Hot desking is making a comeback of sorts in today's office environment – a trend I’m sorry to see happen. Around since the late 1980s/early 1990s, hot desking can help companies reduce overhead costs and result in smaller office footprint requirements, especially if not all workers are regularly in attendance at the same time.

Hot desking “mobilizes” employees to different workstations on a daily basis, where they “share” the office furniture, including desks, chairs, phones, etc. And because the workspace location assignments change regularly, at the end of each shift laptops and other personal items are stored off-hours in locker rooms.

Yes there are definite benefits, especially for companies that can function with virtual offices and meeting rooms — Regus says it services 800,000 customers on a daily basis. But for many, like myself, it may not be the best workplace/workspace solution.

Where's Waldo Working Today?
The idea of checking a list each morning to determine my cubicle number or find which “color” area I’ve been assigned to for the day, then having to schlep my items, adjust my office chair, reset the phone to sync with my location, reorganize my files, etc. each morning, does not seem like an efficient use of my time. In addition, studies have also shown that the constant movement inherent in hot desking reduces the amount of collaboration between workers while eliminating any sense of “personalization” (i.e., pictures) at the office. And forget about creating any feng shui/yin yang in your personal office space — not with the constant upheaval in your desk location.

So call me old-fashioned, but hot desking is not for me. What about you? Does your company hot desk? Share your thoughts on the practice.

Read more of Karen's blogs.

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