How Recurring Reservations Improve the Desk Hoteling Experience

While flexible seating arrangements like desk hoteling are increasingly popular with hybrid companies, they can still present challenges.

In this article, we’ll review the most common objections to desk hoteling, and take a look at how offering recurring reservations can help you overcome them. 

Related content: What’s the Difference Between Desk Booking, Hot Desking, and Hoteling Software?

3 common challenges with desk hoteling 

When you first introduce the concept of desk hoteling, it’s likely that some employees—and even members of your HR or People Operations teams—will initially feel resistant to the idea.

Here are a few common objections you may encounter:  

1. People don’t want to go through the booking process

Some employees may not like the idea of having to reserve a desk every time they go into the office. Instead, they would prefer to be able to go in without the added step of making a reservation first.

2. Employees crave a dedicated space

While many people enjoy having the flexibility to choose their seats, others may miss having a dedicated space to call their own. These employees crave the routine and stability of having assigned desks.

3. Operations and leadership teams want more advanced notice

Your HR, Operations, or even leadership team members may also object to the idea of having employees sit in different seats every day. When everyone is constantly sitting somewhere new, it can make it more challenging to plan for office-related events or accomplish certain administrative tasks. 

Fortunately, as we’ll go over in the next section, there’s an easy way to address all of these common challenges—and that’s by introducing recurring reservations into the desk hoteling process. 

Related content: How Desk Hoteling Can Improve Employee Happiness

How recurring reservations can improve the desk hoteling experience

Recurring reservations allow employees to establish a set schedule for a particular desk. 

Here are some of the benefits of having a recurring desk schedule: 

Recurring reservations are easier logistically

Even with a hybrid workplace policy, it’s common for employees to work on a set schedule—whether that’s determined by their own preferences or their department.

In these situations, recurring reservations can make it easier for people to come into the office.

For example, let’s say an employee goes into the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Instead of booking a new desk every time they come in, they can choose a designated seat and set up a recurring reservation that aligns with their schedule.

As with everything related to desk booking, this can be done manually, but using a tool makes it infinitely easier and lightens the administrative load for both employees and HR/Operations staff. For example, with Eden Workplace’s desk booking software, users can automatically reserve a designated desk until a specific end date or until they cancel the recurring schedule.

They create a sense of routine for employees

Hybrid workplaces are inherently flexible, which many employees love. That said, some of your employees may be unhappy with desk hoteling because they miss having a routine. 

Recurring reservations can give them the stability they crave by allowing them to sit at the same desk every time they come into the office. This can help people feel like they have their own designated space, improving satisfaction and productivity levels. 

And if your employees ever get tired of sitting in the same spot or want to change up their routine? They can easily cancel their recurring reservations and go back to choosing where they want to sit. 

HR and Operations teams have access to data in advance

It can be helpful for HR and People Ops teams to know in advance how many people will be in the office on any given day. 

Recurring reservations can give these teams advance knowledge of how many people will be in the office on a given day.  And, it can even allow them to collect deeper insights, such as which days the office tends to be at its highest capacity, or who will be in the office on a specific date. This information, in turn, can drive more informed decisions. 

Let’s say the HR team wants to host an event for people in the office. When they look at the data, they see that Wednesdays tend to have the most recurring reservations. Knowing this, they can plan their event for an upcoming Wednesday and expect higher attendance rates. 

Consider adding recurring reservations to your desk hoteling process

Some teams love the shift toward flexible seating arrangements from day one. That said, don’t be discouraged if 100 percent of your employees aren’t on board with desk hoteling yet.

There are simple ways to address most of the common concerns—and if the concerns you are hearing are the ones we've laid out above, recurring reservations are one easy solution you can implement.

If you’re curious to learn more about Eden Workplace’s desk booking software, request a demo by clicking the button below.