Hot Desking Policy - What you need to know

This Hot Desking Policy outlines guidelines for allocating working spaces among employees on an ad hoc and temporary basis. As a company, by hot desking we are able to save space and costs when employees use desks at different times, depending on their working pattern. The company has established guidelines set out in this policy to ensure that hot desking, or desk sharing, works efficiently.

Scope

This hot desking policy relates to our employees who are able to work from home or at other locations outside the office, work flexible hours or who do not need a regular desk because of the nature of their jobs (so, for example, receptionists and office managers are excluded from this policy).

What is hot desking?

The company has a set number of desks in the office that are allocated as hot desks. These hot desks are not assigned to any particular employee but may be used by employees who do not have a permanent desk allocated to them. Employees may book a hot desk through the company intranet. After they have finished their work, employees using a hot desk will need to remove personal items from the desk space so other colleagues may make use of it. Employees vacating a hot desk should sanitise the desk using sanitising products provided by the company (see also the specific guidance below).

Why we established a hot desking policy

The company believes that our hot desking system has various benefits that include:

• Saving space and costs that would otherwise be incurred by unoccupied desks when employees work away from our office or on flexible schedules.
• Potential enhanced team working through contact with a larger number of colleagues in the company.
• Creating ways to work and communicate with other teams more easily.
• Tidier office spaces.

Employees’ responsibilities

For hot desking to work smoothly we need employees to follow some sensible rules. You should:

• Keep all desks clean and tidy and follow basic hygiene rules. The company will provide anti-bacterial hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes for use on all the equipment at each hot desk.
• Remove all personal items from your working space if you plan to be out of the office for more than [X hours] and in any event at the end of each day of work, unless you have the desk booked for the following day.
• Keep personal items in bags or lockers, instead of on desks.
• Eat lunch in the kitchen/cafeteria (if applicable) and not on desks.
• Avoid leaving confidential documents on desks.
• Where appropriate, use meeting rooms for important or confidential calls.

Whilst we do not anticipate problems, employees should treat colleagues with courtesy. They should be able to resolve any issues over desk spaces amicably amongst themselves. In the unlikely event this is not possible, employees should raise a grievance under the company’s grievance procedure.

Company responsibilities

The company wants to ensure that employees can be comfortable and productive wherever they are working. Specifically, we will: -

• Establish an open-plan office with uniform desks.
• Have enough desks to accommodate all employees working at specific times.
• Provide all employees with laptops to carry all necessary software and electronic files with them.
• Equip all desks with phones, computer screens, keyboards and mouses that connect to laptops.
• Place lockers in convenient areas so employees can easily store personal items.
• Ensure all desks have adequate lighting and adjustable chairs.
• Eliminate paper files wherever possible and use electronic storage systems instead.
• Have fast and effective technical support available at all times.
• Implement remote working, hybrid working and flexible hours policies.
• Create “zones” for team members who need to sit close together when working on certain projects or for a specific time.
• Make meeting rooms and common areas easily accessible.

If you need any further help or guidance in connection with a hot desking policy, please contact Heather Love at h.love@downslaw.co.uk