Hot desking offers the utmost in flexibility. It enables you to turn up to your coworking space whenever you want and simply grab an available desk. No booking or long-term commitments are required. At the same time, you’ll also be able to enjoy any extra services provided by that coworking space (such as the complimentary refreshments in the Circle Hub kitchen!). For many, it’s truly a work dream come true!
However, if you’re new to hot desking, then you’re probably wondering how it actually works and whether or not this working style would suit you. So, today, we’re going to be explaining a little more about hot desking and how to make the most of your flexible workspace. Let’s get started!
Be Mindful of Your Behavior and Volume
One of the advantages of hot desking is being able to immerse yourself in a buzzing, dynamic environment, where you’re surrounded by productive people. It’s a fantastic atmosphere for motivation. This is why many people find that their productivity rises when they’re hot desking at a coworking space.
However, as you can imagine, being surrounded by so many other people could also potentially lead to an increase in distractions. This is why it’s so important to be mindful of your behavior, including how loud you’re being, when you’re hot desking.
There’s nothing wrong with striking up a conversation with the people sitting nearby to you. In fact, being able to easily network and socialize is yet another benefit that comes from hot desking. With that said, do so with respect for the others around you who are working on their own and don’t want to chat. This respect is what keeps a hot desking community running smoothly, making it so important.
What happens when you need to host a brainstorming session or a team meeting where you know things might get a little loud?
Well, a good coworking space, such as Circle Hub, will provide you with other options for these situations. For example, we have private office suites that are available to hire by the hour. Some are small, with just one desk, while others can accommodate slightly larger groups, with five desks to sprawl out on.
If you need an even larger space, you could opt for one of our conference rooms instead. These can hold between four to twelve people, depending on the room that you choose. With whiteboards and flat-screen TVs, these sleek conference rooms are perfect for larger gatherings and confidential meetings.
Experiment With Different Working Areas
When hot desking, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of different working areas. Some will consist of traditional desks and chairs. Others will offer other seating arrangements, like high stools, sofas, or beanbags.
Many people instantly gravitate toward the desks, simply because this is what they’re familiar with. Desks are most commonly associated with work and productivity.
However, this type of seating arrangement doesn’t always work best for everyone. Some people find that they’re more creative when stretched out on a beanbag. Others tend to do their best work at a table in the communal kitchen, where they’re surrounded by more noise but a more casual vibe at the same time. It all depends on the work that you’re doing, as well as your personal working style.
Either way, make the most of all of these different options available to you when hot desking. Don’t limit yourself to a desk just because this is what you’re used to. Instead, spend a few hours working at all of the different working areas offered by your coworking space. You may end up surprised at which you prefer!
Don’t Use a Desk That’s Off Limits
If you decide to set yourself up at a desk for the day, make sure that you pick an available one. Even though a desk may appear to be unused, it could potentially be a designated desk. These are desks that are pre-booked. They’re often in hot desking areas but will have been reserved for certain times or particular days.
There’s nothing wrong with using a designated desk outside of its reserved hours. However, make sure that you don’t end up overrunning into the allotted time of the person who booked the desk. It would result in you having to move desks in the middle of the day. This would end up wasting your time and taking you away from the work that you’re doing.
Of course, if you have a favorite desk that you want to ensure is available for you, then you could also book this as a designated desk. You won’t have to worry about a long-term commitment either. Simply reserve the desk for whenever you need it, and it will be available when you turn up!
Make the Most of Extra Amenities
Coworking spaces aren’t solely about working. Instead, many coworking spaces, including Circle Hub, offer extra amenities that can enhance your day even further.
Take our on-site fitness center, for example. Many of the people that use our hot desking and coworking facilities often find it difficult to squeeze in time for a session at their regular gym. However, when you have an available gym at your workplace, this becomes so much easier. The fact that exercise has been proven to boost productivity makes this even better! A quick midday workout could be exactly what you need to inspire some new ideas for the project you’re working on.
If gyms aren’t your thing, you may be more excited by the on-site gaming room at Circle Hub. This is another amenity that our members absolutely love. It’s a great way to kick back and relax when you need to release some stress. Once you’re done, you can help yourself to free beverages from our kitchen before getting back to work!
At Circle Hub, we also offer additional networking events that our hot desking members can join in on. Hot desking in itself is a great way to network. You’ll be exposed to, and surrounded by, people from all walks of life. However, if you’d like to expand your professional circle even further, attending our networking events is the way to do that. They’re all casual events, such as breakfasts and juice bars, where you can relax for a while and meet some new people.
Avoid Eating at Your Desk
Imagine trying to get some important work done while the people at the desks around you are munching away on various foods, with all of those smells wafting over to you. Needless to say, this can be a huge distraction. This is why it’s always advisable to avoid eating at your desk when hot desking.
This isn’t just for the benefit of other people either. Sure, it saves the person using your desk after you from having to deal with any grease that your fast food lunch has left behind. However, it can also be more beneficial for your own mental health to step away from your desk when you’re grabbing a snack. Research shows that setting aside time for lunch, and then moving to a different area to eat it, can give your workday a much better balance. It will also remind you to get up and move around for a while, rather than remaining sedentary at your desk for several hours in a row.
So, where should you go when you want to grab a bite to eat?
At Circle Hub, we have a well-equipped kitchen that our members can use. In addition to the complimentary beverages that we provide, you can also use our kitchen to eat meals that you’ve prepared yourself. Alternatively, you can also head out to a nearby cafe or restaurant to treat yourself to some food. Both Circle Hub locations are in close proximity to various eateries, giving you plenty of choices when it comes to deciding what you’re in the mood for!
Stay at Home if You’re Feeling Under the Weather
Not feeling too great but need to get some work done? Ideally, this would be one of those days when you work from home.
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, health and safety has been at the forefront of people’s minds. Everyone took so many extra steps to try to keep themselves and their families safe. Although the pandemic is now in its decline, people are still, rightly, prioritizing their health.
So, if you’re not feeling too hot and could possibly be contagious, skip the hot desking for the day and return only when you’re back in top form. It may seem like an inconvenience, but you’ll appreciate it when others do the same.
Leave No Trace
When you rock up to work and settle down at your chosen hot desk, it goes without saying that you’ll expect this to be clean and tidy. You don’t want to have to be dealing with other people’s possessions scattered around or, as mentioned above, remnants of food and drink stuck to the table.
Ideally, you want the person who used the desk before you to have fully cleared away all of their belongings. They should respectfully leave the desk spotless for your use. This means that you should follow the same rule once you’re done working. Leave no trace of your presence, so that the person using the desk after you can simply sit down and get to work.
Of course, at Circle Hub, we have an amazing cleaning service that keeps our coworking space spotless. However, they won’t be around to tidy up after every single person that uses a hot desk throughout the day, making it important to do so yourself.
Hot Desking at Circle Hub
At Circle Hub, our hot desking facilities are extremely popular. We offer a variety of different working areas for people to choose from, so that you can pick the one that you’ll be most productive in. Our communal areas and extra amenities are also available to our hot desking members, giving you even more value for your monthly membership fee!
With no long-term commitments or contracts to worry about, hot desking is well worth a try if it’s something that you’re curious about. You never know – it could end up completely transforming the way in which you work!