If you are considering different office options for your business/self-employment journey, you might be pretty confused at this point. A hot desk, a dedicated desk, or a private office all seem pretty tempting.
The choice between the three can be very difficult. Some people rave about hot desks, while others prefer dedicated desks. On the other hand, some believe that private offices are a perfect option. Well, according to us, there is no superior option, and all are great in their very own right. Every single arrangement has its own set of advantages/disadvantages. Taking a closer look at all three options will help you decide on the right choice per your unique needs.
Hot Desk Pros & Cons
Let’s consider hot desking. It is a free seating arrangement that allows individuals to select the workspace at any hour of the day within the shared working area of a coworking space.
Pros of Hot Desks
Benefits of hot desks include but aren’t limited to:
- Flexibility: Hot desks are a great choice if your team works remotely most of the time and occasionally gets together in an office. This is a great option as you don’t need to pay for a workstation when you are not using it. It will greatly cut down the overall cost of rent and won’t require any long-term commitments. You can access the following facilities at the fraction of the cost: desk and chair, free wi-fi, free beverages, and optional secretarial and admin services.
- Social Interaction: You and your team will get to meet people from all different backgrounds. It gives you an excellent opportunity to network with other team members.
- Minimize Mess and Clutter: The absence of a fixed workspace prevents the accumulation of clutter on the desk. It is a huge bonus.
- Disperses Hierarchy: Hot desk management works wonderfully well if your team members come from different backgrounds and have varying ages and interests. The free setting will allow your employees to mingle, socialize, and help each other.
Cons of Hot Desks
Some common disadvantages of hot desks include:
- Personal Space is Not an Option: You won’t have any dedicated space to store your belongings and experience privacy.
- Not Effective for Big Teams: Hot desking might not be effective for the biggest teams. Big companies find shared space very ineffective.
Dedicated Desks Pros & Cons
Dedicated desks are an amazing choice for freelancers and companies where teams can reserve the same workspace where they can work daily.
Pros of Dedicated Desks
Some of the major advantages of dedicated desks are:
- Access to Private/Shared Facilities: You will get to enjoy personal facilities on top of the amenities within the common area of the coworking space: private desk, private storage cabinet, Wi-Fi cable, phone line, free beverages, shared work equipment, and optional secretarial and admin services
- Offers Personal Space: Whether you are a freelancer or a team, each member will get to have their workspace. This means you can keep your valuables and worked related items locked in and won’t need to set up a workspace every single time you need to work from an office.
- Allows Personalization: You can personalize the workspace (within limits, of course). You can set up additional monitors, keyboards, and décor items to space.
- Efficient Collaboration: Your team can benefit from a dedicated desk arrangement if they need to interact frequently with each other.
Cons of Dedicated Desks
Some of the disadvantages of a dedicated desk include:
- Less Flexibility: One of the cons of being restricted to a dedicated workspace is less flexibility and room to fit their work style.
- Decreases Cross-Department Interaction: You and your team might need to make more effort to interact with teams beyond the workspace.
Pros and Cons of Private Office
A private office is a dream for many. While it has many advantages, it has some cons as well. We are going to list both below. Some of the major advantages of the private office include:
- Privacy: A private office space is great for maintaining confidentiality when it comes to work and discussions.
- Personal Atmosphere: A private office space will give you a sense of prestige and importance which is a major plus and one of the milestones you want to achieve.
- Concentration: There is a sense of quiet in a private workspace. You can have an increased sense of concentration in mind where possible.
- Absence of Noise: With private offices, you will get to have improved concentration as there will be no unnecessary noise.
- Tidy Appearance: With private offices, you can ensure that your space looks tidier and less regimented. Overcrowding or congestion can be eliminated.
- Healthy Atmosphere: Improved lighting, ventilation, heating, and cooling are available in private office space. There is no transmission of diseases from one individual to another.
Cons of Private Office
Disadvantages of private office spaces include but aren’t limited to:
- Uneconomical: A lot of space use used for partitions and corridors, which increases the costs associated with space. Moreover, the expense is higher when it comes to overall maintenance, cleaning, and décor.
- Costly Supervision: Supervision is very difficult when it comes to private offices. This means added cost of appointing supervisors, installing cameras, and more.
- Poor Natural Lighting and Ventilation: Natural flow of air and lights get interrupted due to walls and partitions. Hence, artificial lighting and ventilation are required for every single staff member. This translates to a higher cost of operation.
- Free Flow of Work: Walls and partitions will impact the free flow of work, which can be a possible con for many.
- Poor Communication: Walls and partitions can hinder the transmission of information and delay file movement.
- Inflexible: Walls/partitions can lead to a complicated and less flexible layout.
Final Takeaway
Dedicated desk, hot desk, and private office spaces all have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. We have listed them all out for you. Now you can make the right choice per your business needs and wishes. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section below, and we will get back to you.
