Hot desking app: the tech that makes hybrid workspace management effortless
March 7, 2023
September 27, 2024
Hybrid work is the best working model. But can you easily keep track of your team members coming on-site and those staying at home? Do your employees always have access to the workspace they want when working from the office? Do you know the occupancy rate of your office space, how your workers use it, and how to optimize it? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, chances are you need a hot desking app.
Flexible work technology is rising as the classic 9 to 5 work model is fading away. Millennials and Gen Z often don’t even consider a job position without flexible work arrangements. Moreover, because it helps increase talent attraction, employee satisfaction, happiness, and productivity, organizations have no reason to reject this new way of working.
Yet, to be successful, work flexibility implies rethinking office design and workspace management. And this is why you want to have a hot desking app by your side. Desk sharing, space optimization, cost saving, weekly planning… Let’s discover why this workplace technology is your best ally!
How does a hot desking app work?
Data insertion
The first step is to enter all your employees’ names and the different types of shared workspaces and resources you have in the office. For example, 50 single desks, 15 meeting rooms, 20 car spots, etc.
We also recommend indicating your staff's job position so you can better understand which kind of workspace they need according to their tasks. The marketing team might prefer to book a meeting room to brainstorm ideas, while data specialists would instead pick a desk in an isolated office area to focus.
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Easy access from anywhere and at any time
Once you have entered all the required data, you’re all set!
Yes, it is that easy. You and your employees can now access the hot desking app anywhere and anytime.
Let’s say an unexpected event has come up in Sarah’s personal timetable, and she needs to change her work schedule for next Tuesday. She only has to open the app as soon as she gets the information, and from wherever she is, she can switch from office to home day.
Week planning in just 1 click per day
The main objective of using a hot desking app is to make flexible work as easy as possible for organizations and employees. In the glimpse of an eye, you need to be able to have a clear understanding of who is working where and when. For this reason, deskbird offers a week planning feature that allows your staff to create their timetable with just 1 click per day.
As our motto says: “Click, book, work”, and that’s it!
Managers also have a space assignment option. Stay with us, and we'll tell you more about it later.
Integration of the hot desking app to other platforms
Make flexible work simple: check. Now, let’s tackle the efficiency part!
Nobody wants to lose time switching between screens to look for information. To solve this issue, integrations are key. Choose to invest in a user-friendly hot desking app like deskbird, and you will be able to integrate it into your additional software such as Microsoft Teams, Google and Outlook calendars, HR systems, Google Meet, etc.
An all size fits all flexible work technology
Which companies need this type of tool?
Simple: any business that embraces one of the most significant trends of the future of work: flexible work.
There are many configurations of flexible work, such as hybrid work models, compressed hours, flexitime, part-time opportunities… How do you keep track of who is working, where, and when? No matter the size of your organization, the most efficient and user-friendly solution is to use a hot desking app.
➡️ Do you want to enjoy the benefits of a tailored-made app? Request a free demo of the deskbird app and discover how we can help you manage and optimize your hybrid workspace!
What are the advantages of using a hot desking app for hybrid businesses?
Provide a clear overview of team members’ weekly schedules
In a hybrid work environment, employees work from anywhere (the office, home, or a third workplace). With a hot desking app, leaders don’t need to check individual timetables. They can finally have a clear overview of who is working where and when on one single screen. This support a better organization and collaboration. Managers can better plan with their team members and schedule one-to-ones and team meetings when it makes more sense.
Solve scheduling conflicts
As workers no longer come on-site every day, this requires rethinking and optimizing the office space. The best way is to switch from an assigned desk concept to a desk-sharing system. Without the help of a flexible work tool, this can quickly lead to scheduling conflicts with people planning to work at the same desk. Do you then tell one of your employees to head back home? Do you create an endless Google Sheet where mistakes can easily happen? Using a hot desking app, they can see ahead if workspaces are still available and book the one they need. The stress and frustration of arriving at the office and not having a working spot are gone.
