The concepts of hot desking and agile working have become increasingly popular in recent years, in particular since the covid-19 pandemic where we saw offices largely reduce the number of staff on site at any one time.   

However, a study in 2024 showed that 38% of employers now want their employees to spend more time in the office. With more companies returning employees to the workplace and office spaces being limited in capacity, it raises the question of how employers are going to deal with this, and whether agile working and hot desking are the answer. 

This article will explore these concepts in more detail to help provide clarity on their benefits and drawbacks for companies in terms of cost, productivity, and overall effectiveness of the workplace.

What is Agile Working?

Agile working can be described as a particular culture within a workplace. It is a flexible and dynamic approach to work that fosters collaboration and adaptability. Instead of focusing on rigid structures, agile working establishes an autonomous culture where employees have the freedom to work where and when they feel most comfortable and productive. 

In certain settings this can mean that the employee has the freedom to work remotely and from various locations around the office. The use of digital tools and technology is allowing employees to be increasingly connected throughout this form of working. Hotdesking is then a form of agile working within a workspace where desks are used on an ad hoc basis at different times by different people. 

Typically, in these office spaces the number of desks is lower than the number of people, and it is usually applied to workplaces where not everyone has to be in the office at the same time.

The popularity of agile working and hot desking has grown hugely in recent years, with many companies realising that work can continue productively with employees switching to a remote or hybrid way of working. 

With this, the need for large office spaces that can accommodate every employee at once has reduced significantly. However, with many employers now switching to a hybrid working model where some level of in person working is required, office spaces are becoming more complex to manage.

It might seem that an agile way of working as well as implementing hotdesking is the obvious solution in order to accommodate for different cohorts working interchangeably between the office and their remote work location. 

However, it is important to first weigh up the benefits and challenges of these working models in order to make an informed decision about applying them. To firstly look at the benefits, it’s clear that an agile working model promotes employee well-being as they are more flexible to work in a way that suits their needs, improving overall productivity and work-life balance. The cost benefit of hot desking must also be noted. For example, if there are 50 employees, but only 20 are in the office at any one time, there should be no need for 50 desk spaces. 

For employers this can significantly reduce the operational costs of running a large workspace. Additionally, hot desking can improve collaboration and communication as working from different locations gives team members from different levels and departments a chance to engage with each other. It should also be noted that tidier office spaces would arise as each worker would be required to take their belongings with them at the end of each day.