The pandemic has changed many things about our daily lives, including the way we work.
Hybrid and home working formats are starting to replace the traditional 9-to-5 office arrangement, and increasing numbers of business owners and freelancers are joining coworking facilities instead of buying or renting their own office space.
However, when choosing a coworking space, many creatives and entrepreneurs might find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether they should choose to rent a hot desk or a dedicated desk.
In truth, each format comes with its own array of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some the key differences between them.
What is a dedicated desk?
A dedicated desk is a workspace in a co-working facility that can be reserved for one individual to use every day.
Unlike with a hot desk, your dedicated desk will always be waiting for you and nobody else will be able to step in and use it when you’re not there. It allows you to experience the stability and comfort of working in the same place every day, but still enjoy the variety and energy of a co-working space.
Here at Cloud Spaces, our cubicles, bubbles and dedicated desks are all available to rent by the month and they all come with full access to all our facilities including meeting rooms, co-working lounges and café.
Advantages of dedicated desks:
● Sense of personal space – Dedicated desks allow professionals to maintain a sense of privacy and personal space while they work. Members at Cloud Spaces have their own comfortable, tidy and personalised area, and they are able to create a desk set up and arrangement that suits them perfectly. This allows people to focus on their work with no distractions.
● Personalisation - Those who rent a dedicated desk or office are free to kit it out with their own stationary, and personal items, and there’s no pressure to pack everything up at the end of the day. Members are encouraged to bring in accessories such as their own desk chair cushions or laptop stands, and even leave photographs, plants or decorations on their desk to help them feel more at home in their workspace. Feeling comfortable in a workspace is very important, and having a personalised dedicated desk is shown to really help professionals improve their productivity levels.
● Familiar working environment – Some people find that homeworking doesn’t suit them because they miss the buzz of an office environment and the sense of routine it creates. Fortunately, a dedicated desk brings the same stability of an office, and allows professionals to have a consistent working space that is totally separate to their home life and personal life.
● Convenient working arrangement – We encourage our dedicated desk users to leave their equipment, books and stationery at their stations so they can use them the following day. This stops them having to lug heavy bags to your car and back every day, and saves time on setting up every morning.
● Comprehensive facilities – As mentioned above, dedicated desks at Cloud Spaces include a whole range of coworking amenities such as:
- High-speed Wi-Fi
- Access to the co-working lounge, café and washrooms
- Reception assistance
- Invitations to regular events and workshops
- The option of hiring board rooms, meeting rooms and a state-of-the-art photography studios
Disadvantages of dedicated desks:
● Less flexibility – Professionals can’t choose where they work each day. Therefore, if the workstations they are assigned to don’t suit their work style or the tasks they are focusing on, productivity may diminish as a result.
What is a hot desk in a coworking space?
A hot desk, also known as a flexi desk, is a space in a coworking facility that can be used by anyone. It cannot be reserved and it is instead secured on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Hot desks can be utilised for a matter of minutes/hours or a whole day, depending on each individual’s needs and requirements.
Advantages of hot desks:
● Increased flexibility – A hot desk setup suits those who have a random and varied routine where they maybe only want to work in an office a couple of days a week, or even a month. In this case, there’s no need to have a dedicated desk reserved every day. Instead, you can simply pop in and pay to use a hot desk on the days you need it.
● Reduced costs – As mentioned above, a hot desk arrangement means you only have to rent a desk for yourself on the days they are needed, instead of seven days a week. This can therefore help reduce expenditures.
● More variety – Hot desking suits those who easily get bored of a set routine and feel refreshed and invigorated when working in different environments. For instance, at Cloud Spaces, members can choose to work in a variety of bright and welcoming coworking lounges, or in the café.
● Less clutter – Not having a permanent desk makes it harder for employees to accumulate stacks of papers, and piles of clutter that can hinder productivity and distract from the tasks at hand.
● Opportunities for collaborations – Renting a hot desk or a flexi desk at Cloud Spaces lets professionals work alongside the region’s most innovative creative talents. Our workspaces are designed to encourage conversations and collaborations, and this has the potential to open up so many new and exciting opportunities and business connections.
Disadvantages of hot desks:
● Unpredictability – With hot desking, you can find that your favourite workstations are all taken on some days, and that none of your fellow team members or friends are present to keep you company on others.
● Difficulties with equipment – If your computer, keyboard or workstation equipment is awkward to transport or time consuming to set up, carrying it in and out of the office several times a week may become tiresome.
● Disrupted routines – For people who relish having a daily routine and value their personal space, hot desking and being around different people and surroundings can throw them off balance and disrupt their creative processes.
● No privacy – When working at a hot desk, you will find yourself surrounded by people from a range of different businesses. So, if you want a quiet environment to discuss something confidential or important with just your team, we recommend booking one of our meeting rooms.
As you can see, there are multiple benefits to dedicated desks and hot desks.
However, we find that our dedicated desks strike the perfect balance between stability and spontaneity. With our memberships, you know that a comfortable, private and personalised working area will always be waiting for you, and that you are still free to enjoy all the social elements and collaboration opportunities offered by our dynamic co-working environment.
If you’re looking into coworking spaces in Abu Dhabi, take a look at memberships and day passes at Cloud Spaces.