A lot of people love routine. Waking up at seven o’clock on the dot and commuting to work to sit at your designated table every single day makes working a lot more structured. It’s understandable that many people thrive with a routine like that.
But for others, a routine can make them feel stuck. They feel like there’s no room to breathe, or be flexible, or even just hit the snooze button on your alarm clock for five minutes. Even a designated workstation can seem stuffy and suffocating. The worst part is that this can take a toll on your well-being and professional productivity.
Luckily, there’s a little something called hot desking. It’s a modern, flexible work setup that’s getting more and more popular in coworking spaces. Today, Circle Hub will be discussing everything you need to know about hot desking. We’ll also explain how the Circle Hub hot spots can help boost your work productivity.
What is Hot Desking, Anyway?
If you’re new to the coworking scene, you might not have a firm grasp on what hot desking is yet. But don’t worry — this popular work setup is simple and straightforward.
Hot desking is a way of setting up the workspace so that no one has permanent, designated spots. Instead of tons of small cubicles for staff and corner offices for the big bosses, everyone shares a huge common area with plenty of desks to choose from.
Each day, you pick a spot you want to work at. Then, plop down, set up your laptop, and get your tasks done. When you’re done working, you clean up after yourself and leave the hot desk for someone else to potentially use. Quick, easy, and simple.
Hot Desking at Circle Hub
Hot desking is revolutionizing businesses everywhere because of its genius way of optimizing the limited space an office might have. They’re also a staple in many coworking spaces, including both of Circle Hub’s locations.
At Circle Hub, we call our hot desking common areas “hot spots,” and they’re easily one of the most popular workspaces we have. You simply drop by when you want, work wherever you want in the community space, and then leave when you’re done.
There’s no long-term commitment or desk maintenance required. Just get in, enjoy the space and amenities as you work, and get out!
Hot desking at Circle Hub can help boost your productivity in many ways. Allow us to take you through some of the biggest ways it can positively affect the way you work.
You Get a Change of Scenery Each Time You Work
One of the best things about hot desking is that you can work in a different area every day if you wanted. That means a new view and ambiance, depending on where you sit in the common area.
You won’t feel trapped or stuck in the same cubicle for the rest of your life, like you might if you were working in a traditional office. And although that sounds trivial, it does wonders for your productivity.
Employee burnout is a real problem nowadays for exhausted workers. As recently as last year, a survey found that 95% of employees wanted to quit their jobs, a third of them citing burnout as the main reason.
Hot desking can potentially help with work anxiety (which commonly leads to burnout) because it allows you to have a fresh perspective every day. This is thanks to a new workstation and view.
With a new view each day, you’ll enjoy working a lot more. This increases both your mental well-being at work and your productivity levels. The best part? When you’re not feeling your area anymore, you can just get up and find a new one!
You Start with a Clean Slate Every Day
Have you ever noticed how much more energy you have for working when your table isn’t messy? The tidier your workspace, the more productive you’ll end up being for the day!
A benefit of hot desking that no one tells you about is that you’ll likely always be working in a clean, sleek, minimalist space. Unlike in an office setting, the desk you work at won’t have yesterday’s pile of crumpled-up post-its. You won’t have to see that used coffee mug you accidentally left in the corner the day before.
People who work in a hot desking area are always encouraged to clean up after themselves when they’re done. That way, the next person working in that area has a tidy, clutter-free place to work, making it easier for them to organize their work area and get on with their work tasks. So, you get a fresh, new slate every day, which can boost productivity like nobody’s business.
You Get More Freedom to Work at the Time You Want
One of the biggest advantages of hot desking at a coworking space is that you can be more flexible with your work times. This is specific to hot desking workspaces that give you 24/7 access to the shared areas, like the hot spots at Circle Hub. It’s one of the biggest hot desking benefits you should consider when choosing a new workspace.
It’s a pain having to wake up at six in the morning and get ready for work, drive to the office, and pretend like you have the energy for your 8 AM meeting when you’re barely awake. When you force yourself to get stuff done when your mind and body aren’t ready, you won’t be productive at all.
By hot desking at a coworking space with 24/7 access, workers can be in control of when work begins and ends. Plus, if you come in at later times, you won’t have to fight others for a slot during peak hours.
You can also choose to work at the hot spot only when you’re comfortable with how big the crowd is. That’s a dream for introverts who are most productive when they’re alone or at least in a quieter space.
