Employers who try to reduce jobs overheads by expecting employees to 'hot desk' are practicing false economy, according to a recruitment expert.
'Hot desking' refers to the practice where employees are not allocated a particular desk but change workspace according to their needs on a particular day, and is becoming an increasingly popular way of working among UK businesses.
The increased use of laptops and wireless internet connections has facilitated hot desking, which is tempting for companies paying high rents for centrally-located offices who then see desks fall empty when employees are out visiting clients.
However, it is false economy according to Jonny Cainer at marketing recruitment agency Marketing Professionals as workers often do not enjoy this kind of itinerant working style.
"Hot-desking has become very popular in recent years in both the public and private sector," Mr Cainer told onrec.com.
"However, I've found that staff resent not knowing who they'll be sitting next to from one day to the next. It doesn't help to create a team spirit or corporate culture and makes many employees feel isolated and under-valued.
"Although hot-desking cuts costs in the short term, it can have a negative effect on staff morale."
Hot-desking is particularly common in call centres and in the financial services sector. British Airways, Easyjet and IBM have all taken up the practice recently.
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