Hybrid Work

36 Hot Desk Booking Software to Manage Hybrid Offices (2024)

We've reviewed the 36 best and best free hot desk booking software in 2024 to manage your hybrid office and team. Check out our reviews below.

In the past few years, we have seen an enormous shift in companies' operations.

Thankfully, the traditional model of having a fixed office and employees working from that location 9 to 5, five days a week, is no longer the norm—enter the era of hybrid remote work.

According to March 2024 Stanford research, hybrid models are now the most popular, even more so than full-time models in the office. Currently, 28% of paid working days in the US are work-from-home days

Hot desk booking software helps manage hybrid offices, from simply booking desks and meeting rooms to ensuring the right people show up on the right day for optimal collaboration.

Explore our comprehensive guide on hybrid office for more insights on optimizing your workplace.

Top 13 Hot Desk Booking Software in 2024

While we often suffer from software overload, hot desk booking platforms offer a promising way to improve hybrid work and offices.

This software can enhance employee engagement and productivity while addressing office space management costs and efforts.

So which software or platform best fits your needs?

No worries! I looked at all options and highlighted each platform's pros and cons below.

This is our top 13 based on the information available in March 2024:

  1. Tactic
  2. OfficeRnD Hybrid
  3. Ofisly
  4. Skedda
  5. Deskbird
  6. Kadence
  7. Cafe
  8. Eden Workplace
  9. Envoy
  10. Smartway2
  11. Robin
  12. Condeco
  13. Officely
Looking for meeting room scheduling software instead? See our detailed guide.

1: Tactic

Best For: Companies that care about the employee experience, and want

Tactic enables your team to effortlessly navigate between in-office and remote work scenarios through its cutting-edge platform.

With Tactic, you gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools, all in one place. Your team can easily book desks, reserve meeting rooms, and stay informed about who is in the office.

Plus, Tactic provides real-time data on office space utilization, giving you valuable insights into your team's daily office usage. Experience a smarter, more efficient approach to flexible workplace management with Tactic.

Tactic is run by a team that's passionate about solving hybrid work challenges, and counts Microsoft and JLL among its customers.

Desk Booking Software Tactic
Tactic, one of the trailblazers in Desk Booking Software

Main Features:

  • Desk Booking: Tactic's Desk Booking feature allows employees to reserve individual desks in the office, ensuring they have a designated workspace when needed in a flexible and hybrid work environment.
  • Meeting Room Reservations: With Tactic's Meeting Room Reservation feature, users can easily book and manage meeting rooms, optimizing office space and ensuring efficient collaboration for teams.
  • Team Schedule: Tactic's Team Schedule feature enables teams to coordinate and visualize their work schedules, making it easier to plan and manage work tasks and meetings effectively.
  • Interactive Office Map: Tactic's Interactive Office Map provides a visual layout of the office space, allowing users to locate desks, meeting rooms, and common areas easily, streamlining navigation in a hybrid workspace.
  • Visitor Management: Tactic's Visitor Management feature simplifies the process of registering and tracking visitors to the office, enhancing security and providing a seamless experience for guests.
  • Office Reporting: Tactic's Office Reporting feature offers data insights and analytics on office space utilization and employee activity, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize office resources and improve the workplace experience.

Featured User Quote:

I analyzed several space management tools and Tactic was among the best. In addition to offering all the functions I need, the tool is also very beautiful and intuitive. I really liked the support that also responds very quickly and analyzes all our requests. Financially speaking, I liked Tactic's billing method, where we pay for spaces and not for users. - G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Starting at $2.25/desk per month

Try Tactic Desk Booking Today.

2: OfficeRnD Hybrid

OfficeRnD Hybrid is an award-winning desk booking software that offers unparalleled flexibility and efficiency for modern workplaces. 

OfficeRnD Hybrid offers many intuitive features that help you streamline workspace management, enhance productivity, and foster a collaborative, efficient office culture.

Your team members can plan their work schedules, search for colleagues in the office, and book desks near them. They can also create a list of favorite colleagues and plan their schedules so that they come to the office at the same time for collaboration. The ability to create neighborhoods for different teams or functions helps managers go beyond streamlining workspace organization and promote team synergy and productivity. 

Plus, OfficeRnD Hybrid supports both hot desking and desk hoteling. 