You’ll be Surrounded by People Who Can Make Your Work Even Better
Another fantastic thing about hot desking is that it allows you to collaborate with people you would have otherwise not been able to work with. This could be people in your team or strangers who are also working in the area.
Flexible office setups (like hot spots) are known to improve communication among colleagues and even increase the chances for collaborative projects.
Because you’re working in the same area with no walls and dividers between you, you can talk more with teammates and fellow professionals throughout your day. This fosters a social environment that can boost team productivity.
If your entire office is housed in a coworking space with a hot spot, you might even get to talk and work with people from other departments. In a traditional office setting, you probably would have been stationed on separate floors. But when all of you are hot desking, you’ll see more of each other. You’ll maybe even cook up ideas to improve your projects by working together more actively.
There’s No Feeling of Unfairness in an Open, Hot Desking Workspace
Aside from an unmanageable workload and the lack of work-life balance, another top reason for burnout is the feeling of unfairness in the air of a traditional office.
Whether it’s because of office politics or just insufferable C-levels that get giant offices while the rest of you get small, tiny desks in cubicles, being so bluntly reminded that you’re at the bottom of the food chain can hinder your work performance. As a result, this can lower productivity.
Interestingly, the hot desking setup can help a lot with this. Because everyone in the team works in the same shared area, no one has it better. Everyone shares the same space, and everyone is equal.
It’s like the open-door policy, but on steroids. You can simply walk up to where your boss is working in the hot spot and ask them a question!
And when it’s that easy to talk to everyone at work, that hierarchal feeling will disappear. Hopefully, it can put your mind and well-being at ease and even boost productivity.
Hot Desks in Coworking Spaces Have Lots of Productivity-Boosting Amenities
No matter what type of space you work in, work-life balance is of the utmost importance. Without it, you’ll be way less happy at work, and consequently, less productive.
So, when looking for a coworking space for your hot desking needs, look for one with amenities that can help you relax when you need a break. That way, you can unwind between tedious work hours, reset your battery, and be productive for longer.
At Circle Hub, we have lots of amenities that allow you to rest, making you more productive later on when you get back to work. We have a break room (with free refreshments!), a game room, and even a fitness center where you can de-stress with a good workout and get a boost of endorphins for extra energy to take on the workday ahead!
These amenities may sound unnecessary, but they’re definitely among the ones you need to look for in a coworking space if you want to be assured of some work-life balance and longevity throughout your workday.
There are a Few Downsides to Hot Desking Too (But We Help You Through Them!)
If you’ve reached this part, you’ll already know that hot desking has a crazy number of benefits that make it advantageous for any professional looking to boost their productivity at work.
But while hot desking is awesome, we’ll be the first to admit that it does have some drawbacks as well. That said, we always find solutions for concerns you might have about working at our hot spots. Here are just some of the issues you might be worried about, and how we can help:
No Assured Seating
Because all the seats at the shared hot spot are up for grabs at any time, you don’t know when the area might be full. This causes hot desking anxiety for a lot of people who don’t want to go to the coworking space to find no free spot for them to claim for the day.
Circle Hub’s answer to this is the system of office hoteling. Through “hoteling”, we allow people to book their slot at the hot desks in advance via a quick call. That way, you don’t have to cross your fingers for a space at the hot spot when you walk into our doors. You can already have one that’s sure to be yours and yours alone before you even come in!
The Risk of Spreading Viruses
Thanks to the pandemic, people are a lot more conscious nowadays of germs and bacteria left behind on surfaces and tables. Some might think it’s riskier to share workspaces with other people every day.
At Circle Hub, we follow safe practices for hot desking. We always encourage people in the area to sanitize and clean their spot before leaving, making it safe for the next person who comes in. That way, everyone feels a little safer!
Conclusion
The hot spots at Circle Hub have tons of benefits for boosting productivity while you’re at work. They give you a more dynamic workspace, which you can change as often as you want. This will make you feel like you’re starting a new slate each day.
Hot desking also allows for better collaboration within a work team. If you work for a company with a hot desking setup, you get to socialize and brainstorm with people from other departments – people you wouldn’t normally be able to speak to. And because no one has separate offices, there’s no hierarchy that can add pressure to the team.
And sure, hot desking does have a few drawbacks as well. But believe us when we say that the benefits to your productivity levels will always outweigh the concerns you may have about hot desking.
Think you and your team can benefit from hot desking? Maybe it’s time to move your business to Circle Hub! Feel free to hit us up for a tour or book a slot at one of our hot spots to increase your work productivity today.