Hot-desking in the workplace Human responses and personalisation
Contents Overview 1. Hot desking in the workplace Making a change Involving the users Personalisation Technology Culture 2. Human Responses & Personalisation Hot-desking, a collaborative space Clear desking policy, a controversial policy ... to a successful place 3. Case Study Comparison: Second Home 4. Case Study: CCD Design & Ergonomics Does their work environment do its job? How do they work? Are they happy? 5. Conclusion & Thoughts
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Hot-desking in the workplace
This report has been conducted in an aim to better understand the impact that hot-desking environments have on its users. Ethnography, observation, surveys and secondary research have been carried out to fully understand the sociological and psychological effect that this approach creates. Studies surrounding both small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises from within a range of disciplines, including insurance, animation and real estate, have offered real insights into the sociology of existing flexible workspaces. Psychological studies surrounding people’s reactions to changes in environments have also offered valuable understanding of how hot-desking is impacting workers whilst online reports, articles and forums give a better view of individual responses to the hot-desking phenomenon. The insights provided will all contribute to the design of products intended to support workers within a hot-desking workspace to increase productivity and employee satisfaction.
Hot-desking is a workspace sharing model in which employees outnumber desks. Research suggests that up to 40% of office space is vacant at any one time, and with real-estate rent typically being one of the biggest outgoings for organisations, hot-desking is a businessled, cost-effective solution. Relying on less desk space than there are people, hot-desking saves space with a typical ratio of between 1.25-1.5 people per work station and responds to this continually growing need for more flexible working environments.
+18%
Unassigned desks provide an environment more open to collaboration allowing staff to roam the office and work from available spaces as and when is suitable to their needs. Whilst the UK remains the most popular area for flexible workspace, in 2016 the market grew 18% globally with Europe, Middle East and Africa being the fastest growing region seeing more than a 15% increase in demand.
Global flexible workspace market growth 2016
Along with responding to the growing wants of management, moving to a more flexible workspace is also being driven by millennials seeking more meaningful connections in places which they work and live. With almost half of the UK workforce, more than 14 million people, looking for the opportunity to work in a more personally suitable way, hot-desking can be seen as a more future ready structure. The Work Foundation has reported that by 2030, 20% of the UK workers will be mothers, 25% of families will be single-parent families and up to 10 million people will have carer responsibilities as the population continues to age, all leading to the fundamental need for more flexible working lives. However, whilst there are many positives from outsiders and management’s position, employees have much more varied responses. A loss of control and lack of personality within hot-desking environments are reoccurring factors in conversations surrounding this flexible working approach. With 56% of people stating work/life balance as a key factor to overall job satisfaction, this equilibrium is a fundamental point for improving talent retention.
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Making a change The Netherlands’ Interpolis insurance company is the first example of an Activity-Based-Working, (ABW), environment. Designed by Veldhoen and Company, the Interpolis board of directors were looking to create a more human centred workspace to reinforce and validate the brand’s emphasis on customer service and satisfaction. With workplace surveys carried out within the offices, it was identified that a large number of employees don’t require a desk full time. Despite these findings, the board, and many of the employees, initially opposed the proposal for a shared and flexible workspace. Veldhoen reasoned with the board and repositioned his argument for this change as a means to distinguish Interpolis from its competitors, enable a more innovative, problem solving company which can further highlight their customer focussed approach. Having successfully gained the support of the board, Veldhoen then focussed on the users. The employees who were the most displeased with the current offices were the first to trial the new concept, based on 1.25 users per work station, before the trials were gradually rolled out to other teams and departments. The in-depth feedback and data gathered from these trial periods, as well as continuous meetings and workshops with the staff, were the fundamental basis which led to the reconfiguration of Interpolis’ offices which is still in place to this day.
