Colleague refusing to hotdesk at work – anyone else face this issue??

[Singleparent78]

Post-pandemic our offices have moved to a hotdesking set up as part of new hybrid working. Most FT staff now WFH 2-3 days/week and now, when they do come in, they no longer have ‘their own’ desk but instead sit at a series of desks which they book in advance – each desk has IT equipment, but staff have all been given laptops that they can bring in.

It’s not ideal but it encourages a good mixing of staff and ultimately saves money - with staff WFH it was possible to reduce the overall office footprint rather than have the same office with half populated desks. A lot of effort went into setting up the new hot desk system to ensure it was well kitted out and comfortable.

One Staff member has been refusing to come in and hot desk. Says it’s a policy that can’t be enforced, that this way of working is not in his contract.

He claims the desks aren’t access compliant – he doesn’t have a disability he just is complaining about the process of setting them up and doesn’t feel the set-up is compliant. He has been WFH for months now, refusing to come in and use the hot desks until he gets his own desk with a number of other requirements on his list.

HR have been useless, just saying I will need to make adjustments ‘to support him’ but my view is as he doesn’t have special requirements, just a general grievance, so needs to follow policy - otherwise what is the point of the policy?

Anyone else have this problem? How did you address it?

He’s not wrong and hot deskinv is a shitty practice.

Yeah this. In fact. I would issue him his own desk and retract WFH. if his contract states he has to come into the office then tell him he needs to follow his contract. Assign desk 12 to him permanently and he's the only member of staff that comes in every day as per his existing contract. If he doesn't like that idea then he hot desks.

He can either have his old contract or your new one. Or he finds a new job.

Hot desking is a pain. I don't have needs enough for special equipment, but my neck and shoulders quickly get issues if the chair and screen aren't just so. I've got round this at work by putting a (banned) riser above one of the screens, effectively claiming that desk as my own. Also the lack of regular colleagues to chat to makes it less fun, but as so few people do go into the office those of us that do have effectively created our own gang.

But in his case sounds like he just wants to wfh as it's easier with the dogs. Has there been any expectations set in terms of how often people should be coming in ? With us we've been told that we need to be in one day a week minimum on a set day, don't know if anyone is being spoken to for not doing that as our boss is effectively still shielding because of a CEV DH.

Or call his bluff and give him a set desk for a month on the expectation he comes in 1-2 days per week or whatever is expected.

Any issues with his work rate or availability?

Hot desking in a large office environment is like starting a new job with new people everyday. People can't see why that is stressful?

Exactly the same at our place, and they wonder why its being run into the ground! Ho hum.

A lot of organisations using hot dealing/hybrid working are public services.

I work for local government and we’ve now swapped to a similar set up to the OP. This has allowed the council to sell some buildings, and cancel the lease on others. This has given the council an immediate burst of cash, as well as ongoing savings.

Theyve sent out a lot of surgery’s and gotten continuous feedback and the majority are in favour of the new set up.

These savings are being passed on to the public. I’m assuming those complaining about hot dealing etc would be happy to pay increased council tax so that we can maintain a number of buildings, either for a lot of desks to sit empty while the employees who would usually sit at them work from hoke half the week, or for us to lose some of our best talent due to a requirement of office working so that those buildings don’t sit empty.

This is the case for a number of other local governments I know too.

Loads of businesses have moved to hot desking since Covid so they can downsize their office space and make savings, since they no longer need a desk for every employee.

I used to go in 2/3 days a week, but since the office reopening we have to book a desk and it can be anywhere in the building - there is no value in going in for me now as I can't even sit together with colleagues.

Hot desking used to make me really anxious, for some people it's horrible to have to go in and find a desk if you can (appreciate you have a booking system), not know who you'll be sitting with, not have any of your own things around you, be faced with other people's mess and old teacups etc. It also tends to be the case that higher up people get to keep their own desk, which makes it feel hugely unfair.

Is it really imperative that he comes in? And if he does, it is imperative that he hot desks? Is there anyone at all who has their own desk that he could share for his days in the office, rather than always having to move?

Hot desking not dealing!

In the public sector? No chance. He'd have to commit a really serious crime in the office for that to happen.

We have a running joke you could probably murder someone and HR would let you take your laptop to jail and work from there rather than sack you!

I really do think the hot desking issue is a red herring.

Yes, hot desking is horrible and he probably hates the idea. But that’s not why he’s not returning to the office. He’s just happier WFH especially as he has dogs.

COVID taught us a lot. Some people really miss the office. Some people discovered how much better their life could be WFH. Both views are equally valid.

But there’s this sneery attitude in some quarters to folks who prefer to WFH. Surely the one thing we all learnt from COVID is that life is bloody short and it’s pointless getting het up over trivial stuff?! If people prefer to work from home, a good employer should be facilitating that wherever possible.

