Desk sharing vs flexible office

The occupancy rate of workplaces has dropped drastically in recent years, dropping from 80 to 60% face-to-face. The pandemic crisis, which has largely democratized telework, portends the advent of new flexible working methods within companies. Results ? Flex office (flexible office) and desk sharing (shared office) were born. What is the difference between flex office and desk sharing? Witco reveals the great advantages of these types of organizations.

What differentiates desk sharing from flex office?

These two forms of organization take place in open spaces and make it possible to rethink employee mobility and the occupation of spaces in the workplace.

The main idea ?

• Allow 100% flexibility at work to give more space to common areas,
• Reduce costs per workstation,
• Stimulate creativity / autonomy,
• Encourage team cohesion.

The flex office was born first, in connection with the rise of teleworking and third places. If employees are no longer in the office on a daily basis, then many "desks" remain vacant. We can then reduce the number of places available each day and favor common areas, for example. In this model, the collaborator can choose each day to settle on a new office.

For a long time governed by the “first come, first served” policy, this mode of operation is now based on digital solutions to better manage reservations and limit friction for the teams.

Depersonalization, sudden nomadism... Voices have been raised against the flex office, giving way to a new organization: desk sharing. This mode of operation is generally operated by team and makes it possible to assign the same office, fixed, to several people. A way to gradually change working methods while keeping one's bearings. This is what many companies are starting to apply, especially since the post-crisis return to the office... But then, how do you choose between the two?

A flexible organization of work

Choosing your intra-office mode of operation is a real challenge for managers today as the two have similar advantages.

• The flex office makes it possible, in a unique way, to create a mix of employees to bring out a strong corporate culture (employees from different teams who do not know each other can exchange views when s next to or in the common sspaces

• For its part, desk sharing allows teams to adapt in particular (without involving such a radical change of neighbors or spaces: they remain essentially the same and the adaptation time for each employee is therefore shorter) and an advantage in terms of confidentiality (only the teams concerned meet together to deal with confidential company matters).

Which one would you choose? Tell us in comments.

What if you are looking for digital solutions to this challenge? At Witco, we offer an “all-in-one” application where occupants can enjoy an excellent experience within their workspace. It is also an essential tool for new managers, who will manage their spaces through easy navigation.

To learn more, schedule a demo today with our team!