Personalisation Whilst in these examples of flexible workspaces the user’s current activities and behaviours were put at the forefront of the output, Steve Jobs took a different approach when redesigning the Pixar headquarters in Emeryville, California. The design of the space purposely allows for spontaneous elements to be added at a later date, offering a sense of control for the users to add and adapt the space as they see fit whilst being immersed in it. Although the Pixar building is flexible, with spaces designed to intentionally facilitate unplanned encounters and collaborations, they do not embrace the unassigned desk system which is a key factor within hot-desking and ABW. Many of the full-time staff have their own permanent offices which they are actively encouraged to personalise with themed ‘fronts’; it is fundamentally believed, “if you have a loose, free kind of atmosphere, it helps creativity”. Whilst this is appropriate for Pixar, a large-scale business with relatively unrestricted access to land and space, it is not a realistic solution for many companies confined to city-based office blocks.
Involving the users Microsoft’s offices in Amsterdam, aptly named ‘The Outlook’, underwent a complete re-evaluation in 2008 following an “unsatisfactory” score from its employees in terms of their work/life balance. Not only were the users the reason for the change but a group of volunteer employees were also the catalysts for this change. Creating internal blogs and scheduling sessions to discuss the changes with their colleagues, they planted the seeds of change and offered the entire workforce a sense of control. Three years of personality tests were also used to really understand the individual needs of the people to influence the requirements of the space.
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Citi Bank’s offices in Long Island are another example of where personalisation is encouraged within a flexible work space. Although they do have a clear desk policy to back up their hot-desking system, Citi have separated their offices into ‘neighbourhoods’, where communal personalisation is often featured. These areas of unassigned desks are separated into specific teams and departments offering a sense of belonging and ownership over their regular space. Examples of personalisation within these neighbourhoods include a collection of snow globes from the team’s individual travels as well as department certificates and awards.
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Commonwealth Bank’s Sydney headquarters also offer a similar example within the world’s largest ABW offices; using ‘zones’ to offer a communal area for specific teams or departments. With two, eight storey buildings, these zones are a crucial element of creating a sense of belonging within their vast campus-style site. Each employee has their own personal locker at the entrance to their designated zone. Looking at MSD, an Australian pharmaceutical company, they have introduced a very minor sense of personalisation in an attempt to combat the potential negative responses to a clear desk policy within their flexible work space. Each member of staff, regardless of their position within the company, are given the same model of laptop, smartphone and headset; to reintroduce a sense of individuality, MSD promote customisation of these products through stickers and other simplistic aesthetic adaptations. Environmental elements such as lighting and temperature can also be personally adapted in workspaces to offer an alternative sense of control to the user whilst more brand specific elements of personalisation can be added to the space as a whole to remind employees why they enjoy working for the company and that their work is appreciated.
Technology Another key element in all examples of flexible workspaces is the reliance on technology. From even the earliest example of ABW at the Interpolis offices, an Eriksson phone system was put into place to allow staff to move around remotely with their own private number without the need for landlines. Although this had its challenges with recurrent network crashes on busier days, the fundamental basis remains intact. With similar, and more successful efforts, Citi Bank allow mobility through assigning all user settings, such as e-mail, desktop settings and phone extension number to one complete profile which can be logged on to from any desktop computer or company laptop connected to the network. This shared, online, network is another element that is key to creating an autonomous structure. With easy and often low-cost access to online, ‘cloud’, storage systems, more and more organisations are going paperless. Whilst these are more general examples, JLL, a global estate agency, is a pioneering example of how technology can be introduced to a workplace to enhance user’s experiences. With AV integration in lounge areas, boardrooms, varying sized conference rooms and open areas, no matter where you’re working, you can connect to the people you need to connect with as and when suits. Specific video collaboration rooms and wireless presentation systems are also in place in the majority of their modern, flexible, office spaces to utilise technology with ease. 8
Citi Bank are also utilising technology to counteract negative side effects of open plan, flexible, working. Integrating a white noise machine into their Long Island offices, the sound emitted muffles office noises so that employees are more likely to be able to concentrate.
