Desk sharing, hot desking and hoteling
Desk sharing describes the overall arrangement. Hot desking commonly describes unassigned seating, while office hoteling emphasises advance reservations. Organisations sometimes use these terms interchangeably; the booking rules are what matter.
A simple example
In a fictional team, one employee uses a desk on Monday and Wednesday, and another uses it on Tuesday and Thursday. They share the desk without using it at the same time. A booking process helps when their attendance plans change.
How many shared desks do you need?
Use peak simultaneous demand, not average weekly attendance alone. Allow for teams attending together, suitable equipment and workspaces that cannot be freely exchanged. The desk-sharing ratio compares the number of people with the number of desks; it does not guarantee enough suitable seats on a busy day.
What should employees know?
Explain how to find a desk, whether booking is required, where belongings go and how to report equipment problems. Clear rules make sharing easier to use.
Explore desk-sharing software or read the office hoteling guide.