Twenty-five percent of Americans will work remotely throughout 2021. And, when that stretch of home-working ends, offices will have to adapt to our ‘new normal’.
One way that companies can make their offices work for their staff is to introduce shared workspaces. Multiple staffers will use the same desk, but they’ll rotate in and out of the office on different days. This will free up the tabletop for another employee to come in and work in person.
Perhaps your company has proposed such a setup in your office space. How can you make workspace sharing work for you? Here are our best tips.
1. Reserve a Seat
Lots of shared workspaces will be available to employees who have a flexible work setup. So, they can decide if they want to work from home or at the office.
Let’s say you want your team to have the option to come in when they want. If so, you might want to make desk scheduling software a priority.
This will allow your team to see which desks are available before they come into the office. They can choose where they’ll sit before they arrive, thus ensuring they can have somewhere to work all day long.
2. Have Some Personalized Spaces
Now, if you want everyone shuttling in and out of the office, they won’t be able to leave any personal effects behind. Some people like being able to do so, though. You never know when you’ll need a sweater for a too-cold office or a snack to power you through an extra-long day.
So, consider installing lockers or another storage area so that every employee still has their own space. They’ll share desks, but they can still make their workspace their own—when they’re in the office, anyway.
3. Maintain Collaborative Work Areas
If staffers have the option to work remotely, why would they come into the office? Sometimes, it’s easier to collaborate with team members face to face.
Remember this as your redesign your group workspace. You should still keep your conference rooms and other team-working areas available to your staff. Add them to the desk scheduling system, too, to make it easier for everyone to come in and get the job done.
4. Make Cleanliness a Priority
Finally, you’ve likely introduced shared workspaces in response to the changes we’ve all experienced in the past couple of years. Shared workspaces make it easier for people to come in when they want or need to work with their colleagues. But it also might make staffers wonder, is this desk clean and sanitized?
You’ll have to make cleanliness a priority in your new shared workspace. Either hire a cleaning crew to sanitize the place after working hours, or have supplies on hand so that staffers can clean their tables and chairs before getting to work. This will give everyone peace of mind.
Shared Workspace 101: It Can Work for Everyone
It is certainly different than the office spaces of years past, but a shared workspace can work well for your entire team. Try it out with the above tips in mind, and it will run smoothly and effectively. You might even wonder why you ever had a traditional workspace in the first place!
Don’t forget to check back with us for the latest in business news and more.
Read Also: How to Pay Employees: The Basics Explained