Culture With many of the requirements for moving to a more flexible office environment being physical space or technology based, there is also a need to question the managerial structure. Although it is not strictly necessary, many agree that a flat leadership model does lend to more positive responses to hot-desking or activity-basedworking offices. Again, this theory stems back to Veldhoen’s original Interpolis project whereby the changeover was largely encouraged by team leaders who led by example and embraced the flat leadership model. This has continued within their more recent involvement with MSD, even the Managing Director has to come in and find a seat for the day, same as everyone else. Microsoft also aim for a similar, non-hierarchal structure, however, as Managing Director Theo Rinsema reflects on the move to this new arrangement he recognises the mistakes that were made during this transition. “We waited too long to involve middle management in the change process. We were afraid that we’d be confirming the hierarchy and status of management if we allowed them to head the change. But the New Way of Working concerns us all. In their turn, the managers felt the New Way of Working would have a major
impact on how they actually managed the department. That made them cling to their own management style. ” There are of course more examples of management than this traditional, top-down, approach. More and more companies can be seen adopting self-management schemes whereby employees are expected to monitor their own progress, which in itself offers new issues. A key element in this alternative to micro-managing relies heavily on trust. Studies conducted by Jaclyn Jenson and Jana Raver has shown that if people who believe they are selfmanaging find themselves being monitored by more senior staff members, they are more likely to rebel with counter-productive work behaviours and deliberately choose to undermine the organisation. Microsoft has tried to implement a similar approach, offering “facilitatory rather than paternalistic leadership”; supporting their staff with dialogue sessions, internal workshops, buddies and training enables an understanding of how and why they would want this flexible workspace. Again, this is a sense of choice for the users which is likely to provide a more positive response. Output-based management is another process which is being adopted to compliment flexible workspaces, as opposed to employees tracking their hours their progress is mapped out by achieving set goals and deadlines. Although this will be a tricky cultural shift for some businesses more comfortable with seeing people in the office, it will in the long run be a more appropriate way of assessing staff progress and providing a foundation of trust.
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Human Responses & Personalisation
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First of all, it is essential to understand the process of collaboration to deduce when privacy is needed. It is compared to a circular rhythm. People need to focus alone or in pairs (cf.: team fragmented issue) to generate ideas; then they come together as a group to build on those ideas and develop shared points of view. To finish, they break apart again for the next step.
Hot-desking, a collaborative space Although collaborative space allows interaction, promotes learning and nurtures a strong culture, people’s responses are surprisingly negative. According to Christine Congdon’s article, Balancing “We” and “Me (HBR, May 2013), employees have difficulty to individualise their work due to the lack of privacy. It enhances pressure as the concentration decreases. Distraction interferences are the result of the division of the mental attention.
The question is how to find the balance between the public and the private workplace. To answer this, we have been looking through the different evolution of the balance between public and private workplaces.
Congdon also mentions that the more demanding the task is, the more individuals need punctuating moments of private time to think or recharge. Therefore, we define a successful collaborative space as a space that also supports solitude.
Study carried out among US employees (HBR, May 2013)
1980
85% need place to concentrate
1990
52% have a lack of space
High walled cubicles responds to user’s needs.
23% need more privacy
Today
40% want more interaction
50% want more access to people
74% are more concerned about their privacy than years ago
Introduction of open space offices that supports collaboration with reduced areas for individuals work.
People need more privacy for individual work to be more concentrated and less stressed.
The workplace takes on many different forms across the world with varying degrees of privacy and freedom, often dependant on cultural norms. Whilst these examples demonstrate how different countries respond to this issue, what is recognisable throughout is the universal need for privacy. North America claims easy concentration because of the cubicle landscape, but still finds that the atmosphere is stressful. In workplaces in China, where naps are permitted, they are seen more as a calm environment. European workers (excluding Netherlands) are not satisfied with their ability to control their privacy and the environment in general due to assigned workspace and the limited opportunity to seek solitude or achieve greater levels of privacy. On the other hand, Dutch workers claim they gain greater comfort from being able to work from a diverse range of spaces inside and outside the office. Using a “clear desk policy” to enable their egalitarian work life structure, allowing all employees their desired level of privacy regardless of status, it is no wonder they are the third most content workers in the world. 12
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To a successful workplace... Clear desking, a controversial policy Hot-desking has offered the opportunity to cut the cost of running an office by up to 30%. Aside from the financial benefit, it builds connections and collaboration with other people they don’t usually engage with.
