Desk sharing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Desk sharing , also known as “shared desk” or “flexible office”, is a form of organization in which there are fewer workplaces than employees within an organizational unit (company, main department, department) . Employees can freely choose “their” workplace every day.

reasons

The trigger for the introduction of desk sharing is the observation that the workplaces in an office building are only partially occupied. Areas of work or activities such as project work, field service, consulting, IT administration or training take place not only at your own workplace, but also in meeting rooms, with customers, in seminar rooms, with colleagues and so on. Average attendance times of 70% are not uncommon in German-speaking countries.

practice

Desk sharing works well when employees have as much available information and data as possible electronically stored and when employees have different work locations, such as closed individual offices and open team areas, at their disposal. In practice, this means that the workplace is "set up" at the start of work and tidied up at the end of work. This principle is known as the “clean desk policy”.

The office concept Activity Based Working desk sharing is applied.

Choice of work location

Work locations can either be selected by visual inspection or by booking. Visual inspection requires an insight into the relevant rooms, for example through glass parts. Bookings can either be made using the booking system or by someone responsible for making the booking as in a hotel. This booking principle is called "Hotelling", and the person responsible is called "Floor Manager". The spatial environment therefore differs from classic cell or open plan concepts. Desk sharing therefore requires a mix of office forms or a “business club”.

productivity

The productivity , according to a study by the Fraunhofer IAO highest in a paper form mixture on. One reason for this could be that employees can always choose the work location that best suits their work on a daily basis.

Evaluation of desk sharing

Advantages for the employer:

  • Savings can be realized with:
    • Space costs
    • Office equipment costs
    • Cleaning costs
    • Energy costs (can be reduced by up to a third of the costs)
  • Improvement of internal communication

Benefits for the employee:

  • Flexibility achieved and the resulting savings may secure jobs in the long term
  • Workplace depending on current needs

Disadvantages for the employer:

  • less fixed structures and routines (employees cannot always be found in the same place)

Disadvantages for the employee:

  • Stress (if there is insufficient regulation)
  • possibly lower social ties / commitment
  • Work equipment (books, documents) are not always available or have to be transported with you
  • Concentration not always available

Use

The benefit for employers lies in the savings in space and reduced rental, investment and follow-up costs. Space savings of between 10% and 20% are not uncommon. The benefit for employees lies in the freedom to choose their place of work. If a closed room is required for meetings or as a retreat for concentrated work, it can be booked or occupied; An open workplace is available for teamwork. The greatest benefit is in general preparation for desk sharing. If an employee has changed their work organization to desk sharing, they can work on the move. The place of work is then no longer tied to the company and only plays a role for security reasons. Mobile work creates enormous degrees of freedom, but also requires very good personal work organization and the trust of the manager. A combination with teleworking works well, but is not a requirement.

Important users of desk sharing are, for example, IT companies such as Sun Microsystems or insurance companies and consulting companies. It is also possible to switch only parts of a company to desk sharing , for example at Deutsche Bank or HP .

criticism

The points of criticism mentioned are the loss of one's “own” job, a low level of attachment to the working environment (decoration of the workplace with personal items), IT-dominated work processes and difficulties in changing the situation. Customers, visitors or employees from other departments have no fixed point of contact.

Companies that have successfully introduced desk sharing therefore allow the personalization and degrees of freedom that employees had at their workplace elsewhere, such as in a communal lounge or on the screen. Other compensation measures, such as an attractive work environment, sit-stand workstations and the like, can support the changeover.

literature

  • Jung, Hans: Human Resources. 5th edition; Oldenbourg, Munich 2003