Hot desking is the latest trend in hybrid, flexible working arrangements. Business owners can save money on empty desks, entrepreneurs can work at their convenience, and small teams can book community conference rooms for collaboration. It’s an ideal way for everyone to use their work time and the diverse environments.
Let’s dive into a short guide covering the etiquette of hot desking:
Book your visit in advance
Reserving your visit in advance, known as desk ‘hoteling,’ alleviates the worry of not finding a spot in the co-working space. It benefits the planners, who can organise seating arrangements, and the users, who can choose to be near a private area, a window, or an open collaboration zone.
Move around the co-working space
Moving around the office space opens opportunities for engagement and collaboration. As a hot desk user, it’s important to change where you sit because not only will it be good for you to experience other spots around new people, but it will also help you avoid repetitive use of the same spot and becoming territorial. Most coworking communities have already implemented a booking limit to initiate this.
Manage your personal items respectively
During working hours, having your belongings around you is essential to getting your work done. However, leaving food, cutlery, laptops, or journals on your desk afterwards defeats the purpose of hot desking. It’s a place to temporarily leave your personal belongings and documents. Instead, pack up properly and store your items in a community locker if available or take them home with you.
Be mindful of those around you
Not everyone wants to listen to phone conversations when focusing, so moving around the office space will help you be mindful of others and respectful of what’s happening around you. Luckily, many coworking spaces have phone rooms, quiet rooms, conference rooms, lounge spaces, kitchens, and outdoor patios or rooftops that workers can shift to get their work done.
Eat away from your desk
Having lunch anywhere but at your desk is highly recommended. People around you usually don’t want to hear you chewing or smell your food while trying to work. Taking your lunch to the kitchen, a local park, or the community lounge is a much better option for others and yourself. Additionally, it’s not the healthiest to eat, type, and stare at a screen simultaneously for hygiene purposes.
Clean up after yourself
Since you work in a community-centric environment, cleaning up after yourself when you use community products is very important. If there’s paper missing from the printer, refill it. If you use the last milk carton, throw it away. If you cook lunch, spray the counter clean. After a long day of work, wipe down your desk for those who come after you. Nobody wants to enter a dirty space that’s supposed to be their space, too. This will lead to a healthier and happier environment for everyone.
Understanding the hot desking etiquette is crucial as it directly influences the pros and cons of this working style. Proper etiquette, such as maintaining cleanliness, respecting noise levels, and being considerate of shared resources, can improve the hot desking environment while mitigating potential drawbacks like distractions and lack of personal space.
This is especially important in a diverse hot-desking community that includes freelancers, consultants, business owners, and business scalers.
Ready to establish your business in a coworking environment? We can help.
Join Haven Workspaces
Here at Haven Workspaces, we offer a range of premium workspace options to suit your business requirements. The Haven community is a meeting of forward-thinking minds from government to technology—an environment where your relationships can be nurtured and thrive.
Contact our coworking community today if you’d like to learn more or book a spot.
