How often do you need to be in the office to claim a desk?

Australia Broadcast Center

02-06-2025

If you work in an office, you may be doing it already.
Hot-desking is the norm in workplaces across the country, usually open-plan offices.
But our office etiquette doesn't always reflect how normal hot-desking and open-plan offices have become, according to Natsha Hawker, the managing director of a human resources and recruitment service on Gadigal land in Sydney.
Paula Brough is an organisational psychology professor at Griffith University in Brisbane/Meanjin and says hot-desking has been increasing across all sectors since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Brough says hot-desking evolved from the popularity of open-plan offices.
She says it's "highly beneficial" for employers, allowing them to continue supporting some working from home, while saving money on office space and equipment.
According to Ms Hawker, "many businesses are looking for ways to reduce; reduce expenditure and reduce the office footprint".
Ms Hawker says from personal experience, hot-desking comes with "the benefit of learning by osmosis".
She says she has previously learnt a lot from the different people she has sat next to and the way they work.
Professor Brough says how well people handle hot-desking will depend on their personality traits.
She says a busy office of rotating desks is more likely to work for someone who is chatty and extroverted, and collaborative discussions in this type of environment could also help generate ideas and stimulate creativity.
"But you have to be the right person to fit that environment," she says.
"People tend to be productive when they feel comfortable".
In offices with a hot-desking policy, the organisation is ideally making the environment more comfortable in other ways.
The Australian Services Union's National Secretary Emeline Gaske says hot-desking cuts costs at the expense of workers' morale and productivity.
She says the union is seeing a "real tension between employers pushing hot-desking and workers' desire for flexibility and consistency".
"It strips away the stability and routine that people need to do their jobs well."
How do you make hot-desking work for you? Email [e-mail].
How do you make hot-desking work for you? Email [e-mail].
Ms Hawker recommends introducing yourself to the people sitting around you in the first 30 minutes of being at a new desk.
"If you're popping out for a coffee, ask anyone if they want one," she suggests.
Noise can be a common source of office tension, so Ms Hawker suggests "keeping personal calls and noise levels to a minimum".
Employers should also have cleaning products and hand sanitiser ready to access for staff rotating between desks, she says.
Ms Hawker says employers should ideally also provide personal lockers so desks are left uncluttered at the end of the day.
Professor Brough and Ms Hawker both point out that regardless of workplace policies, people are "naturally territorial" and "creatures of habit".
Professor Brough says if the desk someone normally sit at is taken, that may "cause a little bit of internal disruption to people".
However, organisations usually have a clear set of rules around hot-desking, such as no desk-claiming and no leaving belongings behind.
Ms Hawker says, "people gravitate towards the same desk every day; if that desk is already taken it can really put them off and sometimes generate friction".
She says you would need to be in the office a minimum of four days to feel able to claim a desk, because most people who work partly from home are in the office for three days.
"Some employers are adopting a policy of '[if] you're in the office four days a week, then you can claim a desk as a reward.'"
She recommends speaking with someone directly and discreetly if you have an issue.
If you are uncomfortable doing that or it's not possible, Ms Hawker suggests speaking with your manager — and possibly human resources.