Hot desks - where to keep personal items

[Oriono]

I'm leading on an office move that has unexpectedly been forced on us, and as we're working towards hybrid working, we're having less desks and will be hot desking.

But I'm concerned about where staff are going to keep their personal items - mugs, hand cream, pain killers, tampons, you know the stuff - after going from a situation where everyone is used to their own space.

We won't have room for lockers, trays have been suggested but that also feels a bit primary school-ish.

Has anyone seen any good solutions to this?

Thanks

I'm finding it very funny that people keep saying handbag & no one said rucksack (or backpack). Handbags are foreign objects to me. I wasn't sure if people were fitting laptops (+charger, + headphones, + webcam?) in their hand bags.

@ragged

I'm finding it very funny that people keep saying handbag & no one said rucksack (or backpack). Handbags are foreign objects to me. I wasn't sure if people were fitting laptops (+charger, + headphones, + webcam?) in their hand bags.

I said I take a backpack.

I've hot desked for years. Use a large backpack and take what I need in.

@ragged
My computer stays at work, i use a desk top, I use a lap at home which stays at home ... everything stored on the server. Anyway lap tops come with bags in my experience

@ragged

I'm finding it very funny that people keep saying handbag & no one said rucksack (or backpack). Handbags are foreign objects to me. I wasn't sure if people were fitting laptops (+charger, + headphones, + webcam?) in their hand bags.

I take a backpack, but I take a small handbag with me with my travel card, phone, keys etc in it so I don't have to lug my backpack out at lunchtime. The things the OP mentions - tampons, painkillers etc are things that you wouldn't need a backpack to carry in, and a lot of places have desktop computers for staff so no need for a backpack for laptop, so not really all that 'very funny' that no-one's mentioned a rucksack!

My computer stays at work, i use a desk top, I use a lap at home which stays at home

We are provided with one laptop only for home and office use.

It's honestly no hardship to carry essentials in your bag rather than in your desk. I appreciate people might be annoyed but it's clear this is the way work is heading for everyone who works in an office. I have a locker but the only thing in it is tea and coffee that I brought in a year ago when I didn't know if there was communal stuff. I keep all the things you listed in my handbag. Are they going to have laptops rather than fixed desktops too?? That will be another shock!

@ragged

I'm finding it very funny that people keep saying handbag & no one said rucksack (or backpack). Handbags are foreign objects to me. I wasn't sure if people were fitting laptops (+charger, + headphones, + webcam?) in their hand bags.

Handbag for hand cream, painkillers and tampons as expressed by the OP. Rucksack for laptop and peripherals.

Do you have an office kitchen?

Could you buy a load of communal mugs? Anyone who wants their own would have to bring it in daily?

Our work have started putting free sanitary products in the loo. Fired up by the Period Poverty campaign but appreciated by anyone caught short.

when we were hot desking we each had an office caddy each that had a lockable drawer.

we were only on one floor though.

it was a nightmare tbh and there was a mutiny.

we then had a corner for each team which had a cabinet and esch team member had a locked box the size of a lever file.

Most employees hate it, but employers simply don't care.

@ragged

I'm finding it very funny that people keep saying handbag & no one said rucksack (or backpack). Handbags are foreign objects to me. I wasn't sure if people were fitting laptops (+charger, + headphones, + webcam?) in their hand bags.

I don’t take my laptop to work ....I just use that when wfh....we have PCs in the office where we hotdesk.....so I put everything I need in a tote Handbag ....fits fine

Yes, everyone will need to bring their laptops in, but there will be docks, screens, laptops and a mouse at each desk.

There is a kitchen with plenty of cupboard space also yes, mugs could go in there.

Maybe it's the transition that needs managing more than the space...

There are files I can only access with the laptop. Not allowed to move those files anywhere else. After 3months I got a dock station for the laptop. There is not a duplicate dock station at work (where I mostly use the desktop, too). I wouldn't try to do much with the laptop in office since no dock station there.

I am trying to work out if I could use that laptop for telecon meetings -- headphones & webcam aren't functioning with my work desktop right now. That may be fixable, I am emailing hardware support in a minute, actually. Of course the whole open plan office would listen in on both sides of the call if I don't have headphones. So I would need to bring them back and forth too, to be nice to the officemates.

I think my contribution to OP is to say "What equipment does everyone need": and will you be asking them to carry it back and forth regularly (damage & theft risk to doing that, too).

There are files I can only access with the laptop. Not allowed to move those files anywhere else.

You mean the files are stored on the laptop? Sounds a bit of a risk if the laptop were to get damaged, or go missing, or if you're not around with your password and the files are needed.

An auditor would have a field day with that. They should be stored on a central server if they are that important.

No worries, MrsFin the files are on a server (A). That specific laptop is only device I have that can access that server A. Most of my workfiles are on a completely different server (B). Most of my employers devices would let me access files on B. The laptop that can see Server A can't directly access server B but I could email files over maybe, sometimes...

I also have files that can only be opened by a single computer (or laptop). Only opened by that individual hardware device (and not possible to print out a copy, either).

Fun and Games...

@NynaeveSedai

It's honestly no hardship to carry essentials in your bag rather than in your desk. I appreciate people might be annoyed but it's clear this is the way work is heading for everyone who works in an office. I have a locker but the only thing in it is tea and coffee that I brought in a year ago when I didn't know if there was communal stuff. I keep all the things you listed in my handbag. Are they going to have laptops rather than fixed desktops too?? That will be another shock!

I don’t carry a handbag anywhere. Keys and phone go in my pocket. I would ask for a locker or drawer or box to keep essential items in rather than have to carry a bag every day. I don’t drive to work so don’t have the option of keeping a bag in the car

Hmmm, hot desking during a pandemic, really smart!

@Lineofconcepcion

Hmmm, hot desking during a pandemic, really smart!

We have an endless supply of antibacterial wipes and spray to clean desks and keyboards etc so I just give everything a quick wipe down before I start, it's fine.

I don’t carry a handbag anywhere. Keys and phone go in my pocket.
I would ask for a locker or drawer or box to keep essential items in rather than have to carry a bag every day. I don’t drive to work so don’t have the option of keeping a bag in the car

Well that's your choice, obviously, but presumably if you need painkillers or hand cream or tampons at work (or on your commute) you somehow have to manage without. Obviously up to you but I don't think it is that strange to carry things like that in a small bag as you go about your day (be that called a back pack or man bag or handbag or cross body bag or bum bag or whatever.
If you have an expectation of having them in the office, then presumably you must have to transport them in to work in the first place, and then top up every now and then?

But the shoes, people! Won't anybody think of the shoes!
I also keep boxes of lemsip in my locker, but mostly shoes.

@Oriono

Yes, everyone will need to bring their laptops in, but there will be docks, screens, laptops and a mouse at each desk.

There is a kitchen with plenty of cupboard space also yes, mugs could go in there.

Maybe it's the transition that needs managing more than the space...

People with RSI often need different mice/pointers and keyboards, which are a “necessary adjustment”. How will they cope with communal kit?

At my old workplace where we officially hotdesked -- some people didn't. They had allocated places with special equipment.

Our work has hot box for those who hot desk
officefurniturescene.co.uk/shop/desk-accessories/hot-box-2/