Desk Booking Software OfficeRnD Hybrid
OfficeRnD Hybrid

Main Features:

  • Seamless Integration and User-Friendly Experience: OfficeRnD Hybrid integrates seamlessly with Slack as well as with Microsoft and Google tech stack, providing an app-less experience. This means your teams can check desk availability and make a booking while planning their schedule in Google Calendar or discussing with colleagues in Slack. Whether through mobile, web, or integrated platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Calendar, OfficeRnD Hybrid offers a consistent and accessible booking experience from anywhere, at any time.
  • Data-Driven Insights for Optimized Space Utilization: Beyond booking desks and meeting rooms, OfficeRnD Hybrid provides valuable analytics to uncover trends in space usage. This data-driven approach enables you to optimize your workplaces, reduce real estate costs for the company, and make informed decisions about office layouts and resource allocation.

Featured User Quote:

OfficeRnD is an excellent workspace management software for both administrators and end users. Workspaces can be created and maintained easily and really fast. Updates and bug fixes are implemented on a regular basis, which is really nice. Furthermore, the customer support is really good; every question will be answered in a really short time. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: OfficeRnD Hybrid has various packages: Free plan with no limitations for up to 20 users and 20 resources. "Start" costs $199 /month for up to 150 users, "Professional" costs $399/month for up to 1000 users, and there’s a custom-priced "Enterprise" plan for tailored features and services. 

Try OfficeRnD Hybrid today.

3: Ofisly

Desk Booking Software Ofisly
Ofisly

Ofisly is an intuitive desk booking software that helps you streamline your workspace operations.

It has interactive floor plans and maps that team members can easily navigate through and find their preferred seats. They can also see who booked nearby desks, mark their favorite desks, and check in quickly using QR codes.

As someone who also works in a hybrid remote work setup, I really enjoy the hybrid scheduling feature. It allows team members to plan their workweek ahead of time, so that managers and colleagues will know whether someone is in the office, on leave, or working from home. This makes hybrid collaboration and workplace management more convenient. 

With Ofisly, you can create, customize, and set booking rules for workspaces in just a few clicks. Ofisly also provides desk booking analytics with an overview and breakdown of desk usage, helping you to better manage and allocate your space.

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface and super-easy onboarding. You can independently onboard and start using it promptly without demos and sales calls.
  • It works well on both web and mobile apps, making desk booking simple from anywhere at any time. 
  • Sync your bookings with Outlook, Google Calendar, and Slack.
  • It supports hybrid scheduling, which is very helpful for hybrid and remote teams to align their schedule and collaborate.
  • Users reported that they experienced quick and helpful client support
  • Plus, Ofisly has a simple parking booking package that helps you solve chaos, enable one-click reservations, save time, and ensure everyone never stresses about finding a parking spot again.

Cons:

  • You can only book for a half-day or a full day by default.

Featured User Quote:

“We tried out different tools before, but none of them worked well for us. They were slow, and some had weird reservation options like canceling old bookings. So, I'm happy that we finally found a solution that's user-friendly, fast, and does the main task just right.” - Vladimir L., Capterra user

Pricing:

Ofisly offers 14-day free trials with all features. Its desk booking package starts at 1.5 EUR per user/month for up to 30 desks. Other solutions (like parking booking, office management with front-desk functionalities, etc.) can be added on. 

Try Ofisly for FREE to better manage your hybrid office and schedule today!

4: Skedda

Skedda Desk Booking
Skedda Desk Booking

With its intuitive scheduling interface and many available automation rules, Skedda ranks among the top hot desk booking platforms.

The flexibility of the booking system allows you to evaluate the conference rooms and workstations at your disposal and reserve them as needed.

Booking a room in this hoteling app couldn't be more straightforward, thanks to the intuitive and completely automated user interface.

In this desk booking solution, you can check availability and make a reservation instantly by using their dynamic floor layouts.

One of our favorite UI features is the time-of-day range-slider that informs you of when your preferred option will become available again.

Pros

  • The platform's user interface is organized and straightforward, making finding and reserving available desk space simple.
  • Automation tools make client booking and payment processing easier and faster, saving time and effort.
  • The comprehensive analytics data may glean insights into the available workspaces' popularity and frequency of use.
  • Skedda is voted ‘Best Support’ on G2, and customers say their friendly, fast, and knowledgeable team is always ready to help.