Boost productivity
Not everyone has the same requirements when it comes to their work environment. Some people prefer to work in open spaces, while others need a quiet area to focus. Taking this aspect into account is essential to boost their productivity. Thanks to a hot desking app, employees ensure they get the workspace they need to work efficiently when coming on-site. Another boost for productivity is that such a flexible work tool facilitates collaboration. Hybrid workforces usually prioritize office days to work on group projects. With a hot desking app, they can look at each other’s schedules and book a desk next to each other or a meeting room on the same day to work on their team project.
👉 Are you wondering how you can boost your team’s productivity? Check out our article on employee happiness and productivity!
Reduce stress and improve mental health
While flexible work is highly requested by young generations of workers and improves work-life balance, it can also become a source of stress if not managed correctly. With a hot desking app, your staff no longer have to worry about arriving at the office and not having a seat or a workspace that matches their needs. It might sound like a small detail, but when it occurs repeatedly, it can seriously impact your employees’ satisfaction and mental health at work. The same goes when they need to work on a common project or require information from their teammates, and they are trying to figure out who is working when and where. The simple fact of being able to check where their colleagues are working improves collaborations and employee experience.
What other features are included in the deskbird hot desking software?
Let's discuss the deskbird hot desking app and its key features in detail.
Workplace Analytics
If you want to meet your employees’ expectations, boost productivity, and save costs, you need to have a clear idea about how your office space is used. The deskbird app is built with an office analytics feature that gives you useful insights like your workplace occupancy rate or the most used types of workspaces. You can compare from one week, month, or year to another, and optimize the space accordingly.
👋 Do you want to know how to optimize space and cut costs with a flexible office? Learn how you can save up to 30% with these cost-cutting ideas!
Car park booking
Do you provide car parks for your employees? Although we encourage taking the bike or public transport when possible, some people don't have a choice and must use their car to come on-site. To ensure they have a parking spot, you can integrate this option into your deskbird tailored-made app, so your team members no longer need to worry about finding a car park. You simply have to enter the number of parking slots available. They can then book one simultaneously while reserving their workspace for the day!
Interactive Floor Plan
Another deskbird’s great feature is the interactive floor plan. Clara is on the subway on her way to work but she forgot to book a desk. She can open the app from a smartphone and quickly check who is in the office and where in real time. She can then book a workspace next to her favorite teammate or the people she knows she will have to work on a project with today. The interactive floor plan fosters workplace connection, collaboration, and productivity!
Assigned Spaces
Because employee centricity is one of our core values, we designed our app thinking about the well-being of your employees. For this reason, we created the assigned spaces feature. Available on the admin side only, it allows leaders to allocate a specific resources to their team members. If Anna knows she can only focus when working in a quiet space, her manager can assign a desk meeting her criteria. Anna no longer has to worry about having a working spot that answers her needs!
💡 Are you wondering how to redesign your office space after going hybrid? Discover the 6 most important steps for successful office space planning!
Upcoming features
We're always working on improving the deskbird app to meet your and your employees' needs. Thanks to our customers for always providing us with honest and constructive feedback, we strive for continuous improvement. In 2022 we became the fastest-growing software company in Europe. This motivates us even more, to build the best workplace management software and create new features that answer your requirements.
So stay tuned, deskbird just left the nest, but we plan to spread our wings and fly even higher in the world of flexible work!
Are you interested in the advantages of using a hot desking app? When looking at the trends of the future of work, it doesn’t seem that work flexibility is still an option. Having the opportunity to work from anywhere and create a better work-life balance is the goal of most Millennials and Gen Z workers.
To embrace this working model successfully and get the most out of it, getting a flexible work tool like our workplace management software is essential.
Start a free trial of the deskbird app and give your employees more flexibility with workspace booking and weekly planning!
Sources: deskbird blog articles about hot desking.
