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Does Every Employee Need a Desk?

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It is a simple enough question, and at first glance it might seem like a silly one that warrants the following response, “Of course employees need their own desk, where else would they get their work done?”

I’m glad you responded that way, but it seems that some companies have begun to shift from the traditional ‘desk for everyone’ approach to a much more kinetic work atmosphere. These free flowing styles include hot desking and the agile workplace.

Hot Desking/Hoteling

Many employers are finding that their companies are well suited for a type of office organization called hot desking (or hoteling), where employees are not assigned individual desks, but instead given the opportunity to find any place to work throughout the office.

Companies that employ hot desking offer a variety of workspaces like individual desks, small and large conference spaces, comfortable lounges, collaboration zones, quiet spots, libraries, and cafes. Without the need to provide each employee with a specific area to work, plus alternative spaces, some companies like Microsoft have found savings up to 30% in real estate expenditures.

Agile Workplaces

Other companies have found that their workforce is highly mobile and can easily get work done from a variety of locations using various technologies. These spaces are more free flowing than those that employ hot desking and often operate with the idea that you can get your work done anywhere, as long as you get your work done. They would also utilize the same basic idea of a variety of work zones throughout the office.

Unilever has employed this methodology across their global workforce and has reported cost savings up to 40%.

Flexible Hours

Traditional desk arrangements call for traditional hours, but flexible workstations often allow for flexible hours that allow employees to get their work done in the manner they see fit, as long as it is on time and of good quality. Employees find this type of work liberating, while employers can let the best and hardest working employees shine through their achievements.

Does It Make Sense For You?

Both of the above examples are huge, multi-national companies whose large cost savings make these techniques worth it, but we can learn some interesting things that can be applied to smaller companies.

• Trust Employees - One of the main reasons agile workplaces work is because companies trust their employees to get their work done.
• Build Teams - Many companies that use hot desking create teams in their organization that can be freed to get their work done without the feeling of loneliness creeping in.
• Foster Variety - Not everyone works the same way as you, so allowing employees to work in a way that suits their personality will be healthy for your company.
• Embrace Technology - Everyone embraces computers, but allowing your workforce to use technology to be most productive will look different than the workplace of 30 years ago. 

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