The coworking space is a great place to forge relationships that raise your business’s platform. Among its many benefits, the coworking space can create opportunities for professionals from various industries simply through providing access to workshops, conferences, and networking events. There are also the cost benefits, which streamline office space that can be very expensive in many of Australia’s business centres.
At the centre of the coworking phenomenon is the hot desk. Hot desking space is shared workspace, and it involves leasing space at a workstation that usually seats at least four people to one table. Professionals get the best of both worlds – workspace that works for them and the opportunity to work in the middle of the industry. The space can be a dynamic, engaging environment, as it is very social, but it might not suit all professionals and for a variety of reasons.
Keep reading to learn how to determine whether the hot desk is right for your business.
The Need For Quiet
The hot desk can get quite hectic. In one area, you might find that people constantly engage each other throughout the day. The constant conversation and people moving about can be very distracting to people who are used to working at home or in places where there are few distractions.
While working at the hot desk can be somewhat distracting if you are someone who is easily taken off task, there are ways to address this problem. For one, hot-desking gives you the freedom to choose any open workstation to use, and so if you happen to be near a particularly social group of the people, you can simply move. Others, however, choose to simply bring along earplugs to help keep them focused.
The Work Is Sensitive
Another consideration that businesses should make before choosing to hot desk is whether the work is of a sensitive nature. Any time that you work with client personal or financial information you want to find a private space to work. Information related personal discussions, discussions you might have as a part of a counselling session, are private. The hot desk is a highly transient space where professionals you work next to can see your screen and possibly this information.
An alternative is to consider renting space that shields this information from the public. The dedicated desk can provide your business with privacy, and if available, so can the private office. While a bit more expensive, these options can, again, give you valuable privacy when working on sensitive information in the space.
You Are A Social Butterfly
The hot desk is ideal for the social butterfly simply because it places you around people who can give you valuable social interaction. However, being gregarious in this situation can have its drawbacks. For one, your affable nature is attractive to so many people in the environment making it difficult for you to get much work completed. When looking for workspace, you do not necessarily have to forgo the hot desk, though.
Especially gregarious types can work around the issue of being too social by working during off-peak times. Many spaces have a 24/7 platform, which makes it convenient to work around your life. Alternating your schedule by either coming in very early or much later in the day can give you a few hours of quiet workspace.
To Hot Desk Or Not?
The hot desk has so many advantages, especially because it places you in the middle of a very vibrant workspace. Small conversations lead to big discussions regarding very inventive ideas that can be the next huge success, and many of these conversations begin at the hot desk. Whether to hot desk or not depends on each professional’s approach to work, but in many cases, you do not have to discard the workstyle but adjust it to fit your needs.