Though hot-desking allows individuals to choose where and how they work in order to have the ability to draw ideas from others, privacy required by moments of individual work can be lacking. Firstly, let’s redefine it. Firstly, let’s redefine it. Researchers and architects define privacy through 3 parameters:
Find a desk, set it up, clear it, REPEAT
However, hot-desking tends to affect different employees in different ways. There is often a subtle division between those who can “settle” and reliably occupy the same desk every day, and those who cannot, according to Alison Hirst, Director of Postgraduate Research at Anglia Ruskin University.
Teams working from low-privacy environments experience enhanced pressure having “to divide their mental attention between pursuing work assignments and handling the distractions, interferences, and feelings of being monitored,” writes Laurence. Further, a 2016 study from The British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology found that working in modern office environments lacking in privacy and personalisation made the majority of employees uncomfortable. The study reported that these businesses experienced loss of productivity and lower levels of workplace satisfaction. John Hackston, Head of Research at OPP, commented on rigid cleardesk policies, saying “clearing away personal items [from desks] can be demotivating”. If employees are demotivated, one solution flies in the face of many hot-desking policies.
Some people even call hot-desking, “hate” desking for the following reasons: - It can cause anxiety as they have to find a free desk every morning - Loss of control and ownership by not having a fixed desk and a personal space. - They feel discomfort, emotional exhaustion and demotivation leading to a decrease in productivity. A 2013 study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, led by psychological scientist Gregory A. Laurence, found that open office layouts contribute to emotional exhaustion.
Alison Hirst also mentions anecdotal reports about the fact that hot-desking can actually harm communication in small teams, if the team has to split up and sit in different areas of an office: “Every day could be your first day at work.”
This was especially true in offices where employees had low levels of privacy and were not able to individualise their work space because of hot-desking policies.
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Acoustical, can we hear each other?
Visual, can we see each other?
It can also be defined by the term “stimulation control” that concerns the noise and the other distractions that break concentration or inhibit the ability to focus. Neuroscience research (C Congdon, 2014) identifies 3 basic modes of attention: - Controlled attention: working on a task that requires intense noise focus like writing and thinking, while avoiding unrelated thoughts and inhibiting external stimuli. The “controlled attention mode” tries to avoid interruptions and other distractions. Thus, the need to control the environment increases. - Stimulus driven attention: switching focus when something catches our attention. When we are performing routine tasks such as emails, we may tolerate and welcome interruptions or distraction - Rejuvenation: time out for our brain and body. Depending on preferences, it could occur in a stimulating environment or a quiet zone The key to successful workspaces is to
Territorial, do you have a place that is just for you?
empower individuals by giving them choices that allow control over their work environment by the creation of a variety of workspaces that afford more or less privacy. The challenge is to find the right balance between social and private. In organisations, privacy mustn’t compromise activity. Increasing privacy can enrich and strengthen collaborative activities when done it in the right way. A range of strategies can be implemented from investing in new spaces to reconfiguring it based on behavioural and cultural needs. Protocols can be communicated in: - Establishing a particular time for quiet work. - Signalling privacy requirements with the use of earbuds ‘do not disturb’. - Setting up a strategy space planning to distinguish private and collaboration time frame. - Creating an eco-system that provides a range of spaces allowing people to choose where and how they get their jobs done. 15
Take control of the space Based on Laurence’s behavioural study, it appears that specifically the employees working in lowprivacy spaces that are generic and undecorated report the highest levels of emotional exhaustion. In his studies, Dr Craig Knight, University of Exeter and Director of Identity Realization, (IDR), has revealed the potential improvements of employee attitudes, in enriching a lean space by decorating with plants and pictures. Moreover, remarkable results have been noticed in empowering the space, by allowing employees to design their area. Indeed, people working in enriched spaces were 17% more productive than those in lean spaces, but those sitting at empowered desks were even more efficient — being 32% more productive than their lean counterparts without any increase in errors.”