Presumably he’s been managing his duties perfectly well without being in the office? If so, let him WFH with just the occasional visit to the office if absolutely required. Same goes for any employee. If they can deliver the same quality of work from home, I don’t see why they HAVE to return to the office. It’s unnecessarily dictatorial - quality of life matters.

If, on the other hand, this man has not been satisfactorily performing his full duties, then you go down the performance management route.

I do think though he has a point about hot desking if it’s not been assessed by your disability officer. Not all disabilities are visible, and not all require wheelchairs. You need to get your ducks in a row first, and then decide whether this is a role that can be legitimately done from home and whether he’s performing to the required standard.

Agree with this suggestion.

Don't. It won't work.

The tricky thing about WFH is that it's rarely just about measuring an individual's outputs. My teams don't function as well working remotely from each other as they did in the same place. Wfh works for individuals but not for the collective. Whether/how we turn that around is a real challenge.

Can't believe also that some people think it's entirely reasonable to persist with the old "everyone has their own desk model" when you have people in the office 40% to 60% of the week. So you're paying for twice as much space you need to have half the desks empty at any one time.

Seems like a marvellous use of public funds if it's a public sector organisation.

I think it's purely on economic grounds. I don't know where you are OP, but I've just checked the cost of doggy day care on a website and it's coming up at £45 per day per dog! If he would use that company it would cost over 1k a month for 2 days a week of day care for his 3 dogs.

Everyone saying they hate hot desking, would never work somewhere that does it, it's stressful etc... isn't really helping the OP with her current situation. This staff member can book the same desk all the time if he wants to and has been offered an OH referral, had a DSE assessment. It sounds like even if the OP said to him that he could have the same desk all the time, with his own things around it, exactly the way he wanted it, he would still object because he doesn't want to come into the office.

If your organisation won't offer HW to him and no other reasonable measures are being accepted by him, then I would go back to HR, explaining everything you have tried and say you are now of the view that you need to go down the disciplinary route. This may spark them into a bit more action and help you resolve things. Unfortunately it sounds like nothing short of being able to WFH permanently will satisfy this person.

There are a lot of adults with anxiety, stress, ADHD, autism who don't have a label for it yet. Doesn't mean they don't have those problems.

You've not many choices here

1. Give in and give him a perm desk
2. Keep pushing back to HR and make them resolve it
3. Give in and let him WFH

There is no option 4 here of just close your eyes and wish for him to become a different person. What is easiest for you in the long run - to let him do as he likes or to force HR to do their job?

FWIW I had no idea I had ADHD, but have always thought the idea of hot desking was absolutely abhorrent. I couldn't verbalise why I found it so hideous. Understanding my needs now is a different matter and myself and others can explain why some people more than others find it important to have their own desk.

My DH hotdesks and has absolutely no issues to work paperless or sit in a different place every single day. Gives me toothache just thinking about it!!!

It does "seem" that way but my experience of having done it c.15 years ago is that it costs much more in lost productivity through staff being generally unhappy or more than that and off sick.

It's funny, when you're nearing the end of your career, to see all these "new" ideas come round again as if they've never been thought of before. There's a reason it was tried and abandoned.

I work for local government (...) These savings are being passed on to the public.

😂😂😂
It's been a bleak Tuesday in a bleak week but the thought that either my borough or county council has made the selfless decision to WFH for the betterment of the local people has given me a good laugh. Thanks for that.

Same. I’d probably start looking for another job to be honest, it sounds grim.

I did chuckle at that post too. 😁

DD loved working from home, and when she had to return to work, realised that she hated office working. She found a job that allows her to work fully from home and is thriving.

It's the people who can't admit this that drive me mad. Just find a bloody job that does allow it and stop making pitiful excuses about hidden disabilities and conditions that then make life harder for those who actually have them. No one wins in this situation.

So what is happening currently when he isn't turning up for on-site meetings?

is it being facilitated by allowing him to join using teams?

If the whole point is that the meetings are in person for whatever reason then make it clear when the meeting is booked.

He can work from home outside those meeting times if that's his preference but if he is routinely not turning up to meetings because he won't come in person and a business decision has been made and communicated not to hold them hybridly on teams, then if he doesn't turn up it becomes a disciplinary issue surely?

Thx everyone for your comments. I can try to find a desk for him but worry he will complain that's not appropriate as his ultimate aim is to WFH.

I don't want to allow 100% WFH because (a) we agreed senior staff should be present on site as many junior colleagues can't WFH (they are involved in production/site based work)and

(b) it's not fair for other colleagues to not get the same (100% WFH) just because they didn't complain as much as him.