By Esther Daga of Powell Software
Ensuring that your employees can adapt to hybrid working can be complicated. The Flex Desk widget from Powell Software makes it easier, allowing employees to hot-desk and book their spaces before coming into the office.
Back in March 2020, Powell Software worked hard to support our clients who had to rapidly establish new working conditions to comply with changing health regulations. At the start of the pandemic, we released a crisis communications template to help companies keep communications flowing during this rough time. Then in preparation for lockdown restrictions being lifted, our team created new functionalities to respond to our customer’s needs. Now, these features are supporting our clients as they adopt long-term remote and hybrid working. All these features are available to current and future customers.
Desk sharing at work
While early in the pandemic there was talk about the ‘end of the office‘, it looks like hybrid work will be the preferred option for most workplaces. With this move to hybrid work, « hot desking » became more popular as the workforce slowly transitioned back into the office. Instead of having one assigned space, employees share a pool of desks and reserve their place each day. To guarantee employee safety, have a clean working area, and meet social distancing regulations, hot desking is a preferred option for many organizations.
Still, switching to hot desking can be a big cultural change. One of the most important hybrid or remote working tips is to put together the right change management policy and select the right technology for your company’s needs.
Discover Flex Desk
Flex Desk is a new Powell Intranet remote working solution that allows employees to book their desks in the company office. This free desk sharing tool facilitates the return of your employees on-premises as you transition from remote working or continue to work hybrid. Through a shared office system, the tool helps companies control and optimize the use of workspaces, in a safe and clear way. Easy to install, it is available now in Powell Intranet!
Watch this video to see Flex Desk in action.
Managing Hot Desking
Flex Desk is a very simple desk-sharing tool that is connected to the company intranet. It is extremely easy to install and is available now in Powell Intranet. The tool is set up to clearly show available desks with filters by date, time, and location, like the floor or open space. Users do not require any great level of digital dexterity to use the tool.
For greater visibility, we have also included a reservation feature that displays a user’s recent bookings. This personalized functionality is useful for management and keeping employees organized. The clean dashboard enables a user to quickly see what they reserved, with a list of upcoming office bookings, cancelation options, and time slots when they do not plan to be in the office. People waste no time managing their bookings, ensuring employee productivity is not impacted.
Using our Desk Booking Software
Employees can easily book their workstation by following a few steps:
- Select the reservation duration: Select a date and time to be in the office and reserve a desk. Of course, a user is limited to dates and times when the office is open and available.
- Select desk location: Depending on the company, users can have a choice between what office floor or open space they would like to reserve a space in.
- Select the specific workstation: A map of the office space showing the available options in line with the selected filters will appear. Users can quickly see the available workspace, as the widget clearly highlights availability by color. Available options appear in color while those which are already reserved are grayed out.
How can I reserve my workspace on Flex Desk?
If you are already a Powell Intranet customer and want to implement this desk sharing feature, we’ve made it effortless. In Powell Manager, there is a dedicated site template available that you can implement at any time. The template is completely customizable and you can choose your own card design and tie it into multiple time zones if needed.
This model was designed to reserve office spaces and for desk sharing. However, it can be used in a plethora of reservation scenarios, such as employee parking reservations.
Setting your team up for remote work success can seem daunting at first. There is a lot to consider to ensure a smooth transition. Fortunately, with the right planning, your team can thrive in their remote roles.
We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you make the move to remote work.
