A Complete Guide to Office Hoteling Etiquette with 9 Tips

Nowadays, more and more companies realize that a flexible workspace has a lot of benefits. The era of an office that gathered a lot of people in one room seems to have become the past, especially because of the current events in the world. Maybe there is some comfort in having a permanent seat in an office. However, data shows that workers who have a flexible choice of workplace are much more efficient.

When you have an office that is around 40-50% occupied a day, there is not much sense in making your employee commute to it. Instead, they can work from anywhere they want, around people they want.

Many growing companies wonder if they should invest in more real estate to develop their business. In some cases, that is not necessary. Instead, they should invest in arranging a flexible workplace. Thanks to this solution, you can quickly notice that your employees work more freely and become more productive.

Whether you want to totally change your office working style or were pressured to create a booking system because of a hybrid workforce. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about office hoteling and its etiquette.

What is Office Hoteling?

The idea of office hoteling is quite new but is rapidly growing. It means to have a workspace, such as workstations, conference rooms, small offices, etc. available for employees when they reserve them or claim the need during the workday or a bit in advance. In office hoteling, there is no place for traditional permanent seating.

Thanks to office hoteling health and safety, your employees can have more freedom and flexibility regarding where and when they want to work. It might sound weird at the beginning, but when this system is implemented correctly, you can enjoy amazing benefits.

The 9 Best Practices for Office Hoteling Etiquette

Inform Your Workers Before the Switch and Make Them Look Forward to the Change

Some of your employees might be scared of change with office hoteling etiquette. However, the change might bring many benefits and become an exciting event. Especially when a change means that the life of your workers is going to be easier.

When you implement an office hoteling system, your employees can choose where they are going to work or hybrid work from home. That means, they can pick if they want to be close to their friends, teammates, managers, etc. They can also decide from who they keep more distance. That is an especially great solution for your more introverted employees or those who have some special needs, for example, people who suffer from misophonia, etc. It is one of the basic office hoteling rules.

With office hoteling best practices, your workers can book a workspace for a few hours, a whole day, or even a whole week if there is the need. More choice is something that all employees want and are going to be glad for it.

Before making a change with office hoteling health and safety, make sure that your employees understand what this change is about. When you explain to your workers all the benefits of a flexible workplace before you implement the system, you can avoid chaos or even get some help from your employees.

Find employees that are excited about the whole idea and encourage them to spread the word, promote the idea and encourage employee innovation. Your workers might be more open to sharing their doubts with their teammates rather than with a manager. When your employees advocate for Office Hoteling change, you can be sure that the switch is going to be easy.

Set Document Policies and Decide on Communication Style

As you already know, you need to communicate with your employees before the change. However, communication during the process is also very important. Be clear regarding all important matters, including what office hoteling is going to mean for your employees, how to use reservation software, and new policies that the company is going to be using.

You should explain all of this to your employees but also make that information easily accessible in case they want to verify some doubts.

Thanks to organizing everything up front, you make sure that the whole process is going to be implemented with no problem. Communication practices can make the change seamless, but also show your employees how to share their values, doubts, and questions.

Offer Different Spaces

If you are a manager, you must already know that each of your workers is unique to suitably apply for office hoteling rules. This uniqueness comes with different needs. Having different spaces allows your worker to find a spot that is going to work for their project or personal needs.

Some of your workers might enjoy sitting between two colleagues, while others prefer corner spots. Maybe some employees enjoy working behind closed doors, while others prefer a collaborative space where they can share their thoughts and receive a creative boost.

When you know the type of workers that you work with, you can suggest a space to them that is going to work best for them. Thanks to that, you can improve employees' productivity, no matter if they are shy, talkative, need silence to work, or prefer to brainstorm with their colleagues.

Arrange an Attractive and Efficient Workspace

Once you have created the office hoteling health and safety for your worker, you want to make the spaces that they are going to use inviting. Make sure that every room is ergonomic and in good taste. You can add some colors around the building to increase the creativity of your employees. You can add some comfy seats or pillows in common spaces, where people can collaborate.

Aesthetical aspects are important and can influence your employees' work results with office hoteling rules, so resign from dull office design and reach for interesting and beautiful solutions. Sometimes even small additions such as adding bold colors or adding plants can make the whole space look much better.

You should also arrange each workspace to be efficient. Reach for ergonomic solutions, such as a standing desk or office ergonomic chair. These pieces of smart furniture can boost efficiency, productivity, and creativity. Additionally, they prevent your workers from developing health problems.

Invest in desktop monitors, whiteboards, office supplies, and other things that can help with their daily workflow with office hoteling best practices. Make an office space where people like to be: add some fun names to conference rooms, set relaxing photos on computer desktops. Simply: be creative and think about your office space as a place to be!

