Hotdesking

[theeternalstudent]

I've been offered my dream job. It's been a long time in the planning. However, I've only just found out that the company operate a hot desk policy. Think large open plan department and free for all on computers/desks. Turns out that there just isn't enough desks or equipment for everyone. So much so that they have had to implement a compulsory 'work at home' day for everyone. Work at home doesn't really work for me and my personal circumstances. TBH it just sounds like hell to me. Doesn't everyone like to have their own desk where they can set out their stuff and make themselves comfortable?

Do I have to accept that this is the way of office working in the future? or should I just turn down the job.

I sound like I'm a bit full of myself saying that I won't do it as I need a desk. So does everyone!

[Nomama]

It works, when you get your head around it.

But it only takes one determined 'nester' to wreck it. Don't be that person!

Give it a whirl, see what happens. Or yes, turn it down if you think it will simply not fit your head.

Sorry, that wasn't helpful at all

[CleanLinesSharpEdges]

I didn't mind hot desking. But then even with a permanent desk I was always very minimal with all papers cleared away at the end of the day and nothing personal on my desk. Those that usually disliked hot desking were the ones that had 200 pics of their children dotted around and desks like a shit tip.

How badly do you need the job?

[theeternalstudent]

Ahh, but Nomama, I am a nester .
guess I should give it a go...

[theeternalstudent]

I really need the job clean. I don't mind about not putting pictures up, but where do you keep your stuff? Like procedure manuals and diaries, a coffee cup, some extra sanpro, just stuff that you need!

[Doingakatereddy]

You don't have to work at home, you can work anywhere with wifi I suspect? Library, coffee shop, IKEA, the list goes on.

Hot desking is the pits, we have it & it grates most if us (not because we have 200 pics of our kids) but because it's great to work close to your team or colleagues, it's lovely to get to know people you see for 9 hours every day, it's nice to share highs and lows, to feel confident to ask for help.

Hot desking isolates teams & prohibits friendships, quite honestly it's shit

[Tobagostreet]

YABU if you'd honestly turn down your 'dream' job because you can't lay your 'stuff' out on a desk. Surely doing the job doesn't rely on you being able to look at a picture of your cat (or similar) on your desk.

YANBU if the working at home is non-negotiable and you simply can't work around it.

Sorry to say that you may need to get a new dream, as it seems that this type of job may not be for you.

Good luck with the future job hunt.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

You have a work bag for all the stuff you list, or if the procedure manual is on the intranet (most of them are now) your handbag.

[Tobagostreet]

Just seen your next post. You'll most likely be allocated a case, locker or cupboard space to keep essential items in. But don't be surprised if all manuals etc are online, and no work 'stuff' is actually required.

[Unescorted]

We have hot desking in some of our offices - you can tell when a hot desker arrives at the office by the size of their bags.

At ours all the procedure manuals, diaries, doccuments are electronic and pens are put out by facilities in the morning. My problem is I keep forgetting my phone - it plugs into my lap top and has an earpiece.

[CleanLinesSharpEdges]

Where did I put 'stuff'?

Manuals and diaries were online, coffee cup in the kitchen, San-pro in my handbag, the desks were all stocked with stationery.

Lots of places are moving toward paperless offices and hot desking, I was working for the NHS and even exec-directors didn't have their own desks.

If you're someone who needs 'stuff' around you then it probably will take a while to get used to it.

[Purplepoodle]

Our place has lockers as we hot desk and a set of trays to stick ongoing paperwork at the end of the day

[AmIthatHot]

We have it and its great. We have lockers, shared stationery and all manuals, etc are electronically stored. Took a while to get used to not having our own space, but it is miles better now.

[theeternalstudent]

hmmm, so it seems like it just needs a bit of getting used to it and that it's quite wide spread practice. Think I'm going to need to invest in a bigger bag.

[BikeRunSki]

My office hor desks - all 600 of us, and had done for five or 6 years. It's fine. We have lockers for our stuff. I have one of those toblerone shaped snapfish calendars with photos of my dc. It's all good. We sit in general team areas and have about 75% desks to headcount and a room of hotel desks.

[trilbydoll]

I think I need hotdesking, we went into work briefly this morning and DH asked if my desk had been burgled I have no idea what is on it. Mortifyingly, I found a pile of copy payslips on it a week ago, thankfully they were face down!

