Hot-desking: The trend that few like

I hate hot desking. Another thing it causes is the spread of colds and flu. When I worked at Barnes & Noble as a telephone clerk, it was company policy to clean our work stations before using them: sprays and cloth were provided. I really liked that policy and continued to use it whenever I had to hot desk at my other jobs. People don't realise the amount of germs that keyboards carry.

Hot desking does not create employee interaction, certainly not in large organisations. People turn up, sit down, and ignore everybody around them. It has the opposite effect, in large organisations.?

Argument on this so called 'hot desking' If I could only use one 'working environment' (in this case an assigned desk) it would drive me insane! A) if i need silence i cant get it if Mary opposite is on the phone and cant be heard by her client so is shouting. B) I need to catch up with Bob and Sue to discuss a project in a collaborative fashion. Dividing screens don't help and we sit at different sides of the office. C) I need to jump on a video conference call. My desk isn't ideal for this and it could be bad practice to use a 4 person meeting room for an hour when it is only me in the room. So the theory of an activity based environment actually is perfectly viable. It cant just be hot desking though (an expression that i hate using). Choice of space and a tech enabled people experience is critical! ..... Who agrees and who disagrees? Tuesday is a great day for a debate??

Very frustrating - spend a lot of the day running around looking for things. Also never seen more people with colds! Suspect the spread of germs has increased significantly with hot-desking.

Very interesting. Seems to suggest that the key is in the implementation, whatever office layout you have. Also, a reminder of the importance of perception vs outcome - e.g. if staff are actually more productive, but are more unhappy, that is a major concern. And if they are more productive, what are the metrics being used to measure such gains in productivity?

I'm completely against hot desking for several reasons: 1) it creates a culture of getting in earlier and earlier to ensure you get a decent seating position; 2) it causes anxiety for people who like routine 3) it suggests to me that flexible working is off the table, which is a shame.