"If employees perceive that as part of this hot-desking initiative, they're going to lose the ability to install software or get other things that they need, that can be a negative," Johnson added.Ĭompanies have gained a greater awareness of employees' needs to escape busy cubicle or open office areas to get deep work done, Johnson said. When moving to a more modern office layout, companies often don't consider the user experience enough, in terms of technology performance and how much flexibility employees need for applications, Johnson said. One potential solution may be to have a digital picture frame at each hoteling desk that can recognize the user when they log in, and display their photos. However, workers also may become disengaged if they feel like they don't have a home in the office, with their photos, awards, and other knick-knacks, Kropp said. If the technology is enabled the right way, "benefits overall are a lot less friction to the ability to move around the office and work in different locations, or move between home and the office, without having to carry stuff with you," Johnson said. SEE: IT hardware procurement policy (Tech Pro Research)īenefits and challenges depend largely on how a system like this is implemented, Johnson said. And the idea is if you really want to drive productivity, you actually need different types of workspaces." "Employees now believe that they should be able to work on whatever, from wherever, in whatever format makes the most sense for that particular set of tasks. "There is a huge expectation of flexibility that employees have," Kropp said. "To be successful, you have to be super thoughtful about how work gets done, and make sure that the hoteling arrangement doesn't inhibit the ability of the organization to continue to innovate." "When organizations move to this environment, they can decrease direct costs on real estate expense, but they run the risk of decreasing productivity and performance by driving down innovation and making it harder for employees to make relationships with each other," Kropp said. Organizations have experimented with office layouts to drive costs down for several years, said Brian Kropp, an HR practice leader at Gartner. "It's not just hot-desking, it's about trying to understand more about how employees work best, what flexibility they need, and what kinds of technologies best support that."ĭrivers include wanting to make better use of real estate, as well as providing a better employee experience, Johnson said. "Companies are thinking about it from a workplace transformation perspective," Johnson said. Hoteling office systems are becoming increasingly common, according to Forrester analyst David Johnson. Hoteling refers to the short-term provision of non-permanent office space to a worker - essentially 'renting' a desk for the amount of time you need it. While employees will no longer have permanent desks, they will have the option to move between a sit/stand desk, an individual 'focus room' for heads-down work, a huddle room for small group work, or a larger conference room. SEE: Mobile device computing policy (Tech Pro Research)ĭubbed the Blue Sky project, Georgia-Pacific removed offices on its 24 floors to create open layouts with lots of natural light. "The biggest things for employees and productivity are being able to have different spaces to do the kind of work they need to do." "Like other companies, not every employee was at the office, sitting down in the space reserved for them, 100 percent of the time," said Shawn Kennedy, an IT architect at Georgia Pacific who helped plan for the new space. This ebook, based on the latest ZDNet/TechRepublic special feature, explores ways companies are taking advantage of tech innovation to improve collaboration, productivity, and employee health and safety. Special report: How to optimize the smart office (free PDF)
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