Is 'Hot Desking' Impacting Your Inclusive Culture?

Hot desking: An office trend since 2010, it is the concept of booking a workspace, sitting somewhere different each day, breathing new life into an old space and encouraging innovation. Is the rise in hybrid and remote working, and by extension the ‘hot desk’ approach, impacting your inclusive office culture?

A sense of belonging

According to Raconteur “humans have a deep-rooted need for belonging. and this needs to be present in our places of work.” Embedding a hot desking approach can hinder this as employees don’t have a place to “hang their hat” each day. Raconteur also add “having to clear your desk at the end of each day means that people can’t identify with these spaces”. A sense of belonging at work is all part of feeling included and valued. Lack of inclusion can lead to employees not reaching their full potential and feeling demotivated.

The importance of YOUR team

It’s great to have the opportunity to collaborate with other teams and team members within a business, but it’s equally as important to be able to freely communicate with your own team. ‘Hot desking’ employees generally sit with different people, some they may or may not know, all great for the overall sense of team within the business. However, sitting with members from your own team allows important bonds to form, it builds trust and makes people feel safe within the work force. Inclusiveness often starts with a feeling of belonging within your own team, with line managers often being the first relationship point for new starters within a business. Informal meetings with other teams to create connections and allow for further innovations is a great way of further enhancing an inclusive culture, without the need to take employees away from their core team. If cross collaboration is important to your business, why not consider a regular “office shake-up” where employees swap desks with another member of staff for the day. That way your employees are still getting to know each other without taking away their personal workspace.

The Takeaway…

If your inclusive culture feels compromised, consider reviewing your employees' ways of working. Quite often how they work (remote, hybrid, office or hot desking) can impact how ‘included’ a person feels within the organisation. Understanding your employee needs is essential in creating a happy, holistic work force. If you need help in driving or promoting wellbeing within your business, why not get in touch today? [email protected]