Case Study
Through enriching workspaces, productivity, staff satisfaction and happiness can be increased. Giving the important sense of control over their workspace can be done at either the individual or group level. “The best kind of work spaces are decorated by you and your teammates and not imposed on you. Variation in the workspace engages you psychologically – so if money has been spent on making you feel better, your wellbeing increases.” – Dr Craig Knight
Duration : 1 day Participants : 19 Location : Spitalfields
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Concentration
4
Personalisation of the space
Amount of light
3
Collaborative personalisation of the space to create team ownership and privacy
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Whether owned or shared, enclosed spaces are more effective when they allow users to control stimulation. - Sound distractions. Enclosed spaces make it easier to avoid overhearing conversations that everyone prefers to keep private. - Visual distractions. - The current trend toward greater transparency has led to more glass walls, especially in spaces that are situated near windows, but they can lead to the unpleasant feeling of “working in a fishbowl.” A simple band of frosted glass does a great deal to reinforce the privacy of such areas. - “Shielded” spaces can also be used to provide sufficient privacy for many tasks. These areas are generally semi enclosed, made with partial-height walls or portable screens. When combined with appropriate protocols, the boundaries signal “do not disturb.” They are particularly effective when placed in quiet zones. - Everyday objects such as books and plants and simple configurations of the furnishings to discourage conversations. “Without any explicit
communication, the space clearly told people that it was intended for individual, quiet work.” (Steelcase Researchers, 2015) Individual personalisation of the desk to maintain sense of control and emotional energy
A lack of personalisation intensifies the adverse effect of low levels of experience of privacy on emotional exhaustion. Bringing in personal items such as photographs, posters, pieces of art, statues/figurines, children’s artwork, comic strips, mugs/cups, bumper stickers, and other items may provide workers with a greater sense of ownership and control over their space, which could help to buffer against the negative effects of a lack of privacy. Whilst this is currently an issue within clear-desk offices, it could be accommodated for with use of simple product based solutions which address these needs. Individuals may consciously or subconsciously take comfort from the items with which they surround themselves at work. Also, personalisation of their own space may help them to maintain emotional energy in the face of the stresses that come from their work and the distractions and difficulties inherent in working in a low privacy environment (noise, interruptions, being observed by others, etc.). 16
Second Home
Temperature Storage
2
Feeling of security
Visual comfort
1
Workspace cleanliness
Noise level
Adjustability of furniture
Privacy
Comfort of furnishings
Disturbances Ease of interaction
Amount of space
Responses from roamers working collaboratively Temperature 5
Storage
Concentration
4
Personalisation of the space
Amount of light
3
2
Feeling of security
Visual comfort
1
Workspace cleanliness
Noise level
Adjustability of furniture
Privacy
Comfort of furnishings
Disturbances Ease of interaction
Amount of space
Responses from roamers working individually
Second Home London is an environment truly embracing the flexible workplace ideology. Over three floors, plus a mezzanine level, there are an array of workspaces suited to the needs of a variety of members. As well as privatised studios and a number of breakout spaces there are also ‘roaming’ rooms, better suited to the more independent members or small start-up teams. These open areas, occupied with unassigned desks, offer independent members the ability to have a place to base themselves and network with a mix of industry professionals. In a survey given to roaming members, 100% of participants rated their quality of life working at Second Home a 7/10 or above, with all of them identifying the space as “innovative”. Whilst the outlook of the members spoken to is generally positive, when asked to rate different elements of the space there were some areas which lacked appeal. Looking specifically at members who use the roaming space as part of a team, over 55% would say that the level of privacy is unsatisfactory. In terms of storage facilities, 78% of all participants asked indicate that there is a clear need for more options to become available. Currently, Second Home offer their roaming members a small private locker to store items when they are not within the space. These include documents, notebooks, business cards, postcards and laptops as well as more job specific items such as samples, candles, old event stock, placemats and even “inspiring things”. 17