Cons

  • Despite the extensive personalization options in Skedda's room and desk reservation system, first-time users may have a learning curve.
  • Skedda's flexible pricing structure might make it more challenging to predict costs compared to predetermined plans from competing hot desking software vendors.

Featured User Quote

Skedda is saving us time. In the past we have used google and outlook calendars, as well as Excel sheets which are manually updated which took up a lot of admin time. Skedda allows my staff to book their own spaces and allows me to monitor and report on statistics which feed into budget management as well as increasing/decreasing spaces. Skedda has saved nearly a full time earner's job and allowed us to use that resource elsewhere. – G2 Reviewer in Enterprise (> 1000 employees)

Pricing: Skedda has a free plan, while the pro version costing $99 and up monthly.

5: deskbird

Deskbird Hot Desk Booking Software
Deskbird Hot Desk Booking Software

Deskbird, one of the few vendors in this list from Europe, is a versatile and intuitive hot desk booking software that facilitates the reservation of desks, meeting rooms, parking spots, and other resources for employees with convenience.

This desk reservation app also lets you see which coworkers are in on which days, and what events could make it worth going to the office for.

Deskbird's other notable feature is its ability to seamlessly integrate with various calendar programs, communication tools, and active directory systems, streamlining the integration process into your current workflow.

Pros

  • Multiple booking methods, including a web platform, mobile app, and integration with Microsoft Teams and Slack
  • Incognito bookings for added privacy and security, unique for desk reservation software
  • Real-time analytics and utilization metrics for better workspace optimization
  • Multiple integrations with popular calendar programs and communication tools
  • Dedicated zones and access restriction options for more control over office space

Cons

  • Limited customization options compared to some other hot desk booking software

Featured user quote:

We have been using Deskbird since May 2022 and use both room booking and weekly planning. From our point of view, it makes no sense to use the products individually. They are so well interlinked that the combination of both provides a strong efficiency boost in room allocation, which in our opinion is the only economical use of the tool. Here, the costs are very moderate and absolutely justified for the benefit that one achieves through Deskbird in hotdesking. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Deskbird starts at $1.80 per user.

6: Kadence

Kadence
Kadence

Kadence offers a comprehensive desk booking software solution tailored to the needs of modern workplaces. Kadence stands out as a versatile platform for managing your teams and spaces, focusing on boosting team productivity and optimizing workspace utilization. One notable feature of Kadence is its advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, which allow organizations to gain insights into workspace usage patterns and employee space booking trends to make informed decisions.

Pros

  • Dedicated 1:1 Hybrid Consultant Expert help with hybrid work models
  • Boost team productivity with AI-powered Scheduling and Booking Suggestions to help your teams connect in the right places
  • Versatile Mobile and Web platforms with full Microsoft Teams and Slack integrations for complete booking and coordination flexibility
  • Thorough past, present, and future space and booking analytics for accurate space utilization data reporting

Cons

  • The visitor management system is not as advanced as others'.

Featured user quote

We have reduced the size of our Office by half and this is enabling effective management of space in a Hybrid fashion. Having created dynamic working spaces that is very different from a fixed desk structure, the Kadence tool enables a much more dynamic environment. Feedback from the teams are that they like being able to see who is working and meet up with colleagues.

Pricing: Kadence costs $2-4 per user per month.

7: Cafe

Cafe Desk Booking
Cafe Desk Booking

Cafe is a hot desk booking software that offers a user-friendly platform for managing office resources and workspace reservations.

Its focus on simplicity, ease of use, and the upbeat makes Cafe one of the best desk booking software for employee-centric companies.

One notable feature of Cafe is its ability to customize booking rules and policies, allowing organizations to tailor the platform to their specific needs.

Cafe has also been on the forefront of keeping hybrid teams connected, by allowing companies to upload event and activities, start and manage communities, and more. This is something quite unheard of in an office desk booking system.

Cafe fits well with employee-centric startups and scaleups, but also counts Capgemini, Deloitte, and Volkswagen among its customers.

Pros

  • User-friendly platform with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
  • Allows customization of booking rules and policies, providing flexibility to adapt to unique requirements.
  • Facilitates efficient office space management and resource reservations.
  • Cafe makes it social with features to see when your colleagues are in, events and activities, and communities.

Cons

  • Cafe's feature set may be relatively basic compared to more comprehensive hot desk booking solutions for larger companies.
  • Limited integration options with other tools and systems, although I often see the Cafe team launch new features.

