Companies looking to downsize and reduce real estate costs while also giving employees flexibility have grown more and more interested in the hoteling concept. Even though office hoteling seems like a good idea for those factors, it’s important to be aware that it can be a difficult adjustment for many companies and their employees.
Before putting this workplace solution into practice for your company, companies should carefully weigh the advantages, disadvantages, and important hoteling issues.
What is Office Hoteling?
What distinguishes office hoteling from hot desking, you might be wondering? What benefits and drawbacks come with office hotels? The ideas are, in fact, the same. Although office hoteling does away with assigned desks and seating, it still allows staff to reserve office space for whatever tasks they need it for. Pre-reserving and checking into a concierge for an office is referred to as “office hoteling,” just as you would with a hotel room.
An employee cannot simply sit there or take up space, even in a room full of vacant desks and workstations. Prior to doing so, they must check in with the booking manager or the software.
The way check-ins are handled, how far in advance a workstation or workspace can be reserved, and how long a reservation can last are all up to the organization. Employees can move around the office to meet the needs of various workdays, which makes office hoteling ideal. They can decide to work with other coworkers at the office’s standing desk area while sitting in the best office ergonomic chair close to their respective teams. Let’s learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of using an office hotel.
Pros of Office Hoteling
Saving on Office Space
Considering how much money business owners can save on real estate, this is one of the primary advantages of office hoteling. It can be costly for both large and small businesses to provide enough space for everyone who works there. But the cost of empty office spaces can be reduced with office hoteling.
Implementing this initiative can be a cost-effective move, especially with a hybrid workforce where most employees work from home, as office space is one of the biggest expenses an organization must bear.
Better Networking
It is the best benefit among the advantages and disadvantages of office lodging. Office hoteling gives workers the freedom to work from various locations and creates an atmosphere that encourages collaboration. Employees with this level of flexibility switch from their assigned space to a welcoming, free space that can foster social interaction. By doing away with conventional buildings and cubicles, employees are given the space they require to work efficiently and are free to select a different strategy each day.
Since members are free to choose their seats, you will never need to assign another one. A smart office environment with cloud storage and messaging services may be available depending on the office hoteling software installed, allowing even remote workers to stay informed and make plans as necessary.
More Resources to Go Around
It is an additional advantage of office lodging. The conversion from assigned desks to office hotels has freed up office resources. The concurrent employee roster is reduced so there are fewer people working at once and more resources are available for the rest of the staff as well as any visiting employees. Due to the administration not having to spend as much on items like office supplies, stationery, and printer paper, the general resource costs also go down.
Increases Collaboration and Productivity
Office hoteling can meet the needs of employees who need privacy and seclusion to focus more intently on their tasks, responsibilities, and projects. Another advantage that employees can take advantage of is the chance to designate a space for team collaboration. It makes it possible for the workers to socialize. It’s possible that prior to now they had difficulty sitting down and cooperating. Once they are able to, it might inspire brand-new, creative ideas and the creative juices start flowing.
One of office lodging’s most obvious advantages is increased productivity. Co-working spaces increase employees’ likelihood of interaction with one another, which increases their motivation, performance, and productivity. As a result, employees are more effective and productive when using office hoteling. It lessens the sense of being stuck at a desk.
Increase Office Flexibility, Employee Engagement, and Empowerment
One advantage of office hoteling is that it promotes a culture of trust by giving employees some control and freedom over where they can work. Additionally, doing so greatly enhances worker happiness and job satisfaction. Employees gain from this type of flexible work environment in addition to the aforementioned financial and spatial advantages.
Employee empowerment is facilitated by providing workspaces where daily attendance is not required and there are no significant travel costs. In addition, adding office hoteling areas to an office where workers previously had assigned desks or workstations boosts workplace agility and resilience.
Visitor Management
A flawless experience can be created for visiting employees, consultants, guests, and clients depending on the technology that the company uses to manage office hoteling. Visitors can feel comfortable navigating unfamiliar offices with ease by using a real-time location system. Locating the restroom, cafeterias, and other points of interest are made simple with the help of wayfinding technology, such as an app.
