Home topics finance finance-cash-flow Cashflow Growing Managing Cashflow Hot desking – not such a hot idea Natalie Tsirimokos April 19, 2011 ‘Hot desking’ or office sharing has become the hot thing for small businesses in Australia, but specialist recruitment consultancy, Kelly Executive, warns employers to consider both the positive and negative impacts before making such a change. The popularity of ‘hot desking’ is being driven by the obvious environmental and cost benefits. Also, the flexibility of this working arrangement can bring a new and exciting culture to a company. However, ‘hot desking’ may not be the right option for all types of businesses. Ray Fleming, General Manager, Kelly Executive said, “We are still seeing many job seekers who tend to shy away from the idea of shared workspaces. They believe they will feel less engaged with their work and although ‘hot desking’ is cost effective – a business is not just about the space and infrastructure – a large part of it is people.” ‘Hot desking’ works great in some businesses where a lot of employees are regularly on the road or working remotely but it relies on advanced IT and office systems. Mr Fleming said, “There has been a major shift towards flexible work practices over the past decade as employers have looked for new ways to attract and retain good people. The increased trend towards ‘hot desking’ is simply employers looking to reduce costs in this new operating environment. “We know the work environment is very important to