Hotdesking - is it fair for some but not all of team to be forced to hotdesk?

[Waferbiscuit]

I'm a manager in a wider team of about 40 staff. We introduced hotdesking post-pandemic. The plan was for the entire team to move to a set up where all desks were hotdesks, where no one owned a desk, and where we circulated across desks in different parts of the building.

Fast forward 2 years and only half of the staff are working in this way. The other half refused to give up their desks and offices for a variety of reasons - for health reasons, anxiety, ways of working - e.g. a team have to work together closely, so want desks together, privacy and because 'they don't want to hotdesk.' Our lead manager has stopped bothering trying to push the change to 100% hotdesking because it caused too much grief and pushback so now we have this weird set up where half of us are peripatetic working from squashed-together desks in corner rooms and the other half have their nice dedicated personal desks in much more spacious, civilized offices.

It's worth noting that many of the people who retained their desks and offices are men and many of the roaming hotdeskers are women.

Staff have complained about the unfairness of this but the lead manager isn't bothered.

Could this be seen as discriminatory - that we are imposing a policy that only some have to follow and that it's mostly, women, not men who are affected? Has anyone else had this issue - and how was it addressed/resolved?

Well, yes, but I note that you don't complain about them, you only complain about the colleagues who have been there longer than you and who, to be fair, started their jobs with the understanding that they would have their own desks.

Yes, but most people don't get to choose their laptops. I told our IT that I think my work laptop is heavy and was told that it is 'not heavy'. It's a bit subjective.

I'm weak is what I think the problem is!

Could you suggest an equality impact assessment? We hot desk, including at a senior level. Previously some of us had fixed desks as a result of reasonable adjustments - height adjustable desks etc. Now they have restacked, we are packed in very tightly although there are more height adjustable desks. First come,first served. What irritates me is staff taking height adjustable for preference rather than disability reasons when others who have had OT assessments have to sit elsewhere on the floor / in the building to get a height adjustable desk. Nice colleagues offer up their desk and move - same area, fixed desk a few desks away, other colleagues don’t. HR caused the problem but I’m not sure if I can be bothered to take them on.

There's more chance of the Communist Party winning the next General Election than there is of my employer letting me buy anything that isn't on their tender agreement with Lenovo, and trust me when I say that the thin and light laptops are not on that tender agreement.

The reasoning given for the tender models, by the IT department, is a combination of:

• Five year on-site warranty, which the domestic models sold at Currys don't come with.
• Ruggedness.
• The hardware is guaranteed to work with both Windows and Linux, which cannot be said for many domestic models.

The people who don't live in the real world, who think everyone can pick their own work laptop 😂

And the people that won the health lottery privilage and don't consider visual impairments, mobility problems, disabilities, etc...

We hot desk, most people sit at the same desks though. I'm in early so always get the same desk, my boss always sits next to me (people leave it free as it's now 'his' desk). I much prefer working from home where I'm set up correctly and I have things like a keyboard, laptop stand etc. It's not good for my back or hand to not have anything set up properly.

Members of the Board have their own offices.

We only do one day a week in the office, it gets tricky when everyone is in though as there aren't enough desks in our area.

By ‘whingers’ do you mean people who may have a disability?

We had hot desking and a stupid booking system. Except the head of department and another guy who insisted on their own desks (as they are special). That sucks. It’s for all or none. If you have enough desks then why bother?

Get a laptop rucksack!

No, the problem is that all desks should be height adjustable. Everyone benefits from access to ergonomic work stations, so businesses should ensure they’re available for all staff. That way, staff who have a medical need for height adjustable desks don’t have to battle every day to get what they need. This reminds me of the equality image with 3 people of different heights trying to look over a fence and only 1 can see over. Next image shows that boxes are provided for the other 2, final image shows the fence has been removed. That’s true equality.

I have one of course.

This reminds me of the equality image with 3 people of different heights trying to look over a fence and only 1 can see over. Next image shows that boxes are provided for the other 2, final image shows the fence has been removed. That’s true equality.

