Working Remotely: Desk Booking for the New Normal

By New Era Technology - 24 Mar, 2021
Collaboration & UC
4 Minutes Read

Working Remotely: Desk Booking for the New Normal

Navigating the fear and uncertainty of remote work was a challenge many employees experienced when the pandemic began. The adoption of digital transformation became evident for professional and personal experiences. Exercise classes, birthday parties, and weddings were now possible through video collaboration tools. Reframing the concept of “work” has become a critical undertaking for employees. Before the pandemic, work was a place employees went to produce solutions requested by our global society. Cell phones and devices extended this environment, but these tools were simply a substitution for the in-office experience. Perhaps you received an email at the office, and you decide to respond to it at your desk. Or you received a task and determine it is something you couldn’t do remotely. The pandemic created an environment in which the devices that were once substitutes or aids became necessary tools. Now, the concept of working remotely is not the alternative—it’s the office that is the exception. Many companies have adapted to this reframing of work, but it leaves a challenge with the physical brick and mortar location as it is no longer the default. Many companies met this with resistance and have suffered as a consequence. Those that have succeeded have accepted and adapted to this new lifestyle. Recognizing this change, it’s essential to ask, “In what ways do we utilize the location as a tool, rather than de facto?”

Value of Desk Booking

While many digital collaboration tools have allowed teams to produce ingenious ideas, there is still a human connection trait that cannot transcend the medium of the internet. Energy feeds from two people in the same room. It’s easy to imagine sitting together in a conference room for multiple hours, brainstorming ideas with one another. However, it isn’t easy to imagine sitting on a video conference call for four hours doing the same thing. This is a point in which a physical meeting location can become valuable as it relates to productivity, also known as Desk Booking. Although the idea was around pre-COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated the need for this tool. Perhaps a team needs to meet in-person for the day. An employee could open their teams’ calendar and reserve a group of desks in a “neighborhood” at the office. Now, there is a safe location to be around your teammates for the day, with more freedom than sitting on a long video call.

Features using Desk Booking

Notifications for this event are received for that day to take a symptom screen before the meeting, allowing staff to lock the booking. Once arriving at the office, temperatures are taken, and wayfinding guides the staff member to their desk utilizing one-way paths. When remaining teammates have arrived and check-in to their desks, work can begin. Perhaps there is a need for a digital whiteboard to sketch ideas during the meeting. Via the Outlook tool, any other tools needed (digital whiteboard, camera, video conference capabilities to all in teammates who couldn’t make it, etc.) can be selected for the use of the meeting.

Additional Features include:

  • End-Meeting Time alert to allow for cleaning surfaces for next meeting
  • Notification to maintenance after the allotted number of meetings for deep cleaning
  • Illuminated panel outside the door to see available rooms
  • Analytics of Room Usage

Integration

Room booking platforms can integrate with building management systems by utilizing AI and machine learning to automate real estate usage to maximize utility usage, safety, and cost savings. These are just a few examples of how room booking platforms allow companies to transform the physical office into a powerful tool, bringing people and ideas together. New Era Technology can assist with deploying this technology and working with your team to craft what is becoming the new future workplace initiative. New Era can determine how your teams would best use space, safety, and security measures to evaluate productivity tools best suited for your team’s expertise. Companies are continually evolving, and New Era Technology can help you navigate and persevere through these changes. To learn more about Desk Booking and how New Era can assist you, please email solutions@neweratech.com.

Author: New Era Technology