A GUIDE TO Hot Desking
What is hot desking?
Hot desking is a flexible alternative to the traditional office rental. It means you can grab a desk in your preferred location whenever and wherever suits you, without being burdened by lengthy lease terms and paying chunky quarterly rents. Hot desking is typically caters for the needs of small businesses, start-ups and freelancers who are looking for professional workspace in convenient locations.
Rather than giving each staff member their own personal desk, a hot desk provides flexible desk space that’s shared by multiple employees or freelancers as and when they need it. In short, you show up to your workspace and pick a free desk to work from for the day.
Because of this flexibility, hot desking has emerged as a popular option with startups and freelancers, offering the kind of relaxed and flexible desk access that’s perfect for today’s agile working environment.
The fluid offering that hot-desking provides means staff and freelancers can set up in different locations around the workplace itself, perhaps choosing a quieter area for more focused work or taking calls, or working from a breakout area for more collaborative work.
What are the benefits of hot desking?
There are lots of benefits to hot desking for businesses of all sizes, as well as freelancers.
Cost
One of the biggest benefits of hot desking is cost. Not everyone in an office needs desk space all at once, especially with today’s more flexible office hours, so companies can often reduce the number of desks they have. It’s particularly valuable in cities where office rents are high, which explains why hot desking in London is so popular.
Flexibility
Hot desking lends itself to a range of business dynamics. Many companies make the change to hot desking if they start expanding at a rapid rate. Conversely, companies that are downsizing divert to hot desking when their workforce is powered by more part-time staff or they move to smaller premises.
Collaboration and creativity
Hot desking means people naturally move around the office, striking up conversations with colleagues they might never normally talk to. One day you’ll be seated next to an illustrator. The next day it could be a graphic designer or software developer. It paves the way for new conversations and idea sharing, as well as opportunities for fresh collaboration and friendship.
Perfect for freelancers
As the pandemic has shown, working from home can be isolating and there are plenty of distractions to get in the way of productivity. Freelancers renting a hot desk immediately gain a more focused and productive workspace, access to a professional address and useful office facilities, as well as the company of other workers and creatives.
A happier workplace
Hot desking can help to break down the traditional teams and hierarchies within the office. In some scenarios this can make for a more inclusive and happier workplace.
How much does hot desking cost and what type of price plans are offered?
Hot desking makes access to professional office space affordable. Most hot desking contracts are flexible, usually in the form of a rolling monthly contract, but you can also rent a desk by the day, like a day gym pass. There is now a lot of affordable hot desk space within the major cities as well as towns so there are options aplenty. You can grab great value desk space at plenty of central co-working spaces — just search by your specific budget and location on Flexify.
The majority of hot desking spaces that we see in the market range from £75 – £250 per month (outside London). This fee is typically an ‘all inclusive’ fee which includes business rates, heating, lighting, power and broadband.
By comparison, a fully serviced office outside of London can cost anywhere from £150 to £500 per desk/ month. With traditional office space however you typically need to add on the cost of rates, heating and lighting to that too, so the cost of conventional space can be far more expensive compared to hot desking.
It is important to know and understand what is included in your monthly rental though, as some part time office space might not come with a fixed phone line or meeting room access as part of the deal and offer these as add-ons at an extra cost. Other workspaces will offer you a more comprehensive package which could include the aforementioned plus the use of computer and printer facilities.
At Flexify, we are here to advise you every step of the way so we will make sure you find the perfect space for your business needs.
How do i find a hot desk?
It’s a whole lot easier for freelancers and companies to find great hot desk spaces in most city centre locations in the current market. On Flexify you can search for hot desk spaces by location, price and the number of hot desks you need. Have a browse and see if anything catches your eye. You can also filter results by the facilities available, so it’s easy to spot a hot desk that gives you whatever you need – from 24-hour access to an on-site gym to shower facilities.