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Why desk booking is important in a hybrid workplace
More and more of us are slowly beginning to return to the office and combine this with working from home. For many of us the pandemic has reiterated the importance of flexibility in our workplaces, we have found working from home better suits our lifestyle, it’s given us a better work-life balance, for working mothers like myself, it’s been transformative enabling much more time to focus on work rather than the continual commute between work and school.
It’s also very evident from feedback from our clients and colleagues that we all miss certain aspects of being in the office, such as seeing our colleagues face to face, catching up on news and when working collaboratively, nothing can replace face to face meetings.
Hybrid working enables employees to have the best of both worlds, being able to go into the office when they want to and work from home on other days. To successfully manage this for both the organisation and the employee, desk booking software is essential. It helps the employer manage capacity and monitor desk usage and for the employee it helps create a safe workplace and makes sure there is availability on the day they want to be in the office.
However, helping colleagues adapt to a new desk booking process does take time as habits are formed from behaviour but by reinforcing the advantages you can make it become a business-as-usual activity for your hybrid workplace.
Your desk booking software enables everyone to:
- Filter desks by location, office floor and facilities needed
- Book a desk in advance for days they want to be in the office
- Enable them to see who else is in and choose the desk they want
- Have peace of mind that they have a desk when needed, reducing the anxiety of going into the office
Communication is key
As with everything, reminding everyone about your new desk booking software is essential. Remind them of the benefits, how they access your workspace and how they can book a desk. You can use videos to help show how easy it can be. Why not take some sound bites from colleagues who have used your desk booking software to book a desk and share what they think?
Make sure your desk spaces are welcoming and clean
Many organisations are still implementing social distancing and limiting office capacity. Make sure your desks are inviting, clean and welcoming. Why not add a welcome back note or a digital message when colleagues arrive at their desks. invite them to read a news article on what’s new or record video’s showing new layouts.
Lead by example
If the senior management team are using your desk booking software, then colleagues will to. Ask senior managers to speak to their team, air any concerns and work together to overcome them.
Over time, you will start to see trends emerge such as popular office days, currently being reported in the news as Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I hope this has been useful, the takeaway is, introducing any new business process takes time for users to adopt but look at how quickly we have all adapted to new ways of working over the last 18 months.
If you would like to see how Juggl Desks could help you, why not book a demo and let us take you on a tour? We’d love to show you.
