New Tool Calculates How Much Businesses Can Save by Hot Desking

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• New Tool Calculates How Much Businesses Can Save by Hot Desking

16 March 2023

A new office space calculator claims that it can help organisations figure out exactly how much they can save with a hot desking arrangement.

The tool, developed by workspace management software firm OfficeMaps, uses the latest global and local public data including up-to-date info on the price of prime and sub-prime real estate in key cities all over the world. Using this data, OfficeMaps develops an estimate for calculating an organisation’s potential savings if it switched to hot desking. 

OfficeMaps CXO, Robert Wilkinson says, “Many organisations are reassessing how much space is actually needed to keep a business going. A physical location to run a business from will always be essential, but how that space is used and how much of it is required are considerations that have changed since the pandemic. 

“Hot desking is a great way to make maximum use of limited resources. As operational costs continue to increase, it’s an obvious solution to ensure businesses get their money’s worth for the rent they pay.”

Does Hot Desking Really Save Businesses Money?

Hot desking is often thought of as an effective solution to the post-pandemic change in working habits, where many choose to spend part of the week working outside of the office. Promoted as a good way to save office space whilst still providing a central hub for employees, how effective is it in saving companies money?

In February 2023, Remit Consulting recorded the week ending 27 January with a national average office occupancy of 34.3 per cent, the highest figure since the start of the firm's Return survey in May 2021. Faced with changing occupancy figures, particularly in the contact of recent industrial strike action, efficient management of office real estate is a key area for cost-saving measures.

An article from Wired.co.uk suggests that hot desking, if implemented poorly, can cost businesses more money in the long run. One survey referenced in the article found that staff waste 18 minutes a day searching for somewhere to work.

If done correctly, it could serve as a way to reduce not only office space but equipment costs and subscriptions too. According to research by Abintra Consulting, firms with 250 or more employees in England and Wales are together spending £10,158 million on unnecessary total occupancy costs, including rent, rate and other associated costs.

Picture: a photograph of a person working at a desk, smiling. The person is a wheelchair user. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 16 March 2023

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