Majority of workers don’t want to hot-desk

A new survey has revealed that the majority of workers do not want to hot-desk, preferring to have their own consistent personal space.

Unispace’s ‘Returning for Good’ study of 9,500 office workers and 6,650 employers, found that 83% of staff who currently hot-desk would be more inclined to come into the office if they had an assigned desk.

Interestingly, data shows that younger generations wanted their own space the most – 88% of those aged 18-34 said they would head into the workplace more if they had their own desk. This drops to 84% for those aged 35-44 and 71% for those over 45.

Robin Dey, Head of Client Solutions at Unispace, said, “It would appear that old habits are beginning to return to the office and people are looking to once again have their own personal space at work.

“However, it does appear that some businesses are overlooking what their people really need and the fact that almost half of firms have a hot-desking set up, despite staff showing a desire for assigned spaces, suggests there is a disconnect between employers and employees.”

Robin added, “This preference for designated individual spaces is also likely another reflection of people seeking greater elements of their home office set up in the workplace. For many, working from home means they have a dedicated area to store their work equipment and personalise to suit their needs.

“The difference across the age demographics is particularly interesting and further supports the idea that businesses are making assumptions about the desires of their employees.

“Those who make up the younger segment of the workforce are often considered to be amenable to flexibility at work, yet our study shows they have a greater desire for their own assigned desk.

“Business leaders need to ensure they’re creating office spaces that people want to use, and to do that, they first need to understand what kind of workplace that really is, without making assumptions.”

To find out more about contracting please contact Jaime on 01442 795 100 or email jaime.thorpe@dolanaccountancy.com.