The Pros and Cons of Hot Desking
How does hot desking work, exactly? And is hot desking beneficial, or are there some cons you need to consider before implementing it?
In the current climate, with The Great Resignation not yet in the rear view mirror, employers still need to do all they can to attract (and retain) their staff. It’s been fairly widely documented that these days, the ability to work remotely, at least part of the week, is now high up on many jobseekers’ lists of qualities that make new employers attractive.
So, are you missing a trick?
It goes without saying that remote or hybrid work is only feasible in certain industries and for specific roles. But if allowing some or all of your employees to work from home could be an option for your organization, and you’re not currently doing so, you owe it to them (and your business!) to at least explore it.
Read more: How to Create a Hybrid Team Set Up That Works
The thing is, there are definite pros and cons to the working from home or remotely model - both for the employer and the employee. And you will need to weigh those up if you’re considering allowing WFH in your company.
Read more: How to Ensure Your Remote Teams Don’t Feel Forgotten
Let’s take a look at a few of those pros and cons from both points of view.
Now let’s look at the pros and cons of working from home for employees.
These pros and cons of remote work are just the tip of the iceberg, and as we said, there is a lot to think about if you’re thinking about implementing a remote, or partially remote policy in your workplace.
Read more: How to Build Remote Teams That Excel at What They Do
If so, it might also be helpful to consider that there are different ways of working remotely, or non-traditionally, - it’s not all about the kitchen table!
Working from home: Pretty much what it says on the label! This is when your people are, well, working from home, whether that’s from a spare bedroom that’s been turned into an office, a garden office, or the couch.
Remote work: This means working from anywhere outside of the office - not necessarily in the home. For example, your employees could be working from a coffee shop or a co-working space.
Telecommuting: Another word for remote work - telecommuting just means the employee is not commuting in a traditional sense of the word, but working remotely via the internet, phone or other tools rather than traveling to an office or other workplace.
Flexitime: Flexitime, flexible hours, or flexible working is, in a nutshell, allowing employees to come into work early and leave early - or come in late and stay late. The hours worked will be as per the employee’s contract but there will be the option to work them in a manner that suits them rather than the traditional 9 to 5.
The four day week: Also called a compressed work week, this popular media topic is when employees work for four 10-hour days instead of the traditional five 8-hour days. Obviously this comes with its own set of pros and cons and employees may either love the idea or hate it!
If your company is thinking about any of the above options there will be a number of things to take into consideration first. For example:
Like implementing any new process, policy or plan, remote or hybrid working needs to be carefully thought through by all members of your company’s leadership team.
However, if employee retention and/or attracting new top talent is a priority, and you’re not already doing so, it would be well worth your while considering an alternative way of allowing your employees to work.
How does hot desking work, exactly? And is hot desking beneficial, or are there some cons you need to consider before implementing it?
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