For employees who already work remotely most of the time, office hoteling encourages them to visit “home base” every once in a while. It gets them in the office, mingling face to face with coworkers and management, and spending time immersed in their organization’s culture.
Office hoteling evens the playing field and provides management with greater control over workspace, equipment and other resources to ensure all employees have fair access to what they need, when they need it. For example, if a team member has a big print job scheduled for the day, they can reserve the workstation closest to the copy room.
When space and resources aren’t being allocated based on rank and instead are available to all employees as needed, people are more inclined to collaborate with one another and the coveted “team mentality” all modern organizations are striving to develop occurs organically.
Not all employees require the same workspace to reach their peak productivity level. Some prefer quiet, independent space. Some do best in group settings or amid the bustle and energy of an active, open office. And others like a variation of the two, depending on the task at hand. Office hoteling is one way organizations can provide their employees with the option to choose.
Why assign a permanent desk to an employee who spends a majority of their time working from home or on the road? Hoteling eliminates unnecessary workspaces and enables organizations to reduce the overall square footage needed to support their workforce. By getting down to the essentials, space can be reconfigured to better support the workflow and collaboration of on-site employees while still catering to the needs of remote workers who sometimes require in-office time.
If an organization can reduce its square footage, it can also reduce its rent, energy consumption and utility costs. The less spent on rent and utility means more capital to reinvest back into the business.
The proper adoption of office hoteling will require that your organization implement space management and reservation software.