Office Hoteling: Pros, Cons, and Questions
The Benefits and Challenges of Using an Office Hoteling Approach In Your Office
As businesses begin to bring employees back to the office, many companies have decided to embrace a hybrid work model that incorporates a hoteling approach. Here, employees can work from home or on-site; however, workers would not have a designated workspace in the office.
The concept of hoteling has gained popularity with companies looking to provide flexibility to employees while also downsizing and cutting real estate costs. As much as this concept seems to be a winning solution for those reasons, it is important to be aware that office hoteling can be a tricky adjustment for many businesses and their employees.
Taking these issues into account, companies should do a thoughtful analysis of the pros, cons, and crucial hoteling issues before implementing this workplace solution for your business.
Pros of Office Hoteling
Saving Money on Your Office Space
One of the major reasons that companies consider office hoteling is for the benefit of the business’s bottom line. By creating a hybrid workplace environment where employees split time at home, the office space previously needed to house an entire company will no longer be necessary. With fewer employees coming in on any given day, businesses will be able to shed excess square footage and increase cost savings if the decrease in space is substantial enough.
Collaboration and Increased Productivity in the Office
The flexible structure of office hoteling is ideal for collaborating, as employees can choose where they sit based on what resources or who they need access to on any given day. Conversely, some employees thrive when they can focus independently; having a flexible workplace allows those employees to select a workspace that is more conducive for their needs.
Improved Culture and Networking
Employees feel empowered when they have the choice of where to work. It shows that supervisors and companies trust employees to be effective in their roles, creating a stronger sense of independence and satisfaction. At the same time, interactions between coworkers in a hoteling environment become more varied, creating stronger and more diverse relationships.
Cons of Office Hoteling
Plug-and-Play Workspaces Are Less Personal
Not having a designated workplace means that personalizing your desk space is no longer an option. This could create tension with employees who utilize lots of physical papers or resources throughout the day. Employees will also need to bring in any personal items they want to access each day while also bringing these home at night. Gone are the days of filling your desks with pictures of your dog or allowing your favorite coffee cup to marinate overnight.
Confusion and Stress Over Unassigned Seats
The major hurdle that could make or break the effectiveness of this office setup is confusion over who will sit where and when. Unless the company adapts an efficient desk reservation process, where employees can reserve spots before they arrive at the office, employees could be left stranded without anywhere to work at all. Many employees thrive in structure and taking away assigned desks could seriously disrupt that.
Sharing A Desk Means Sharing Germs
Sanitation is one of the top issues employers face with office hoteling. Employees will be arriving to a desk full of yesterday’s muffin crumbs left behind by the previous occupant unless a reliable cleaning policy is in place. Add a global pandemic into the midst and many employees will not feel comfortable sharing a desk space unless sanitation policies are strictly upheld.
Final Questions to Ask When Considering An Office Hoteling Workplace Design
Each company needs to determine exactly why hoteling is the best option for their business and employees. So after considering the primary pros and cons of changing your office structure, it is crucial that businesses can answer the following questions before making the shift.
Does Office Hoteling Accommodate the Spatial Needs of Employees and Future Growth?
There is no perfect formula to help determine how many hoteling workspaces your office needs. Largely because each businesses needs are different as are the needs within each department in each company.
The best way for leadership to determine how many workspaces are needed is to determine the maximum number of employees that will need office access on any given day. Many employees feel that they need to be in the office every single day, whereas others will only come in a few days a week or continue to work fully remote. Additionally, depending on the type of role each person has, and the tasks associated with that, will also help determine if being in the office frequently will be necessary for their success.
Companies also need to take into consideration the future office growth and consider that employees’ needs for hoteling setups may evolve over time.
Does Your Company Have the IT Solutions to Support Office Hoteling?
One of the most crucial factors in successfully creating a hoteling office setup is ensuring that your business has the right technology to support it.
Remembering that each workspace needs to be fitted with the proper equipment, such as phones, computers, and network access, and employees need to be able to plug in at each space seamlessly. It is also wise to set up a system where employees can reserve workspaces before coming into the office to ensure that they have access to a workspace when they arrive.
With the increased use of resources like Zoom and video calls, employers also need to take into consideration that these technologies are likely to see continued use in our office environments. Adapting the technology for each workspace or carving out spaces within the office for employees to utilize these resources is also important to consider.
Are Employees On Board with a Hoteling Office Setup?
It is crucial that executives get feedback from those most affected by the hoteling structure shift – the employees themselves. Not only does the employee feel heard, but one-on-one conversations may lead to ideas or logistical issues that executives may have overlooked.
Consider surveying the entire office population’s thoughts and general feelings about a hoteling concept. Expect to see a variety of opinions, as hoteling can feel very personal for employees. Many employees will not have an issue with a plug-and-play concept, but some employees will feel the need to have their own designated spot.
You want to make sure that employees can thrive in the hoteling environment, ensuring that the office space encourages workers to want to come back to the office. It is crucial that businesses determine why hoteling is the best choice without having a negative impact on the overall office experience.
There are some terrific technology solutions to help address this topic. If you would like to talk to us about this or any other commercial real estate topic, reach out to a Rokos broker today!
Rokos Advisors is an award-winning Minneapolis – St. Paul-based commercial real estate/tenant representation firm specializing in helping businesses find the perfect office or industrial space for their company.