Last week on Twitter, a fellow independent business called Adlam & Coomber asked us what we did. So, we told them.
At The Workstation, we run a number of business centres that provide private offices/meeting rooms/hot desks & a range of virtual office services.
Their response:
@TheWorkstation_ What's a hot desk? #stneotshour
— Adlam & Coomber (@adlamandcoomber) May 4, 2017
“What’s a Hot Desk?”
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that not everybody knows the ins-and-outs of our business or understands the way we speak about our services in industry terms. So we were grateful to be asked this question as it allowed us to realise that perhaps we should take a moment to explain a bit more about what hot-desking is and who it works best for.
Who Suits Hot-Desking?
Hot Desking isn’t for everyone. If you’re in need of a permanent place to work from, you’re probably better off considering renting an office suite or a permanent co-working space.
Hot desking is for people who want flexible working space, at a moment’s notice. Most of the time, it’s an empty desk that you bring your office to – but one which still allows you use of office facilities such as WiFi and local printers etc. At The Workstation, we often recommend hot desks to freelancers, flexible workers and startups who are in need of a professional environment to work in, away from the distractions of their home office or the hustle and bustle of a coffee shop.
Hot Desking has got a bit of a bad reputation in some circles as it has been introduced within organisations as a way of cutting costs with the hope that it will also encourage people to mingle with others in their company and will keep workspaces uncluttered.
But in the context of the corporate office environment, hotdesking doesn’t always work out quite as well as it does in a shared business centre. For example, employees working day-in and day-out under the same roof have to unpack everything then pack it away again at the end of the day – a process which can be time-consuming and frustrating. There’s always the chance that team members working on a project may not be able to secure desks close to one another – which can hinder communications and progress. And because no-one is responsible for their own desk, shared spaces within organisations have a habit of looking unloved and messy.
Yet within the serviced business centre environment, the hot desk gives users the opportunity provide flexibility and the chance to network with other local businesses. There’s also the obvious benefit that renting a hot desk is a lot cheaper than renting an office and for many modern businesses starting out, a desk in a business centre, with tea and coffee on tap, WiFi and office equipment available is all you really need.
Hot-Desking at The Workstation
If you’d like to find out more about hot-desking at one of our business centres, please get in touch by emailing info@theworkstation.co.uk or call us on: 01727 260177.