Create a Productive Workforce
As they can choose or make reservations that are best suited to the tasks and responsibilities that need to be handled throughout the workday, your workforce will become more efficient and productive. With this advantage of office lodging, employees cannot claim that lack of space prevented them from finishing their respective tasks and projects.
Cons of Office Hoteling
Disruption and Confusion
Every day being different could not be good for everyone. When they must switch workstations or desks every day, some employees may find it difficult to settle in. It might be a little confusing and challenging to find someone unless you have memorized where everyone is seated.
It is best to inquire about a positive work environment during the hiring process if you are a new employee. This might be difficult to get past if you’re the type of person who functions better in a routine, with stability, and alone time. Hoteling can be a nightmare for someone lacking these qualities because it calls for adaptability and flexible workers.
Less Personal
When you reserve a desk, workstation, or hybrid desk, it means that the space is not actually yours. Therefore, at the end of the day, you must pack up your photographs, pencil case, mug, calendar, and other belongings because there is no assurance that the same space will be accessible tomorrow if no reservation was or could be made. Since it is a shared area, there is no way to make it your own or personalize it.
Additionally, since you are constantly moving things around and packing and unpacking, it is simple to lose your belongings. You must bring everything with you every day unless your organization has lockers where you can store the majority of your belongings.
You Can Get Lost
You might wind up wasting 30 minutes or more looking for your desk, your boss’s desk, or the restroom in an unfamiliar office where it’s challenging to follow the instructions on the app. Such an occurrence is awful and a waste of time.
Sanitation
When you arrive, the desks and workstations might not be the cleanest; this depends on when you reserved the desk and whether someone else used it a few hours earlier.
There could be food crumbs or droplets all over the keyboard, area, or desk. There is also the issue of varying cleanliness expectations among those using the space.
How to Manage Office Hoteling
Reserve the Area Before
A desk or workstation must be reserved in advance for employees’ hybrid work schedules. People can reserve the space ahead of time and set reminders for the days or weeks they intend to go to work. If there is a particular spot you like or prefer—be it next to a window with a view, near the lunchroom, or near the exit—doing this may result in you calling dibs on it or reserving it for the day you arrive.
Clean Up After Use
You can implement a “clean desk” policy to make sure staff members keep their desks tidy, free of greasy and sticky materials, and always prepared for the next person of the day. Wet wipes, trash cans, and other cleaning supplies can be placed on the deck so that employees can clean up after themselves before departing the station, helping managers combat sanitation issues. To remind people to empty the trash cans and keep the area tidy, post signs and other reminders.
Be Polite and Courteous
Instead of acting rudely and disrespectfully, keep in mind how you would like to be addressed by others whether you are sitting at their station or they are in yours. It helps create a productive workplace environment. When resolving any problems or errors with reservations, be gracious. The opposite of what happens when people are boisterous and loud is what happens.
Install Reservation Software Or An Autonomous Hybrid App
A software program for booking meeting spaces and desks can guarantee that the procedure is quick, easy, and efficient. The lack of such software can make office hoteling quite messy, having the opposite effect of what was intended when it was first implemented.
Using Cloud Filing and Storage
You could try making it simple for everyone to access documents, records, and files so that even remote workers working from any location can access the crucial documents required for the job without being in a filing room. When everything is stored online, collaboration can take place from any location.
Keep in Touch With Your Coworkers
Reach out to your coworkers if you’re finding it difficult to establish a rapport. To find out where they will be seated, ask them to share their seating location on the calendar or to start chatting in the group chat. It saves time and effort.
Provide Efficient, Attractive Workstations
Make it hospitable once the spaces are available! Set up each area with standing desks, office ergonomic chairs, whiteboards, desktop monitors, comfortable pillows, etc. to make it aesthetically pleasing and ergonomic. To encourage creativity, you could even sprinkle a little color throughout the area.
Takeaway: Fantastical Vision.
You can learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of office lodging by consulting the list above. Office hoteling has some disadvantages, but overall, the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks. implementing this novel approach in your workplace and living its fantastical vision.
