What is hot desking?

Hot desking is a workplace model where employees do not have a permanently assigned desk. Instead, they use an available workstation when they come to the office. For facility managers, the challenge is not simply reducing desk count; it is making every shared workstation usable, secure and easy to reset for the next person.

Hot desking vs desk hoteling

Hot desking usually means employees choose from available desks on arrival. Desk hoteling normally adds a reservation system so users book a particular desk or zone in advance.

1. Decide what stays at the desk

Shared desks work best when monitors, monitor arms, docking equipment and common accessories remain consistent. Personal items should move elsewhere so the desk can be reset quickly.

2. Give employees somewhere secure for personal items

One of the biggest operational gaps in hot-desking programmes is personal storage. Staff may still need somewhere for bags, documents, headsets, keyboards or other work items. Employee lockers or smart lockers can provide that fixed personal-storage layer even when the desk itself is shared.

3. Standardise the IT workstation

Where possible, use consistent monitor positions, power access, cable routing and docking arrangements. The less variation between desks, the less time staff spend adjusting equipment before they can work.

4. Use monitor arms to reclaim desk space

Monitor arms can lift screens off the desktop, make positioning easier for different users and create more clear work surface. This is useful where the same desk is used by people of different heights.

5. Think beyond the desk

A practical hot-desking environment may also need staff lockers, charging points, shared peripherals, visitor workstations and secure storage for IT equipment.

6. Plan cleaning and reset responsibilities

Facility teams should define how desks are left at the end of use. Cables, chargers, monitor positions and shared accessories should return to a predictable setup so the next employee can start quickly.

7. Measure actual utilisation

Before reducing desk numbers aggressively, review attendance patterns by day, department and team. A flexible model works best when space planning reflects real occupancy rather than an assumed average.

8. Avoid creating storage problems elsewhere

If assigned pedestals and desk drawers disappear, employees still need somewhere to keep work items. Locker capacity should therefore be planned together with the hot-desking ratio.

9. Make the workstation ergonomic for multiple users

Shared desks should be easy to adjust. Monitor height, viewing angle, keyboard position and seating should not assume one fixed user.

10. Connect hot desking to workplace access

For larger offices, smart locker access, employee IDs, desk booking and asset issue-return processes can form part of the same workplace-management ecosystem.

Relevant ErgoShopping solutions

• Smart Storage Lockers for Offices
• Smart Office Lockers
• Smart Locker Systems
• Monitor Arms & Mounts
• Desk Solutions
• Ergonomic Computer Accessories

Frequently asked questions

Do hot-desking offices still need lockers?

Usually yes. Removing assigned desks does not remove the need for personal and work-item storage.

Are smart lockers necessary?

Not always, but they can simplify access control, allocation and management where many employees share a flexible workplace.

What should stay permanently on a hot desk?

Typically common equipment such as monitors, mounts, docking hardware and power access. Personal items should be stored separately.