This is actually demonstrating equity.
Equality - treat the same
Equity - treat people according to need

It's not good for my back or hand to not have anything set up properly.

That's what Occupational Health are for. Get them on the case.

Yep.

Hot desking is also abelist because it really makes accommodations obvious. "You all just use whatever chair is available, except for Louise here who has to drag her special haemorrhoid adapted chair (labeled with her name) across the office to a different location every day".

My son "didn't pick his own laptop". It was provided by his employer on his first day. Perhaps he has a more enlightened/sensible employer who actually consider practicalities like laptop size/weight when they have a specific policy that laptops have to be carried to/from the workplace. He has to use the same laptop whether working from home or in the office. There is no facility for him to leave it at the office (no lockers and they're prohibited from being left), and no facility for him to leave it at home when he goes to the office as there are no PCs on desks. I suspect their pretty strict policy on staff having to carry their laptops it exactly what made their decision to buy the lightest they could for the spec they needed.

Well that doesn't happen kn my workplace. All teams have a general fixed bank of desks, it's just that no single person gets a specific desk. The chair of course is near that bank of desks.

Also @MaidOfAle
We have I think 20% of staff requiring a reasonable adjustment. No issues, no resentment. We have loads of ND people (myself included) and others with probably every disability going as the company is very flexible with excellent sick leave policies, profession for part-timers etc.

Hot desking as a solution to an actual, acute lack of space isn't going to work. As a way to ensure the most use of a hybrid policy, it's great. We have desk booking, if you have a reasonable adjustment you are entitled to book specific desks ahead of anybody else.

Unless there's a reasonable adjustment requiring the desk not being touched AT ALL (which is a small number of people, and they have fixed desk) it makes no sense to leave a desk free for more than half the week. As we work 2 days a week in the office.

If you work 3 or more in office then maybe hot desking isn't a good idea

I think anyone (except for a specific/special disability reason) who isn't in work for most of the week, can't realistically expect a desk to be specifically reserved for them. It's a complete waste of a desk, equipment and office space if it's routinely unused for more time that it is used.

I think desk sharing/hot desking etc is something people need to accept as part of a hybrid/part time working pattern.

I would suggest everyone hot desking to start completing and submitting DSE assessments pronto.

What was the actual reason for moving to hot-desking OP? I think it only makes sense if not everyone is in the office all the time and you have had to reduce your space for some reason. For my job it was partly because of a move to smaller office space so we had fewer desks. When not in the office we are either wfh or out in the field so it made financial sense to reduce wasted desks. We implemented an online desk booking system. If everyone is office based all the time and you have enough desks for everyone then I would abandon hot desking all together and go back to everyone having an allocated desk. I realise you personally have limited control over this.
If there aren’t enough desks for everyone then you need some kind of booking system and it needs to be clear what peoples other options are- wfh, other offices etc…
Anyone with a PROVEN need for a designated desk (eg they have specialist equipment, not because they just don’t like that way of working or their mental health will suffer if they can’t keep their photo of their dog on their desk permanently) gets a fixed desk.
Everyone else- including those hogging a desk without booking it- you will need to be tough. Clear desk policy by the end of each day and warnings for anyone not complying. Do people have lockers/cabinets for their stuff?

Unless you're ND I don't really see what the issue is.

Everyone needs to leave their workspace clean - it's really not difficult.

I resigned rather than hotdesk. It made it utterly impossible to properly carry out work.

@Soontobe60 I totally agree, all desks should be height adjustable and I suggested this prior to the recent refurbishment. Especially noticeable when soundproof booths or quiet zones don’t have height adjustable desks, so you have to choose between being comfortable or having the right setting for the task.

Every time you get a new desk...

Anyone with a PROVEN need for a designated desk (eg they have specialist equipment, not because they just don’t like that way of working or their mental health will suffer if they can’t keep their photo of their dog on their desk permanently) gets a fixed desk.

Does the wrong lighting causing migraines sit under "proven need" or "dog photo", according to you?