Where’s Wally? 5 different ways of using hot-desking and floorplans in your coworking and flex spaces

In the last couple of years, the coworking and flex workspaces industry experienced major disruption due to the global pandemic. Though the market went through challenging times, it’s been also an opportunity to invest in new services, technology that helps to automate processes and also to recognise that the added value these flex workspaces provide can’t be easily replaced by remote work. Indeed, the 2020 Future of Work Report found that 71.5% of those who sed coworking spaces before the pandemic planned to return, while 54.9% of remote workers who didn't previously use coworking said they would consider joining such a space in the future as a solution to remote work.  

A core feature of coworking and flex workspaces is how they nurture their communities of members and encourage collaboration despite users not necessarily working for the same company. 

One of the challenges that came up during the pandemic was the necessity of booking desks within the spaces in advance, mostly because of H&S reasons. More than a year since we launched our floorplans’ feature has passed and it’s been great to hear all the feedback and to learn more about how the future workplace will look like after the pandemic. 

Users can book desking using floorplans on any device

We believe that workplace management software or any other tool should be flexible enough to adapt to uncertain times, new challenges as well as embrace new opportunities that come along the way. In the last year, we’ve seen floorplans being used to great effect in managing desks in coworking and flex workspaces. Here are the main ones:  

1. Limiting capacity

In many countries, three are still restrictions in place limiting capacity and requiring social distancing. Making use of desk booking management systems can ensure your space remains safe and compliant with these rules. For example, Nexudus floorplans allow you to limit the capacity on each floor, which ensures your space does not become overcrowded. 

2. Internal team bookings 

Floorplans are a fantastic tool for teams to use, allowing them to book a group of desks close to one another if they wish. You can even assign specific desks to contacts within the Nexudus Admin Panel. 

3. More detailed reporting

Understanding how members use your space is an important aspect of running any workspace. Floorplans and desk management tools allow you to view in real-time how users behave in your space and give a fascinating insight into any improvements that could be made.

Nexudus Automation tiles are a great way to reduce touchpoints in your space

4. Check-in / check-out 

Having effective cleaning protocols is as important now as it has ever been, particularly in a space that uses hot desking. Tools such as Nexudus Automation Tiles allow users to check-in and out of desks, letting you know exactly when they were last used. This will allow you to employ effective hygiene measures, making sure desks are sanitized before they are used by someone else. 

5. Who’s where?

One of our recent updates is focused on helping operators to foster a sense of community in their coworking and flex workspaces. Namely, this update allows the floorplan view in the Members’ Portal to show who has booked each desk or meeting room. While this might seem like a small change, it can go a long way to encouraging collaboration and camaraderie amongst your members.

With this update, members will be able to see where their peers are sitting and working, making it easier not just for teams to collaborate, but also simplifying how members interact with each other as well. This is an optional feature and will not automatically be implemented. For details on how to apply this update, check out the article in our Knowledge Base. 

See exactly where users are working with our latest floorplans update

Let’s imagine for example one of your members is searching for a peer to discuss an issue with. If they are unable to locate them or don’t know where they are sitting, they might be roaming around your space for some time, potentially coming into contact with a large number of people on their search. This update to the Members’ Portal will allow them to immediately find the location of the person they are looking for, by simply checking the space’s floor plan directly from the Members’ Portal.

The future of coworking and flex workspaces lies, in part, in technology that can improve efficiency while, at the same time, providing a first-rate tenant experience. Ultimately, while technology can help, nothing can replace enjoying a coffee with a coworker in one of the amazing spaces out there!

Many of the changes we implement are inspired directly by communication and discussions with you all. So, please do get in touch and let us know what you think. If you have any suggestions of how we could improve the platform get in contact with us at: support@nexudus.com. 

We can’t wait to hear from you!