire a cleaning service to clean in between each hot desk's use, definitely go for it. However, if your team is smaller and has lighter needs, you could also consider supplying each workstation with their own set of disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers, and ask your staff to sanitize at the beginning and end of each use, to ensure the space is germ-free.
Set up department or team-based zones: This involves designating specific areas on your floor plan for individual departments to use. By keeping team members in the same zone or "neighborhood"when they're working in the office, you'll improve your team's in-office productivity and strengthen the bond between department members, improving your company culture.
Offer specialized equipment as needed: You may have some employees with different workstation needs than others. These may include special lighting, ergonomic chairs, an ergonomic keyboard or mouse, or workstations with multiple computer screens. Mark these specialty options in your hot desking solution, and ensure your employees know they are available.
Offer lockers for storing personal items: Some employees may want to have personal items on their desk while they work. This could include things like personal photos, preferred stationary or office supplies, or even an ergonomic mouse. Rather than asking them to lug these items from home each time they want to work from the office, offer staff the ability to store these items in personal lockers instead.
Find a hot desking solution that works with your existing tech stack: You'll get the most out of your hot desking program if the booking process is easy for your staff to navigate. Try to find a solution that integrates with the communication tools your staff are already using, whether that's Slack, Yammer, Microsoft Teams, an internal intranet, or otherwise.
We also have tips on how to use your office space the most effectively if you need some help with that too.