Featured user quote:

Café helps us reconnect people with each other in a hybrid work organisation, but also to achieve a corporate project that aims to redefine the fundamentals of working better with our time and teamates. We have observed undeniable benefits, people take more pleasure in coming back to the office knowing who's going to be there. We were also facing the problem of large attendance on the same day, which could cause space problems, Café helped us to spread everyone's attendance over the week. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Cafe is free to use up to a certain level, after which professional plans are available.

8: Eden Workplace

Eden Workplace
Eden Workplace

Eden Workplace is a comprehensive platform that offers various modules for desk booking, room scheduling, visitor management, and more.

The user-friendly hotdesking software interface is well-organized, with real-time updates that ensure accurate booking information.

Eden helps people avoid manual check-ins by allowing them to automatically  check-in for your office based on their location.

Uniquely compared to other vendors on this list, their ticketing system allows easy collaboration and resolution of HR, IT, and facilities requests.

Pros

  • Eden Workplace has modular pricing options, allowing businesses to choose only the needed services.
  • Emphasizes safety and compliance with transparent visitor management and automated delivery systems

Cons

  • Some employees may require training to use the platform effectively, leading to a potential learning curve.

Featured user comment

Eden makes it easy to pull reports on who's coming into the office daily and get a monthly gauge of the office activity. Because we have more desks than employees, there are many times when we don't have space for everyone to come in. With Eden, employees can check out the app and figure out if they can book a reservation. We don't ever run into an issue anymore where someone will come in and not have a desk to sit at. – G2 Verified User in Publishing Mid-Market (51-1000 employees.)

Pricing: Eden used to charge per location, but now charges $2.25 / Desk / Month with a 25-desk minimum.

9: Envoy

Envoy
Envoy

Envoy is an older hot desk booking system, having its roots in visitor management, but pivoting during COVID-19.

The platform is a comprehensive solution designed to enhance workplace management by providing tools for visitor registration, desk booking, and meeting room reservations.

As the desk booking app features were built on top of the visitor management platform, it's not the most intuitive or modern platform out there, but for larger companies Envoy still seems good enough to not switch vendors.

Like most, Envoy integrates with popular calendar apps and communication tools, ensuring seamless adoption into existing workflows.

Beyond that, user reviews highlight the following benefits:

Main Features:

  • User-Friendly and Efficient: Customers widely praise Envoy for its ease of use, both from an administrative and a user perspective. The tool's interface, notably on the iPad, is user-friendly and customizable, significantly enhancing the visitor experience.
  • Visitor Management: Users highlight its ability to digitize and automate visitor registration workflows as a critical strength. Users appreciate how it simplifies the process of tracking who is entering and exiting the building, which is particularly valuable for managing office space.
  • Mobile App Functionality: The mobile app allows for easy sign-in and booking of desks, which is particularly useful in office environments employing a hoteling system post-pandemic.
    The app's simplicity and the ability to easily configure and manage employee access add to its appeal.  
  • Integration with Other Systems: Envoy integrates well with other office management systems, offering a comprehensive solution for tracking and managing office visitors and desk bookings.
    This integration capability allows for a more streamlined and effective office management experience. The tool's ability to capture visitor numbers and provide transparent reporting is also highly valued, enabling better office space utilization​​​​.

Featured user quote:

Envoy Visitors is solving problems related to COVID screening and ensuring that those coming into work have not been in close contact with someone with COVID or have not contracted COVID themselves. It is been beneficial in ensuring that our organization can create a safe and healthy work environment for our employees. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Envoy charges companies $3 and up per user per month.

Try Envoy desk booking software for free.

10: Smartway2

Smartway2
Smartway2

Smartway2 is a desk and conference room booking app that helps employees reserve the workspace they need.

Beyond resources like hot desks and conference rooms, Smartway2 also offers parking places and other equipment before arriving at the office.

To support hybrid teams, employees can see when most of their team will be in the office, and book for the same day.

This desk reservation platform also integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Office 365, as well as offerings a mobile function for booking on the move.

Administrators get access to a range of analytics that help them understand how their rooms, desks & other resources are being used, and take action based on these insights.  

Pros

  • You can easily reserve a room using your Outlook Calendar and see whether your coworkers can meet in person.
  • Robust rules engine and sanitation scheduling help businesses prioritize employee health and employer safety.

Cons

  • Pricing information is only accessible upon request.