[elfycat]

I worked in a hotdesking / work from home environment and I loved it. If the company has it set up you'll have everything you need to hand.

Give it a try. Of course you'll need to resolve the WFH issues but again the company must employ people will different home pressures/ sizes/ challenges, and should be able to help you resolve that.

[KillmeNow]

We hot desk and use either lockers or personal pedestal drawers to keep snackswork stuff in. We dont usually have to work out of the team area though so it extends rather than prevents friendships .

Bikerunski what is an hotel desk? Im imagining one that flips to expose the neatly made up bed underneath so that workers need not waste time travelling home and back each day

[bette06]

I used to work in a big open-plan office with hotdesking. Although I was a real hoarder/cluttered desk-type person beforehand, I got used to having to have a clear desk pretty quickly. We all had lockers so it wasn't like you didn't have anywhere to put your stuff - I think it's standard with hotdesking that you have somewhere to keep your paperwork/essential personal items and just take whatever you need to whichever desk you are working at.

The reason I didn't like hotdesking was because it split up the team - Banks of desks were nominally allocated to each team (although without enough desks for everyone) and people who didn't get a desk looked for a space elsewhere - but essentially the team managers (unofficially) had 'their' desk, the people who came in early (and left early) had 'their' desk and those who came in later (whether by choice or due to family commitments) would often have to sit elsewhere - so it led to a two-tier team where some people would be left out both in terms of the social/bonding element of working together as a team and also in terms of (work-related) information-sharing, sharing best practice etc.

I think there are lots of different ways that hotdesking can be used (e.g. booking desks in advance for days that you are in and need to work closely with a particular colleagues etc) so the issues may be different depending on the company's policies and practice. Hotdesking seems to be the way a lot of companies are going though so you could end up turning down a dream job and then finding your current company switches to hotdesking anyway!

[ProudAS]

I hotdesk and the only real problem with it is that most of the monitors are too low for me. I usually get in early and grab a suitable one but have a box to raise the monitor with if need be. It can be interesting sitting by different people too.

Don't let it put you off your dream job. There are more important things than being at the same desk every day.

[TywysogesGymraeg]

The way to get round having to hot desk is to tell them you have a bad back or RSI or something and need a special supportive chair/mouse/wrist support etc. That way you get to have your desk and chair set up the way you need them, and no-one else can use them. Worked for me - only a few if us have named desks, and we all have special "body care" equipment.

I'd wait until after you've got a job offer before you divulge your bad back tho!!

[tallulah]

I'm amazed so many of you seem to like hot-desking. I hate it (and I don't have any photos on my desk). We have to book our desks 8 weeks in advance and in theory teams should sit together, but most days we get visitors/ contractors wandering in looking for a desk and it raises my blood pressure.

I have refused to WFH on the grounds that I deliberately bought a house pretty much next door to work, so it does me no favours. I know I would be too distracted to actually do any work.

[HearMyRoar]

I've just moved from a hot desking office to one that doesn't and I can genuinely say I really miss hot desking. I feel tied to my desk now, miss being able to sit next to other people each day, and hate the amount of crap I have on my desk now. You really do get used to it and there can be a lot of advantages.

[Andrewofgg]

We hot desk and have a strict clear desk policy; and everyone has a locker sufficient (more or less) for personal items. I am a really early bird (think 6.00 a.m., I get out at a sensible time in the evening and it suits me) and yes, I nest at the same desk every day. And I don't see why I should not.

From time to time at about 7.00 a.m. our security bods sweep one team or another's area for papers left out, unlocked filing cabinets, and the like. Of course I make it my business at 6.00 to check my team's area, lock any cabinets anyone has forgotten, put any loose papers in my cabinet, once I put a bloody great box of papers under my desk as if they were mine and I was working on them. So when they arrive in my area and see that I am in (which is not every day) they don't bother further. They try the next team and if I am lucky they find somethng.

So from my team's point of view Andrew nests at a good desk, handy for his cabinet, the printer, and the kitchen; but he also keeps the team out of hot water. So I suppose it's swings and roundabouts!

[TheOldestCat]

There were almost riots at my work a few years ago when we moved to hotdesking! It's a pain but you get used to it, and it's quite nice to sit in different places. We have lockers for our stuff - maybe your office will too?

Congrats on the new job.