Hot desking without extra hardware

A smart office creates a pleasant atmosphere in which employees can relax and enjoy their work more. This is important, because productivity increases when employees feel at ease. Well-thought-out building management and novel working methods like Hot Desking help achieve this. FlexWhere allows employees to see where a workstation or meeting room is available in the office. And the facility manager or building manager also has the added benefit of useful statistics. This does not require sensors, smart cameras or lasers. However, these can add some additional insights.

In this article:

• A reservation system for flexible working is possible without sensors;

• FlexWhere gathers statistics for both workplaces as meeting rooms;

• FlexWhere can show data from external software through an API;

• Sensors or smart camera's give extra insight into the premises;

• Our partner Ikanda is specialised in the Internet of Things.

FlexWhere creates a smooth and hassle-free return to the office for your organisation, without extra hardware being required. An organisation doesn‘t need much more than a floor plan with workstations on it to start working in an agile way. We consciously opted for simplicity in the design of our FlexWhere system. Of course, we can also add sensors or infrared cameras to measure whether a spot is occupied. But why not keep it simpler and smarter.

All a user needs to do is book their workstation, go to it on-site, connect their laptop, and FlexWhere knows the workstation is occupied. Everything is done automatically without any sign-on. FlexWhere uses the existing hardware such as a hub or docking station, which you would already have at the office, to identify the user. If you don't have a hub or docking station, employees who log in on a laptop, are asked to easily click the workstation they are working from on FlexWhere, and FlexWhere knows the desk is occupied. As soon as an employee or guest turns on a PC, a signal is automatically sent to FlexWhere. From then on, that spot is registered as occupied.

Everyone can see which workstations are still available via an app on their own phone, their own laptop or on a large screen in the entrance area. It is also possible to see at which workstations colleagues are working. The office’s design does not need to be changed whatsoever.

An end to no-shows. Make unused meeting rooms available again

The same goes for meeting rooms. A colleague books the room and checks in at the start of the meeting. If the system does not receive this info, the room will become available again after a predetermined period. No sensors, lasers or smart cameras are required for this online reservation system either.

FlexWhere not only shows whether a workplace or meeting room is available The software also displays comprehensive, anonymous statistics. This quickly becomes a goldmine of information for all facility managers, department heads and building managers. What is the occupancy rate of that meeting room? Does the office design meet the wishes of the users? When do employees go home (and can the heating be lowered)?

How do sensors, cameras and lasers work?

If you are looking for more comprehensive building and workstation management, it may be useful to expand FlexWhere with data from sensors, cameras and lasers. The API can be used to link the data from the unobtrusive devices to FlexWhere. Now the smart office is even smarter.

How does smart technology contribute to employee satisfaction?

For instance, lasers count how many people are in the building, infrared cameras show the number of empty parking spaces, and the chat corners in the building are arranged on a spot map.

With even more specific sensors, FlexWhere can provide an analysis of the comfort level in the building. These could be sensors that measure the temperature, humidity or CO2 level in a meeting room.

Sensors can contribute to well-being

The central question for building management when introducing this smart technology into the office must therefore be: how does it contribute to employee satisfaction, without violating privacy? Our partner Ikanda has extensive experience with sensors, smart cameras and lasers in an office environment. Our partner Ikanda has extensive experience with sensors, smart cameras and lasers in an office environment. Check out the site of Ikanda for more current and feasible examples.

If you think this kind of technology is perhaps a little more than you need, you can always request a free demo and experience how FlexWhere turns every office into a smart office with no unnecessary extras.