Featured user quote

We were attempting to schedule several large offices to avoid crowding with constrained space and elevator demand and keep our large team of people happy and motivated by adapting to their new normal - sometimes working from home - schedules. We have achieved all that and more. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: There is no public pricing for Smartway2

11: Robin

Robin
Robin

Robin, also known as Robin Powered, is another platform, like Envoy, that pivoted during COVID, and built features to book a desk on its original product of meeting room bookings.

For this reason, the Robin desk booking product isn't the most user-friendly out there, but it fits the needs of companies who were already on the platform.

The Robin booking system lets employees book meeting rooms and desks with ease and also enables them to see where their colleagues are.

Robin Powered is one of the few platforms that have embraced AI in the Workplace, which it uses to provide personalized recommendations on when to come to the office and which space to book for which meeting.

Numerous companies worldwide use Robin, including Autodesk, Mailchimp, and Tripadvisor.

The Robin software additionally provides tools and insights to allow organizations to manage the employee experience effectively.

Pros

  • Robin room booking provides real-time data on the availability of resources, allowing for quick bookings and schedule changes.
  • Offers detailed analytics to help businesses understand how their workspace is used.

Cons

  • The mobile app can be challenging to work with.

Featured user quote

Our office has more staff than desks, so using Robin to allow staff to book their desk before they come into the office is useful so we are not over capacity

Pricing: Robin doesn't list public pricing.

12: Condeco

Condeco
Condeco

If you're an enterprise using Windows and looking for a hot desking solution, go no further than Condeco.

Condeco offers desk booking, meeting room booking, and workplace design with a focus on more traditional companies.

Fixed, flexible, and bookable workspaces are all supported by the system so that employees may select the option that best suits their needs.

A graphic map is available on their website, mobile app, and Outlook, making it simple to reserve a room. Users may also reserve parking spots and create collaborative communities for their teams.

Pros 

  • Compatible with over 15 different applications
  • Allows efficient reservation of available workstations in real time
  • One of the oldest platforms in the industry, having big companies like Pepsi as its customers

Cons

  • Condeco pricing starts at $45 per user. Larger companies with many employees may incur higher costs.
  • It's designed for older, less tech-savvy users, and the interface reflects this.

Featured user quote

We moved to hot-desking recently since going back into the office, and condeco has allowed for us to do this pretty seamlessly. All our shared spaces are visible visually, through the booking grid, using calendar features, and helps to find colleagues. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Condeco doesn't have public pricing available.

13: Officely

 Officely for Slack
Officely for Slack

Designed to assist organizations in managing their shared spaces, Officely is a cloud-based hot desk booking software with several valuable features and connectors. Officely's interface with Slack is a notable feature that allows customers to see real-time updates on office availability and personnel locations. This is an excellent tool for companies with hybrid workforces who must communicate and collaborate with employees in different places.

Pros 

  • Provides individualized health questionnaires in reservations 
  • Offer a safe method of recording data and keeping track of workers' activity to track down any stray contracts

Cons

  • Officely is more expensive than other hot desk booking software choices, with pricing beginning at $2.50 per user per month.

Featured user quote:

Officely gives great visibility over our offices and capacity planning as well, I love the invite function and also the daily reminders of who is in tomorrow. We've used other desk booking software and they weren't any where near as easy as this is. – G2 Reviewer

Pricing: Officely has a free plan, after which pro plans start at $2.50 per user per month.

23 More Hot Desk Booking Software in 2024

You may find that the options above aren't enough to find your perfect platform, or you may want to explore more alternatives.

Good news: almost every day, new and updated hot desking platforms pop up so you can find your perfect match.

If the top 13 isn't right for you, consider one of the following software platforms:

