Collaboration and creativity are currently suffering in the workplace. Following millions of professionals leaving the office to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, team members are feeling disconnected from their work and organization. It has been a big adjustment for both organizations and individuals to work from home, away from the desk and people they are accustomed to working with. Fortunately, it seems as though there is a light at the end of a tunnel as vaccinations become more available worldwide. As companies begin to welcome team members back into the office, they still need to face the possibility of their team members no longer feeling as collaborative or creative as before. This is a significant dilemma, as a collaborative and creative environment directly relates to a productive organization. In hopes of combatting this, companies are looking for solutions to renew the atmosphere that their workplace once held and boost collaborative creativity in the office. There is one solution proving to do just that – desk rotation.
Productivity
It was found that productivity was the biggest concern of managers during the pandemic. Numerous organizations were forced to postpone major launches, campaigns, or initiatives as a result of team members working from home and collaborating virtually. For many professionals, the physical space in which they conduct their work directly affects their mood and productivity. For some, it is the habit of being at a set workspace, while for others, it depends on the specific attributes of their location. Consider your own work habits; do you prefer to work in a quiet space or a social environment with the buzz of others? Do you like natural lighting, or do you find it distracting? Whatever your preferences may be, it's likely that you have one, and it can affect your performance if it's not met. This is a dilemma that many office managers are struggling to combat. It is challenging to accommodate the preferences of every individual team member, especially with a shared office space. Fortunately, desk rotation can solve this dilemma.
Desk rotation, or hot-desking, is an excellent solution to balancing team member's needs and preferences. With a desk booking solution, management can upload the layout of their office to the software. Once this is done, managers can set controls such as capacity and blocked-off areas and then let team members start booking. Individuals can book a desk or room that satisfies their preferences. This allows team members to have a say in their workspace, choosing a desk that will enable them to perform most productivity.
In addition to offering team members to choose their seating, desk rotation also allows companies to welcome their team members back into the office safely. As a result of the control capabilities, management can regulate capacity and enforce social distancing within the office. It was reported that 52% of remote team members said productivity suffered the most while working from home, and 90% of managers rated this as one of their top three concerns. With countless distractions at home and less accountability, it can be easier for those who do not prefer remote work to lose productivity. Because this solution enables solution distancing, team members who want to come back to the office safely now can, and productivity will increase as a result.
Collaboration
For many professionals, their productivity relies on their ability to collaborate with others. While productivity was a significant concern for team members and managers, collaboration was the next most prominent concern. Brainstorming is a substantial part of the work process for many, and that was compromised during the pandemic. We can all agree that meeting face-to-face is often more productive and feasible than meeting virtually. By bringing team members back into the office, this can once again be a part of our workplace. Alternatively, while other individuals may find collaboration helpful and necessary, it can be distracting at different times. Thanks to desk rotation software, team members can alter their seating according to their preference and activities, cultivating an activity-based workplace.
This style of work offers a variety of desk and seating arrangements for team members to choose from. With desk booking software, individuals can select their desk for the day according to their activities. Suppose someone has a project that requires brainstorming and collaboration. In that case, they can coordinate with other team members to work in a meeting room, whether formal or informal or even an open space with desks facing one another. This ensures that the team members seeking collaboration have an area reserved to do so, thus allowing them to be more productive. Alternatively, should a team member have a highly complex task at hand that requires concentration and focus, they can book a desk in a more secluded and quiet area. Each day, team members can choose a workspace that suits their activities, allowing them to collaborate when they want, and focus when they want.
Creativity
For some, brainstorming and collaboration are essential processes in getting the creative juices flowing. One in four remote workers claimed that working from home hurt their creativity. This is a significant number, and creativity is key to developing innovative and competitive results. Similar to collaboration, desk rotation solutions are also excellent in cultivating creativity.
With a desk booking solution, team members will have access to select the environment that best offers the creativity and collaboration they desire. Even for those who feel most creative in an individual setting, desk booking provides this too. Offices with various desks and workspaces can cultivate a greater sense of creativity through the physical attributes of the environment.
There are a variety of spaces that your office can offer to create an activity-based workplace. Offering areas with natural lighting and plants can be excellent in encouraging creativity, as it provides team members with a space that promotes health and wellness benefits. Another option is an open area that allows team members to socialize or even work individually with the buzz of chatter around them. Even individual spaces such as quiet nooks can cultivate creativity for those who feel more productive when focused and secluded. Whatever their preference may be, desk rotation allows team members the flexibility to choose their own workspace. The mere idea of having the flexibility to change your scenery to your preferences can do wonders for productivity and creativity.
Every team member in your organization has their own idea of what cultivates collaboration and creativity. With a desk rotation solution, you can allow individuals to cater their workspace to their preferences. Just offering the option to choose their work environment will boost team member morale, productivity, collaboration, and creativity. If there is a key takeaway we have gotten due to the pandemic, it is that our environment impacts our work. Providing team members with the flexibility to choose their workspace is key to cultivating a sense of collaborative creativity, which translates into success for individuals and the company.
