Hot desking, desk sharing, hoteling – all terms for the same concept; that office employees no longer have a fixed desk, as per tradition, but move around the workspace, booking a desk to use on their own terms.
It’s a great idea, and has transformed a mass of workplaces, allowing business leaders to cut space and overhead costs, and helping workers boost workplace relations, productivity levels and collaboration. However, as much as a desk sharing scheme may sound like a perfect solution to the traditional office’s drawbacks, it comes with its own set of challenges.
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One of the most overlooked of those challenges is health and safety. Desk sharing, health and safety is a necessary topic, that many of us forget to review. There are some obvious, rudimentary issues with desk sharing, like cleanliness and hygiene. Sharing desks can be a one-way ticket to sharing germs around the office if workplace leaders do not consider how to improve cleaning procedures.
This will likely vary from workplace to workplace, but it is imperative that employees are provided with the basic tools to keep themselves and the workstations they use clean and tidy – that means specific technology cleaning products that can address telephones, keyboards and other regularly-used equipment, as well as accessible wipes or sprays, and well-stocked bathroom areas with anti-bacterial hand wash.
Another facet to health and safety is less discernible, and may not affect everyone, however, it is equally important as hygiene, and can have potentially even more disastrous results if not properly managed. The needs of an individual employee at any given desk or workstation may differ distinctly from the average, whether that is due to disability, injury, illness or any other conditions.
Any business leader looking to implement desk sharing in their workplace must allow room for these employees to be catered for, and must also be aware that the level of flexibility should make room for employees whose physical situation may change in future, or new employees who may have particular needs.
Finally, the most forgotten about health and safety issue with desk sharing is the one with the most potential to become an insidious problem, if planning and desk sharing management are not properly undertaken and maintained. People thrive on human contact, and with the current mental health crisis affecting workplaces all over the world, any desk sharing solution needs to consider the potential triggers for mental illness and depression.
This could be as simple as eliminating stressful procedures for booking desks, to as advanced as ensuring employees have access to social areas and are encouraged to use them throughout the workday, avoiding potential loneliness and isolation. If you’re embarking on a desk sharing solution in your workplace, talk to employees, and listen to their concerns, as for many, the fear of being separated from colleagues, and the support that comes from them, is paramount.