  • Accordant: A cloud-based hot desk booking platform that offers a variety of features, including space management, booking, and analytics.
  • Advanced Workplace Analytics: A workplace analytics platform that can be used to track hot desk usage and make data-driven decisions.
  • AppSpace: A workplace management platform that offers a hot desk booking feature.
  • Breeze: A mobile-friendly hot desk booking platform that allows users to book desks and rooms on the go.
  • Flexy.ai: A hot desk booking platform that uses AI to optimize desk usage and improve employee experience.
  • Clearooms: A hot desk booking platform that specializes in shared workspaces.
  • Deskfound: A simple desk booking tool that encourages your team to connect at the office. 
  • DeskBooking: A hot desk booking platform designed for the education sector.
  • Deskspace: A hot desk booking platform that is designed for the healthcare industry
  • Desktime: A time tracking and productivity app offering a hot desk booking feature.
  • DeskSpace: A hot desk booking platform that focuses on flexibility and collaboration.
  • DeskWhere: A hot desk booking platform that uses geofencing to track user location and make desk bookings more accurate.
  • eDesk: A hot desk booking platform that integrates with other workplace management systems.
  • Hot Desk Booking: A simple and affordable hot desk booking platform.
  • Litespace: A booking platform that optimizes the employee experience with AI.
  • Office Space Manager: A hot desk booking platform designed for small businesses.
  • Othership: software for hybrid and remote working that also lets you book coworking space outside the office.
  • PlanoDesk: A hot desk booking platform that offers a variety of features, including space management, booking, and analytics.
  • ResDesk: A hot desk booking platform designed for the hospitality industry.
  • RoomBooking: A hot desk booking platform that specializes in meeting rooms.
  • Scoop: A hot desk booking platform allowing users to book desks and rooms in real-time in Slack.
  • SwipedOn: A hot desk booking platform that uses RFID technology to make desk bookings more secure.
  • Tribeloo: A hot desk booking platform designed for the creative industries.
  • UnSpot: A hot desk booking platform that uses artificial intelligence to optimize desk usage.
  • YAROOMS: A hot desk booking platform that offers a variety of features, including space management, booking, and analytics.
  • Zapier: An automation platform that can be used to integrate hot desk booking platforms with other systems.
  • Zudesk: A hot desk booking platform that is designed for large enterprises.

Choosing the best software for you

These hot desk booking platforms offer diverse functionalities to enhance hybrid workforce management. They share the common goal of optimizing office space utilization and fostering collaboration. The elements that set them apart will help you choose which software fits you best:

Workflow Integration:

  • Some platforms prioritize seamless integration with existing tools and systems, such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Outlook, enhancing user convenience and workflow efficiency.

Modular Pricing and Safety Emphasis:

  • Specific platforms offer modular pricing options, allowing you to choose your required services. They also emphasize safety and compliance through transparent visitor management and health policy reviews.

Intuitive User Interface and Automation:

  • Platforms in this category stand out with user-friendly interfaces, automated booking processes, and comprehensive analytics. This approach simplifies reservation while providing insights into workspace usage.

Hybrid Work Adaptability:

  • Some platforms focus on adaptability to hybrid work models, offering connectors with popular applications like Outlook and Office 365. These platforms aim to streamline desk and room reservations for employees working in different locations.

Real-time Data and Insights:

  • These platforms differentiate themselves by providing real-time data on resource availability, enabling effective workspace management, and enhancing the employee experience.

Interactive Office Maps and Coordination:

  • Platforms offering interactive office maps help streamline coordination among hybrid teams, enabling employees to view each other's schedules and plan meetings more efficiently.

Simplicity and Integration:

  • These platforms emphasize straightforward user interfaces and easy integration with tools like Active Directory or G-Suite, making adoption smoother for users and administrators.

Comprehensive Workspace Support:

  • Specific platforms offer a comprehensive approach, supporting various workspace types and integrating with multiple applications to meet the needs of diverse hybrid work setups.

Real-time Updates and Communication:

  • Platforms in this group stand out by integrating with communication tools like Slack, providing real-time updates on office availability and employee locations to facilitate effective communication in hybrid environments.

These groups of differences highlight the strengths and focus of each hot desk booking platform, allowing you to choose the one that best aligns with your specific needs and goals. Your company size, industry, how tech-savvy your teams are, and many other facts will all influence your decision.

Why is desk booking software important?

Recent Stanford research shows that most companies are asking teams to come in 2-3 days per week, as hybrid work is proving to be the best solution for companies and their people. According to other remote work statistics, hybrid work boosts motivation, engagement, productivity, and retention.

At the same time, executing hybrid work well means that beyond improving leaders' remote team management skills, companies also need to think about how to neatly balance in-office and remote time spent, who comes in on which days, and what happens on those days.

When it comes to managing a hybrid workforce, one of the difficulties is determining how to allocate desk space effectively. We all want to avoid asking people to return to the office to find out there's no space to do work.

Hot desking can facilitate a more fluid and cooperative work environment by letting employees reserve desks, conference rooms, and other resources on demand.