Second Home observations Whilst space is not considered an issue by over 93% of users questioned, it does have a visible effect on the large majority of people when entering the space initially. As people approach a workspace many have to double back after realising the place is occupied by another member’s personal belongings. Once they find an available spot the next choice is which chair to pick. Whilst this may not sound like a particular issue, especially as over 71% of feedback regarding the comfort of furnishings is satisfactory or above, it is the length of time, and the noise, which accompanies this process which causes displeasure. One user in particular browsed, trialled and moved approximately 4 different variations of chair before deciding on the final one, noticed
particularly due to the scraping of the legs across the floor as well as the mutterings of disapproval when the chair in question didn’t meet expectations. Following the use of observation, surveys and interviews with roaming members of Second Home, it is clear that whilst the space is largely a success, there is still room for improvement in some specific areas. The main elements for development are privacy and storage with the area of personalisation also likely to benefit from some further consideration. Taking this into account, along with the tools which have been identified as essentials by the user’s, a response will be formulated with these findings at the core of the solution.
Case Study
Second Home observations We can consider Second Home as a brand that imposes its identity through the empowerment of its space. As a co-working place, it is important to notice how different it works from a company. The challenge for a company will be to find the balance between affirming its corporate identity in front of other companies inside the co-working space and allowing the employees to personalise their own space.
Duration : 2 weeks Participants : 12 Number of employees : 21 Location : King’s Cross
In order to generate as many insights as possible and design the best solution to answer our research question, we have decided to conduct a research study focused on hot-desking in our own office. Here at CCD Design & Ergonomics, we are composed of a multidisciplinary team of managers, and consultants, as well as interior, graphic and industrial designers working across a different range of sectors including transport, energy, education and sport amongst others. The company moved to King’s Cross less than 5 years ago. In their previous office in Southwark, employees used to have their own desk with a desktop computer, a monitor, a phone and a desk pedestal. However, the space was used by less than half of the people in the company creating a poor atmosphere – “people described it as like working in a library”. As a result, they moved to a smaller space and set up a new studio based on the idea of working around the kitchen table in one big open space. In the current space, employees originally had no screens but within a few months, quite rightly, some of them requested screens to work properly. Now some desks have monitors, phones are shared and everyone has a shelf in a cupboard. It is considered as a hot-desking space.
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‘s case study
Does their work environment do its job? Employees journey mapping
In general, the results are quite positive in terms of the flexibility of the space. The collaborative aspects that the hot-desking model offers is appreciated by all the employees. However, when it comes to personal work, some individuals are less satisfied. It is related to difficulty of concentration but also the decision making in terms of finding a desk and adopting the appropriate posture to work.
User action
Touchpoints
Morning Arrival * Furnitures * Available table * Personal belongings
Working Time
End of the Day
* Desk * Atmosphere * Privacy
* Temperature * Desk * Seat
* Cupboard * Storage
A noisy conversation makes the concentration difficult.
It is cold in some areas of the studio
Some employees have not been assigned a cupboard and don’t have anywhere to drop their work and working tools.
annoyed
sickness
confused
Take a sit in the sofa (lunch area) but she was disturbed later on because of the lunchbreak.
Nobody sits seatininthis thisseat seat.
How accommodating is it to their needs? Does it allow them to:
Reason of action
Another employee An other employeeis issitting in the they sitting in seat one which chair, that had adjusted the previous used to be own by the A day. the previous day and perfectly adjusted for him.
Emotion Issues
confused
15 min to figure it out and start to work.
Although, some of the employees have notified their discontent in terms of finding a desk, we have noticed that most of them are actually sitting in the same place every day. Only very few of them move around one day to another.
