Desk sharing or the end of the individual office: a revolution in the workspace

The business world has changed a great deal in recent years, forcing workspaces to adapt, particularly with desk sharing.

This new organization of work is reinventing the way office space is used, to better meet the needs of agility, collaboration and the growing mobility of employees, who spend less and less time there.

Let's take a look at the desk-sharing trend, its definition, the difference with flex office, its advantages and disadvantages. Bonus: our advice on how to successfully implement it in your company.

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What is desk sharing? Definition

Desk sharing is the practice of defining a new organization of workspace, based on the sharing of desks. Employees no longer have their own workstations, and each one settles into the desk or workspace that suits them best when they arrive in the morning, with one main rule: make sure everything is clean when they leave.

For employees, it's an excellent way to break the daily routine, stimulate creativity and encourage exchanges and interaction with other teams.

Desk sharing is ideal when telecommuting is widespread in the company, or when a significant proportion of employees are regularly away from home or on customer assignments .

Desk sharing makes it possible to :

• optimize space according to actual needs;
• accelerate the digital transition;
• take into account the environmental dimension (zero paper).

Why desk sharing?

Desk sharing is an increasingly popular way of organizing work, because

• rising property prices,
• combined with the health and financial crisis
• and the widespread use of telecommuting,

has put companies in the tricky position of having to pay a high price for empty offices.

Desk sharing is therefore particularly well-suited to the current context, which has prompted companies to reorganize, even down to the layout of their premises.

The office occupancy rate in the Paris region is between 50% and 60%.

source : JDN

Flex office, desk sharing: what's the difference?

When we talk about desk sharing, we also hear a lot about flex office. But what's the difference between these two ways of organizing workspace?

Like desk sharing, flex office involves sharing offices, but goes a step further by arranging different types of space for each individual to use according to his or her needs.

What's interesting for employees is that they can choose the most suitable workspace according to the tasks they have to perform:

• a quiet space for all those moments when concentration is needed, for production tasks (writing an article, writing code, etc.) ;
• a convivial space with appropriate colors and furniture for moments of creativity and brainstorming with colleagues;
• an isolated, soundproofed area for telephone calls, so as not to disturb or be disturbed, etc.

Flex office also refers to occupying different places to work (coworking, telecommuting from home, the café, the office, etc.).

Discover other new work organizations:

• portage salarial,
• and corpoworking.

Advantages of desk sharing

As we've seen, desk sharing is particularly well suited to the needs of today's companies and their workforces. Here are the advantages

• cost savings due to space savings (rent, furniture, electricity, etc.),
• stronger team spirit thanks to working alongside people from other teams,
• increased productivity thanks to regular changes of location and environment,
• fostering collaborative work and creativity,
• enhanced employer brand,
• contributing to employees' well-being at work, etc.

💡 Tip: to facilitate the implementation of Desk Sharing, a shared space management solution such as Sharvy can be a great help! Thanks to it, support new forms of working such as Desk Sharing or Flex office and optimize the occupation of shared spaces in just a few clicks.

Disadvantages of desk sharing

Desk sharing does have a few drawbacks, however:

• the loss of reference points is difficult for some employees to grasp;
• difficulty in locating team members for collaboration;
• the impossibility of personalizing one's office can diminish the sense of belonging to the company;
• poor organization can lead to malfunctions (e.g. difficulty finding a place to work);
• the risk of breakage, theft or loss of computer equipment during transport (if no locker), etc.

Examples of desk sharing in France

While the pandemic and the widespread use of telecommuting may have encouraged some companies to take the plunge, desk sharing is not yet widely used in France, unlike in the United States or certain European countries.

Here are just a few examples of companies in France that have adopted desk sharing:

• Adidas,
• AirBnb,
• Axa,
• LeBoncoin,
• Philips,
• SNCF.

9 tips for implementing desk sharing

1. Take stock of the current (and future) situation in order to organize the reorganization and the number of places to be provided: what is the maximum office occupancy rate? What are the recruitment needs over the next few years?
   
   
2. Rely more on collective spaces and less on individual desks, by installing large tables where several people can sit together.
   
   
3. Involve employees in the design of the space, the choice of furniture, etc., to encourage their support for the project.
   
   
4. Invest in appropriate equipment and furniture (minimalist desks, laptops, etc.).
   
   
5. Equip yourself with software adapted to this mode of organization, for example for :
   • document dematerialization,
   • day-to-day collaboration,
   • instant communication.
     
     
6. Set up a rota of attendance days for teams, with each team member indicating his or her face-to-face days in advance.
   
   
7. Provide lockers with padlocks to avoid transporting equipment for those who wish to do so.
   
   
8. Establish operating rules and make sure they are respected.
   
   
9. Accompany employees and managers through the changeover to ensure a smooth transition.

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From desk sharing to flex office

Today, with the spread of telecommuting and the emergence of new ways of working (more and more meetings, project and agile working, etc.), desk sharing is gradually being adopted.), desk sharing is gradually being adopted by companies, as the occupancy rate of premises decreases from year to year.

The natural evolution of desk sharing is towards the flex office, with spaces adapted to the different needs an employee may have in a typical week, to promote working conditions and well-being.