More companies want to hot-desk now. How can they make it work?

Hot-desking saves space and cuts costs, but both bosses and employees need to be on board

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Jessie Lim

Published Fri, Aug 4, 2023 · 02:00 PM

Perhaps the most attractive proposition about hot desking is that it saves money. Companies that give up office space to make the move can save millions of dollars. GRAPHIC: SIMON ANG
To support tenants’ future expansion needs and shift towards hybrid working, Guocoland will be opening a five-floor business networking club called Network Hub at Guoco Midtown by the end of 2023. PHOTO: GUOCOLAND
Jaya Dass, managing director for Malaysia and Singapore, Randstad, says: “If an employee is always working in the office, it is critical for them to form a sense of having their own workplace.” PHOTO: RANDSTAD SINGAPORE
Progress towards adopting flexible seating remains slow, with 52 per cent adoption of dedicated seating in 2023. PHOTO: PIXABAY

LOVE it or hate it, hot-desking has taken offices by storm. The trouble is, the buzzy “future of work” move can leave workers feeling as if they’ve been taken hostage. The cost benefits may seem abundantly clear, especially as hybrid working becomes the norm and companies require less real estate. Yet progress in adopting flexible seating remains slow.

In 2023, 52 per cent of companies had dedicated seating arrangements, only slightly lower than the 58 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic that forced workers out of the office, a CBRE survey published in June found.

The shift may be slower than workplace gurus envisioned, but the trend is set in place. By 2025, only 20 per cent plan to retain fixed seating, the survey shows.

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