The hot desk booking apps discussed in this article go beyond just booking desks. They also allow you to track attendance to inform schedule improvements, meetings, and events. Finally, they assign tasks and projects while boosting team collaboration and engagement.

What Is Hot Desk Booking Software?

So what is hot desk booking software? In short, desk booking software allows people to reserve desks, meeting rooms, and other workspaces in hybrid offices with fewer desks than the total number of employees using them.

In the hybrid work model people can work remotely and come to the office whenever needed or during fixed (team) days as captured in your hybrid working policy.

By leveraging hot desk software, hybrid and remote managers can efficiently manage office spaces and cultivate a flexible, collaborative work atmosphere.

Hot desk booking software has become crucial in optimizing office resource utilization, something most companies need to do now that hybrid remote work has become mainstream. Its benefits are particularly evident when accommodating impromptu meetings or events without disrupting the regular workday flow.

Besides matching people and desks, this software solution often offers real-time availability checks, streamlined booking and cancellation management, comprehensive reporting, and analytics functionalities.

A new generation of this kind of software also focuses on the 'why' of people in the office and helps facilitate the right people being together in person at the right time.

Why Do You Need a Desk Booking System?

Desk booking systems provide organizations with a convenient and flexible way to manage their workspace and accommodate the changing needs of their employees. Let's find out why you need a desk booking system for your workspace and what it can actually do for your workspace:

Fulfill Employees' Post-Pandemic Expectations

As an employer, you must be concerned about your employees' new expectations about their work environment when they return. The desk booking system can help organizations fulfill employees' expectations for the new work environment by providing greater flexibility, communication and collaboration, health and safety, comfort, and increased productivity.

Accommodate a Hybrid Working Model

A desk booking system is a perfect tool for managing hybrid workplaces. It allows employees to reserve a desk or workstation in advance, either in the office or remotely. This provides greater flexibility for employees who may need to work from home or come into the office on different days while allowing you to manage your office space, available desks, and costs more efficiently. This empowers employees and makes a company more appealing to prospective employees.

Benefits of Desk Booking Software

A desk booking system offers a wide range of benefits for both employees and employers. If you are still skeptical about using it, here are some key benefits of the desk booking system that will convince you to use it:

Optimize Space Utilization

In most offices, many workspaces are occupied unnecessarily, even if the people don't need them. With a desk booking system, employees only reserve a desk when they actually need it. A desk booking system helps optimize desk space utilization in a shared office environment. With a desk booking system in place, an employee can easily find and reserve a workspace, reducing the amount of unoccupied desk space and maximizing the use of available resources.

Flexible Work Arrangements

The trend towards more flexible work arrangements, including remote work and flexible hours, has increased the demand for desk booking systems. In a Gallup Poll, 37% of the employees said they are willing to leave their current work in a more flexible work environment. By using a desk booking system, employees can reserve a desk or workspace, regardless of location and schedule, which increases flexibility and helps ensure they have a place to work when needed.

Increased Collaboration

Desk booking systems can also facilitate collaboration between employees by enabling them to book workspaces near their colleagues or in specific areas of the offices. Desk booking systems allow employees to see which desks are available at a given time, making it easier to reserve a space near their team for a more organized work schedule. For example, if they need to work on a big project with their team, they can use a desk booking system to book a space without interruption.

Cost Effectiveness

The desk booking system can help organizations save on real estate costs by optimizing desk space and reducing the number of unoccupied desks. It helps make every desk or workstation available to all employees, so more space will be well-spent. By monitoring occupancy rates and managing workspace size, the desk booking system will enable you to save on maintenance and incidental costs.

Improving health and safety

With the COVID-19 Pandemic, health and safety concerns have become a top priority for many organizations. With a desk booking system in place, businesses can easily manage the number of people in the office at any given time, which can help to reduce overcrowding and ensure that social distancing guidelines are being followed to improve health and safety conditions.

Are there Free Hot Desk Booking Apps I can use?

Yes, there are great options for free hot desk booking apps.

Many of the options above have free plans, at least up to a certain amount of employees, including Envoy, Skedda, Cafe, and Officely (up to 10 employees.)

If you don't mind putting in a bit more work, there's also a free way to manage hot desks in Microsoft Teams.

Lastly, we have our comprehensive guide on hybrid office for more insights on optimizing your workplace and running a hybrid office like a pro.

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