Welcome to the future of work, where hotdesking is about to become the norm rather than the exception. How do we know this? Well, the transition has been on the cards for a while now, but my recent enlightening interview of Stan Meshkov, CEO and Cofounder of UnSpot, only confirmed what I have been predicting to the 5-10 leaders who call me every week to discuss their return to office and hybrid work policy.

The Push for Hybrid Work

The world has embraced the charm of hybrid work. As Meshkov keenly points out, the debate is no longer about remote versus in-office work. It’s about finding the right balance between the two, creating a structure that marries the convenience of remote work with the collaborative energy of the office, while also minimizing real estate costs. 

The solution? You guessed it – hotdesking.

Imagine a goldilocks scenario, where you don’t have to be tied down to the office 24/7, but you’re not totally cut-off from your colleagues either. This is exactly what a hybrid model offers.

Think of it like a buffet spread at a fancy restaurant. You don’t have to stuff yourself with everything on offer. You can pick and choose what suits your palate and dietary needs, all while enjoying the lively restaurant ambiance. Similarly, with hybrid work, you can choose your own work setup, while still benefiting from in-person collaboration when you need it. 

And your employer can cut costs on real estate, while still accommodating your in-office needs. After all, you’re not coming to the office to do individual work, by and large: you’re coming in for in-person collaboration. Thus, the employer can cut down on real estate costs, add more collaboration spaces, and do away with individual cubicles through hotdesking for employees who want to reserve a desk – or even an office space – that’s available for anyone who needs it.

Employee Sentiments on Hybrid Work

Meshkov shared insights into why employees are embracing hybrid work. To be blunt, spending five days a week in the office is now seen as an archaic notion. Why waste hours commuting when you can channel that time into productive work or personal development?

However, fully remote work isn’t the holy grail either. We humans are social creatures, after all. We crave interaction, the kind that stimulates creativity and sparks ideas – something that can’t always be replicated over Zoom calls. You know those brilliant ideas that strike during casual coffee break chats? They are not to be underestimated!

Challenges in Implementing the Hybrid Work Model

Like any shift, the move towards hybrid work comes with its challenges. The first being, figuring out the best work structure for your business and your teams. It’s a conundrum comparable to deciding on a Netflix show with your partner. The decision isn’t straightforward, and compromise is inevitable. Each team might require different setups, just like how one might prefer a thrilling mystery while the other is in the mood for a light-hearted comedy.

The second challenge revolves around the concept of shared desks. Picture this: You’re throwing a party at your house but you have limited seating. What do you do? You improvise. You make your guests share seats or bring out foldable chairs from the attic. Shared desks operate on the same principle. Companies need to adopt this more flexible approach to office space because let’s face it, maintaining an office that’s half empty most of the time is akin to burning money.

Hotdesking: The Future

Hotdesking is like a game of musical chairs. Only here, the music never stops, and there are enough chairs for everyone. It’s all about efficient usage of office space. But how do we ensure it doesn’t descend into chaos?

A number of companies are providing desk and office booking services, and UnSpot is one example. They’ve developed an innovative solution that addresses the challenges associated with hybrid work and hotdesking. This includes a system for booking desks, coordinating with teams, managing meeting rooms, and even a bit of AI magic to reserve desks based on previous reservations.

So what happens when a team wants to ensure they sit together without going through the hassle of coordinating schedules? With UnSpot, it’s as simple as adding a tag. The system then sends out automatic notifications, coordinating the entire team’s schedule seamlessly.

It’s like having your own personal concierge, handling all your workspace management needs. Except this one comes with the power of AI and is available 24/7.

UnSpot isn’t just about managing desk bookings. It’s a comprehensive workspace management platform that includes interactive floor plans, detailed reports on space utilization, and a tool to manage meeting rooms.

The platform even integrates with popular productivity tools like Google Calendar and Microsoft Office 365, meaning your work schedule and desk booking can be managed in one place.

And that’s not all. UnSpot also encourages the social aspect of work. Through the platform, you can invite your colleagues to join you for a meal or a coffee break after work. It’s like the Facebook of office spaces, adding a touch of social media charm to your workday. So whether UnSpot or other solutions, there’s no excuse to drag your feet on hotdesking.

Conclusion

As we journey into the future of work, businesses need to adapt and evolve. The rigid 9-5, desk-bound office life is becoming a relic of the past. It’s time to embrace flexible working hours, remote work, and the dynamic potential of hotdesking.

Yes, there will be challenges to overcome. Yes, it will require a shift in mindset. But with tools like UnSpot, the transition can be seamless and even enjoyable.

Hotdesking isn’t just about saving costs or managing space effectively. It’s about creating a vibrant, flexible, and collaborative work culture where employees feel part of a community, whether they’re in the office or working from home.

In the end, the future of work isn’t just about where we work or when we work. It’s about how we work. And that’s where hotdesking come into play. The future of work is here, and it’s hybrid. Are you ready to join?

Key Take-Away

Hotdesking is the future of hybrid work, offering flexibility, cost savings, and fostering collaboration in a dynamic work culture…>Click to tweet

Image credit: Ofspace LLC/Pexels

Originally published in Disaster Avoidance Experts on April 27, 2023

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Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was lauded as “Office Whisperer” and “Hybrid Expert” by The New York Times for helping leaders use hybrid work to improve retention and productivity while cutting costs. He serves as the CEO of the boutique future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote the first book on returning to the office and leading hybrid teams after the pandemic, his best-seller Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage (Intentional Insights, 2021). He authored seven books in total, and is best know for his global bestseller, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters (Career Press, 2019). His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Korean, German, Russian, Polish, Spanish, French, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio. In his free time, he makes sure to spend abundant quality time with his wife to avoid his personal life turning into a disaster. Contact him at Gleb[at]DisasterAvoidanceExperts[dot]com, follow him on LinkedIn @dr-gleb-tsipursky, Twitter @gleb_tsipursky, Instagram @dr_gleb_tsipursky, Facebook @DrGlebTsipursky, Medium @dr_gleb_tsipursky, YouTube, and RSS, and get a free copy of the Assessment on Dangerous Judgment Errors in the Workplace by signing up for the free Wise Decision Maker Course at https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/newsletter/.