More companies are considering switching to a hotel-desk model as they wrestle with hybrid work trends that lead to near-empty offices, wasted space and costly leases.
First-floor cubicle space in the Millwright office building by Ryan Cos. in Minneapolis’ Downtown East area in 2017. The “hoteling” concept would scrap permanent desks at offices in favor of flexible, shared spaces. Six weeks ago, the public relations firm Bellmont Partners reopened its renovated Edina, Minnesota, office with a catch: Not every employee would have a permanent desk.
Workplace experts caution that hoteling requires careful planning, and a botched transition can sink morale, produce angst and prompt costly turnover. To learn what helps and hurts when it comes to this new workplace trend, here’s what several experts have to say about best practices: Many employees worry hoteling means “they will spend all their time just trying to find a seat or trying to find their team,” Pool said. She added other concerns involve having to readjust workstations to certain ergonomic needs or individual preferences again and again. Desk hygiene and being stuck in a noisy or high-traffic area were other worries.
Based on staff feedback, Bellmont didn’t just remodel. It also hired cleaners to disinfect the newly shared desks each night to ward off colds, crumbs and dirt. Some new additions included cubbyholes for each employee — so no one had to drag home their coffee mug, family photo or ergonomic keyboard each night — small conference rooms workers can reserve and private phone rooms.Pool and human resource experts suggested company managers showcase the positives of not having an assigned seat.
He added talking to those pioneering firms that already took the journey can provide useful tips and expertise. Still, Maslon treaded lightly, setting aside just seven hoteling offices for partners. It wasn’t enough. In the end, 17 people — 13 partners and four paralegals — opted for the flex desks. Now Maslon is leasing additional space to build 10 more hoteling offices and several more permanent offices for partners. Because planning for the move started during the pandemic, Maslon “had a hard time guessing” how much space to allocate to a floating-desk setup, Septer said.
“People are going to need to be flexible and not be worried about making mistakes because the things that will change and happen are things that we are not even aware of,” Barranco said. “The pace at which the workplace and technology is evolving .”
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