In a world where flexibility and the ability to adapt are becoming increasingly important, hybrid work has long since evolved from a trend to a necessity. We have already outlined the various advantages of hybrid work in our last article. In this article, you will learn how a desk booking system helps to successfully implement hybrid work.
In recent years, many companies have tried to develop an answer to the new working world. More and more are working with desk sharing policies, as hybrid working models make it inefficient to assign a permanent workstation to each individual employee. Google CEO Sundar Pichai defends their desk sharing policy as an answer to the company's offices being nearly empty "ghost towns". But it is not only for large corporations that the switch to a shared desks in the office brings many advantages. Smaller companies can also optimize their space and achieve savings. Alternatively, the freed-up space can be redesigned for more creative purposes. It can be used to create spaces that promote productivity, creativity, and well-being among employees.
A key component to such changes are desk booking systems that not only reshape workplace management, but also foster an innovative culture of collaboration and sustainability. This blog article will focus on the benefits a desk booking system could bring to your organization.
The advantages of desk booking systems
With the trend towards hybrid work without a permanent workplace, the need for flexible and sustainable solutions for managing office space is also increasing. How can I make sure that a workstation in the office is available for me, preferably before I set off in the morning? How can I arrange to always sit in the same room as my current project partners for the next two weeks? How can I check whether the room with the whiteboard is occupied tomorrow?
Digital desk booking systems offer the solution to precisely such questions. Desk booking software, for example, enables employees to secure their favorite desk even in a flexible system or to spontaneously adjust their choice of space to current tasks. This can boost productivity and collaboration within the company. For example, if you want to cooperate with colleagues, you need a desk in an open environment close to each other. But if you need silence to focus on a particularly tricky task, you need a more private space or a small individual office. For this purpose, different types of workstations can be established, and their occupancy can be easily coordinated through a room booking tool. This ensures that the required workstation is available when it is needed.
The seat bookings also create planning security and reliability, which can support the transition process to a system without fixed workstations. This can ease the adjustment for both employees and the organization. Without a functioning booking tool, employees may even prefer to work from home because they are worried about having to work at an unpopular workstation, for example with their back to the door or in a dark corner.
New perspectives thanks to desk sharing
Desk booking software simplifies the management of workstation bookings and enables a structured and demand-oriented distribution of available space. But even beyond the coordination of shared workstations, digital booking tools like Buuky enable various positive developments for your company:
1. Environmental and financial sustainability.
Many offices seem quite abandoned at times since more and more people are working from home. When office occupancy is low, desk-booking tools are a simple way to save energy: Since the booking software reveals which workstations have been booked for the respective day, heating can be limited to the rooms that are actually used. By coupling your thermostats with the room booking software Buuky you can automate the whole process. The viadee IT consulting blog reports how they were able to save more than 50% of heating energy this way.
In the long term, the use of digital space booking tools will make it possible to evaluate which rooms and workstations in the office are rarely used. This information can potentially be taken to consider whether office space should be adjusted to cut down on the number of unoccupied desks. Downsizing rented space can reduce expenses for rent and operating costs, and the financial resources saved can be used for other areas.
2. Workplace design based on individual needs.
Different people need different environments to be able to work as productively as possible. Also depending on the task, varying requirements for an optimal working environment can arise. By breaking up permanently assigned workstations, you can optimize office use and create space for innovative office concepts.
Dark Horse Innovation's New Workspace Playbook suggests setting up fixed areas within the office space that are designed for different ways of working (To this day, the book is only available in German). In addition to deskspaces with individual workstations designed for quiet focus work, this would create various fallback options. For telephone calls and video conferences, there should be a way to separate acoustically, for example through telephone booths or small individual offices. For tasks that require a greater exchange of knowledge, open dialog spaces with whiteboards and group tables or communicative team rooms for small groups can be set up.
By analyzing occupancy data from desk-sharing booking systems, companies can then identify high-demand areas and possible additional demand and thereby make informed decisions about further office design.
By designing a multifaceted office environment that is adapted to individual needs, possible disadvantages of classic office work, like having too many distractions, can be eliminated. In this way, desk sharing can ultimately help to make on-site work attractive again for employees working from home.
3. Collaboration and integrity within the team.
Being able to flexibly choose the workstation that best suits the current task can support employees' concentration and creativity. In addition, the desk sharing model also promotes mobility within the office and creates new opportunities for cross-team interaction. When employees are continually able to change their workstation, they come into touch with many different colleagues with whom they would not be able to collaborate if they had fixed workstations. This creates space for knowledge exchange, innovative ideas and a lively sense of community. Desk-booking software also facilitates project-based teamwork, as team members can easily find each other through digital booking and reserve shared workspaces in advance.
In addition, employees who are rarely on-site can transition more seamlessly between remote and office work with desk booking. The same goes for employees who typically work at another business location. When they are on site, the booking tool gives them an instant overview of the office and available workstations, allowing them to place themselves according to their preferences, and integrating them directly into the office rather than creating uncertainty when looking for workspace.
How to set up Buuky as a desk booking system?
First of all, it is important to choose a system that can best meet your company's needs. Our recommendation: Choose a software with an intuitive and user-friendly interface, so that it can be easily adopted by employees and is actually used in everyday office life. Buuky makes it easy to get started with a digital booking system. Either as a Confluence app or software-as-a-service, Buuky can be set up in just a few clicks, no installation or complex onboarding is required.
In just a few steps, you can create your office, set up the bookable spaces, and invite your employees. You can test the functionality for your company during a free trial period. More details can be found on the Buuky website.
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