Office Hotdesking Done Right: A Practical Guide
By Sofia Andersson · February 8, 2026
With hybrid work, most desks sit empty 40–60% of the time. Hotdesking is the obvious solution, but it must be implemented carefully to avoid frustrating your team.
Common Hotdesking Mistakes
- No personal storage: People need lockers for personal items to feel at home
- Dirty desks: Arriving to crumbs and clutter kills enthusiasm
- Losing your team: Spontaneous collaboration disappears if teams are spread too thin
- Morning desk scramble: First-come-first-served creates daily anxiety
- Tech friction: Tech setups must be standardised and plug-and-play
Getting It Right: The Essentials
1. Provide Personal Lockers
A small investment in storage makes a huge difference in how comfortable and settled people feel.
2. Create Zones, Not Free-For-Alls
Quiet zones for focused work, collaboration zones for conversation, team neighbourhoods for clusters, and phone booths for private calls all serve different needs.
3. Standardise the Tech Setup
Every desk should have the same monitor, docking station, keyboard, and mouse. When you can sit anywhere and be productive in 30 seconds, hotdesking shines.
4. Establish Clear Clean-Up Norms
Implement a “clean desk policy” including wiping down equipment and removing personal items at the end of each day.
5. Enable Team Proximity
Assign team neighbourhoods and make it easy to see where teammates are sitting so spontaneous collaboration still happens.