Make Cleaning of Workspaces Simple

Changing a desk and making it ready for another person is one of the most challenging things when it comes to office hoteling. It is to break office hoteling rules with this problem. Remind your employees to keep their workspaces decluttered. They shouldn't leave any personal items or desk accessories on the desk.

To make it easier for everyone, create a fun to-do list that can be attached to each workstation. Write down things such as:

• throw away your rubbish,
• don't leave your lucky coin on the desk,
• wipe down the desk, etc.

By doing this, you can ensure that each evening each desk is going to be left in a good condition and is going to be ready for the next employee.

Be sure that your employees don't have to do much extra effort to keep their workplaces tidy. Provide them with wipes, and set trash cans and cleaning tools close to their working area.

Use Cloud Storage

All your workers should have easy access to necessary documents and office equipment when they start working. You don't want them to be confused by using a computer on which they can find their data, or where data is mixed.

When deciding on Office Hoteling, you should arrange cloud filing and storage. Thanks to this, you can make access to documents easier, no matter where your workers are currently sitting.

Additionally, when your employees can access documents in the cloud, your team can work on the project, even while not being in the same room.

Invest in Reservation Software

To work properly, every office hoteling workspace has to have good reservation software. These tools serve to book meeting rooms or desks. The layout should be clear and user-friendly, so each of your workers can book their spot just by clicking a few buttons.

Without reservation software, your office hoteling can get messy, and you might have to have much more work than before. However, if you invest in it, everything is going to work smoothly.

Enable Auto-bumping

You want to invest your money in good reservation software for office hoteling best practices. What does that mean? That your booking system has an auto-bump feature. Thanks to it, you get the most efficient use of the space. When your rooms are available for the next workers, they automatically appear in the system.

Your worker can create a room reservation. When they arrive at a station, they just need to check-in using a mobile app or desktop. Imagine that your worker no longer needs a room, or just didn't appear and didn't check-in. In that situation, the auto-bump feature removes the reservation and allows other employees to book the spot.

Be Ready for Visits

If you have remote workers, you need booking software with the ability to book spots at last minute. Your workers can do that by scanning a QR code next to each workspace. This way, they can claim the spot within a second. This instant option makes the whole process much faster.

Office Hoteling Etiquette - What and What Not to Do

Workplace etiquette should be followed by everyone in the office. Some of your employees might have a problem with following it at the very beginning. In this case, you can share a list with them that might help them remember how to behave in the new workspace.

Reserve Based on Needs

It is the first office hoteling etiquette in the list. Always make sure that your worker needs the space that they requested. While giving your workers access to hybrid desk booking is convenient, it might in effect bring some problems. If you don't need a system with a check-in option, you might need to verify manually if your employees actually use the booked desk or if it could be used by somebody else. You can talk with your worker and ask them to only book spots when they really need them.

If you manage a small team, that might not be a big deal. However, if you deal with dozens of workers, you should really invest in a great booking system.

Leave It in a Perfect State

Each person has different ideas when it comes to hygiene, cleanliness, etc. That is one of the major concerns when it comes to shared desks.

One of the most important points of your office hoteling etiquette should be: "Leave It in a Perfect State". Be explicit about the standards of cleanliness. Don't leave any spot open for interpretation. Again, sanitary wipes, soft cleaners, and other tools on hand can support your employees in the change.

Don't Overstay

The main idea of office hoteling best practices is temporary occupancy. Your workers should use a working station as long as they need it, but after that, they should free the spot for the next person. It is the most important office hoteling etiquette you should notice.

Your software is going to keep track of which places are open to making sure that every worker is going to get a space. Of course, sometimes the work can take longer than your employee expected. Some of them might try to squat until the moment they get kicked out by the next person.

Advise your employees to avoid this situation. Otherwise, the process of transition can be disrupted. Additionally, the next worker might get less time on the station than booked. There is also less time for the previous user to clear the station.

Mind the Noise

One of the main concerns for office hoteling health and safety is noise. Remind your workers that even though they book a singular workspace, they are not alone in the office. It is the best way to solve this office hoteling etiquette problem.

Make sure that you inform your workers to keep phone sounds turned off and use their headphones. If some of your employees violate the noise rules, address the issue privately.

Respect Privacy

Be sure that all your workers follow the privacy standards with office hoteling etiquette. You can also add a lot of privacy by implementing the right design and take advantage of privacy panels. Set up desks the way that people cannot inadvertently look at someone else’s screen. You can also implement areas where your employees can make phone calls without everyone hearing their conversation.