Messy desk and time loss in finding their things.
Where do they actually sit?
Where do the employees sit? meeting room 2
meeting room 1
entrance kitchen
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‘s case study
How do they work? ... at home?
... at the office
In order to know more about what people can personalise, we asked them about what “essentials” they bring at work and how they work from home. Surprisingly, there are not so much things that differ from work to home, apart the fact that the environment that surrounds their desk is empowered and enriched.
However, we have noticed some details that make the workspace different from home: DIY laptop stand, pedestal and personal belongings such as coats and bags spread out.
Employees set up their own working tools every day at work. No personalisation has been noticing in their desk space. However, the choice of their designs and styles can be a sign of expressing their personality. What are their work “essentials”?
Are they happy?
58.3 %
desktop
16.6 % stationery (post it, paper...)
41 % USB
100 % laptop
27 % headset
100 %
phone
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Hot-desking has been mainly implemented by companies to improve the efficiency of the space used. Also, it has been adopted for its benefits in increasing the workers’ efficiency and facilitating interaction around the office. According to our research, the clear desk requirements of hot-desking can have negative effects on workers. Concerns about not having their own desk can led to a decrease in productivity and workplace satisfaction. Allowing individuals to control their environment buffers these negative effects. Personalisation can help to solve this, permitting the workers to empower and enrich their workspace. This can retain the balance between the individual and the collaborative aspects of hot-desking. This case study helped us to immerse ourselves into the hot-desking model, in order to observe and understand other individual responses. The research has identified a number of key issues and opportunities that have to be grasped if hot-desking is to be successfully implemented. Hot-desking requires mobility of the ‘working tools’ that individuals require to do their jobs. The clear desk policy requires these essentials to be brought to work or to be stored at the workplace. To work, hotdesking requires more careful consideration of how the company supports its staff in this. According to the environmental psychologist Lily Bernheimer, the personalisation of traditional desks reflects the individual’s soul. The psychologist Dr Craig Knight adds that it is a window of one person; in personalising a space it enables individuals to express what they want others to know about them. In the hot-desking context, this is about personal expression and about the non-work paraphernalia that people use to make their space their own. Valuing and allowing this kind of personalisation, within hotdesking policies, is a challenge but one that has to be met in order to improve satisfaction and productivity. Many organisations want to control the expression of their corporate branding and image in the tools that their staff use – the company notebook, the branded PC wallpaper, etc. In hot-desking environments, it may be sensible for organisations to relax these policies in order to allow staff more scope for individual expression. It was interesting to look at this in the context of co-working spaces like Second Home as they are a rapidly growing sector. Our research has raised a number of questions about how companies deal with these issues of branding & identity vs individual personalisation in a environment shared with other companies. These are questions worthy of some further research. A key issue is around the sense of personal control. Theoretically, hot-desking can provide more control for individuals to decide on their work environment – especially when it leads to the creation of a wide range of types of workspaces. However, hot-desking can also lead to competition for those spaces and a subsequent loss of control. How companies navigate this conundrum is key to getting a high performing hot-desking environment. The final key finding is getting culture right against the hot-desking model. If the behaviours required of a successful hot-desking scheme are not mirrored in the culture of the company then it is doomed to failure. It is not enough to look at hot-desking from a space planning perspective – it has to be delivered alongside stronger elements of organisational change which includes taking the staff with you on that journey. 24
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We have been delivering user-centered design for over 40 years.
Key clients include: Arcadis Australian Customs Service Babock BAM Canal & River Trust CERN easyjet EMCOR Group Frontex Government of Georgia Heathrow Express Metropolitan Police Highways Agency
Hyundai HOK Interconnector Jacobs Medical Research Council NATS Network Rail Pascall and Watson Proctor & Gamble Siemens Southern Water South East Coast Ambulance Service WSP
CCD Design & Ergonomics 11-21 Northdown Street London N1 9BN T +44 (0) 207 593 2900 E hello@designbyccd.com
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