Hot desking sounds complicated, but it’s pretty straightforward. You walk into the office, grab the first desk you find, do your work, and leave.
We’ve been running WorkPod for a while now, and I’ve watched this whole hot desking thing evolve from a weird startup trend to something even traditional companies are trying out. Here’s what actually happens when you ditch assigned desks.
The Cost Conversation That Finally Makes Sense
Most companies look at hot desking because of the rent. Office space in johar town Lahore isn’t cheap. When half your team works from home on Mondays and Wednesdays, you’re paying for empty desks.
One of our clients, a small tech company, cut its office space from 30 desks to 18. Same team size. They just realized nobody was ever all there at once. Saved them about 40% on rent. That’s real money going back into salaries or equipment rather than into unused furniture.
For freelancers, it’s even simpler. Why pay high monthly fees for your own office when you only need a professional space twice a week? Grab a hot desk at lower rates monthly and show up when you need to.
You End Up Talking to Different People
This wasn’t something we expected when we started. With assigned desks, people form little clusters. The marketing team sits together, developers sit together, and everyone stays in their bubble.
Hot desking messes that up in a good way. I’ve seen our accountant sitting next to a graphic designer, and they ended up figuring out a billing workflow that saved both their teams’ hours every week. It would never have happened if they’d stayed in separate corners.
Sometimes it’s annoying, you should sit with your usual crew. But most days, mixing it up brings fresh perspectives. You hear about projects you didn’t know existed. Someone mentions a problem, and you realize you solved it yourself last month.
The Hybrid Work Thing
COVID changed everything. Now people work from home on Tuesday and Thursday, come in on Monday and Wednesday, and travel on Friday. Hot desking was built for this chaos.
You don’t need 100 desks for 100 employees anymore. You may need 50 or 60, because everyone’s schedule is staggered. The desk doesn’t sit empty; someone else uses it when you’re home.
Remote workers visiting from Karachi or Islamabad? They can grab a desk for the day without the company maintaining a permanent spot they’ll use twice a year.
The Hidden Side of Shared Workspaces
Here’s where people mess up hot desking: they don’t plan for the logistics.
- You need storage : People have stuff, laptops, chargers, notebooks, that lucky pen they’ve had since college. Without lockers, they’re carrying everything home daily. Gets old fast.
- The booking system matters : We’ve seen companies go with “first-come, first-served,” and it creates tension. Someone shows up at 9 AM, all the window seats are taken, and they’re grumpy all day. Simple booking app fixes this. Reserve your spot the night before.
- Cleaning is a bigger deal : When it’s your desk, you clean it when you feel like it (which might be never). Shared desks need proper cleaning between users, especially after the pandemic. Nobody wants to sit at a desk covered in someone else’s coffee rings.
- Some people genuinely hate it : And that’s fine. If your team is all in-office, all the time, hot desking might create problems it doesn’t solve. Sometimes assigned desks make more sense.
What We’ve Noticed at WorkPod
Different industries use hot desking differently. Consultants love it; they’re barely in the office anyway. Software developers are split; some like the variety, others want their monitor setup to be the same every day.
Sales teams? Perfect for hot desking. They’re out meeting clients more than they’re at desks.
Creative agencies tend to go halfway; they’ll have a few assigned desks for people who need specific setups (video editors with multiple monitors, sound designers with special equipment) and hot desks for everyone else.
The Equality Angle Which Matters Most
In traditional offices, where you sit signals your rank. Senior managers get the corner office, new hires get the desk by the bathroom. It’s subtle, but everyone feels it.
Hot desking levels that out a bit. The CEO grabs whatever desk is available, just like the intern. Doesn’t eliminate hierarchy; your job title still exists, but it removes one visible marker of it.
We’ve had company founders tell us this was a bigger culture shift than they expected. When the boss is sitting in the middle of the room rather than in a separate office, people ask questions they might not have asked before.
When Hot Desking Is a Bad Idea
Let’s talk about when this doesn’t work
- Your team needs specialized equipment that can’t move (designers with color-calibrated monitors, engineers with testing hardware)
- Everyone’s in the office every single day, you’re not saving space or money
- Your company culture values personal space and stability over flexibility
- You haven’t invested in the infrastructure (storage, booking systems, tech setup)
Don’t force hot desking just because it’s trendy. If assigned desks work for your team, keep them.
The Mess Factor
People are cleaner with shared spaces. Sounds backwards, but it’s true.
When it’s your desk, it accumulates junk. Old papers, broken pens, those promotional stress balls from a conference three years ago. The pile grows because you’ll “deal with it later.”
With hot desking, you can’t leave a mess. The following person needs that space. So people bring what they need, use it, clean up, and leave. The office stays tidier by default.
Turning Flexibility into Real Productivity
If you’re going to try hot desking
- Start small. Convert half your desks; keep the other half assigned. See what happens.
- Get a proper booking system. Doesn’t need to be fancy; even a shared Google Calendar works if your team is small.
- Invest in lockers. Seriously. This is where people cut corners and regret it.
- Set clear rules about cleaning. Provide wipes, make it easy for people to clean their space before they leave.
- Listen to feedback. If everyone hates it after three months, it may not be a good fit for your company. That’s fine.
Conclusion
Hot desking is a tool that works really well in specific situations, for hybrid teams, for mobile workers, and for companies looking to cut costs without cutting headcount.
WorkPod built our space around flexibility because that’s what businesses in Lahore actually need right now. Some days we’re packed, other days it’s quiet. Hot desking lets us handle both without wasting space.
Some people miss having their own spot. But for companies adapting to how people actually work today, mixing office days with home days, traveling more, collaborating across teams, hot desking makes a lot more sense than rows of assigned desks where half are empty at any given time.
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FAQS
Is hot desking really worth it for small teams?
Suppose your team isn’t in the office every day, absolutely. You’ll save on rent, utilities, and maintenance for desks that usually sit empty. Small teams benefit the most because they can redirect that money into growth, salaries, or better equipment.
How do people handle their stuff without a fixed desk?
Everyone needs a spot for their laptop, notebook, and a few personal things. Once you have proper storage, the “where do I put my stuff” issue disappears.
Does hot desking hurt productivity?
Only when it’s done wrong, without a booking system or clear rules, do people waste time hunting for seats or dealing with clutter. With structure, clean desks, fair booking, and good WiFi, productivity actually improves because people move around and collaborate more.
Which types of teams work best with hot desking?
Hybrid and mobile teams. Sales, consulting, marketing, and creative agencies use it most effectively. If your work requires specialized setups or fixed equipment, assigned desks are better. It’s not one-size-fits-all; it’s about matching the setup to how your people really work.