Six Things That Influence Workplace Resource Booking

To maximize efficiencies, resource booking should be customized for your unique business needs

The resources a workplace requires to be successful vary. From the number of hot desks and meeting rooms to calendar management software or provided equipment and technologies. That’s why it’s important to identify what influences your workplace resource needs and have the booking technologies in place to support efficient and cost-effective resource booking and usage management.

Below are six questions to ask and answer to help you uncover resource booking optimization opportunities.

What Kind of Resources Does Your Company Currently Have?

The first thing to do when it comes to optimizing resource booking in the workplace is to get a clear picture of what resources you currently have.

How many meeting rooms do you have? Conference rooms? Desks? Private offices? Employee break areas or huddle rooms? EV charging stations or parking spots?

Get a clear picture of every workspace and resource you currently have. Use that list to help determine what resource is missing, lacking, or overabundant.

How is Company Culture Reflected in Resource Usage?

Company culture and rules are important to consider when choosing workspace booking software.

Does every employee have their own desk or not? Are there open spaces, informal huddle rooms, restricted areas, security issues, etc.? Do employees have the ability to use a mobile booking app? This can influence which meeting room and desk booking system is a good fit.

There might also be internal rules, procedures, etc. that need to be considered. Also, meeting room etiquette varies from company to company.

It can also be important to consider if you need ample space with large groups and if there are bookable charging stations, parking spots, or other equipment employees and guests may need.

Resource usage and management will be influenced by company culture, rules, and regulations as well as any security requirements. It’s important to discuss how to maximize workspace usage and efficiency while accurately reflecting company culture and rules.

Are Your Workplace Resources Multi-Use?

A meeting room doesn’t have to just be for official meetings. What if it’s also the perfect space and size for brainstorming sessions, team bonding sessions, or informal creative reviews?

Another multi-use approach to think about is hot desking and getting a clear picture of which desks in the workplace are assigned to one employee, teams, or can be booked on-demand by everyone. In fact, if your workforce is hybrid, hotdesking may be an easy way to drive productivity and reduce operational costs.

It may also be helpful to provide employees with desk management software that allows them to book desks safely, quickly and flexibly (in the office or remotely from a mobile device).

How Readily Available Are Your Workplace Resources?

Some companies may have too many resources, or too few. Scheduling parameters may also be impacting resource booking and usage, such as too little time between meetings.

Being able to answer how easily and readily available resources are to employees is key. An easy way to do this is to look at workplace insights specifically designed to monitor and report out on how specific workspaces and resources are utilized, as well as identify patterns and optimization opportunities.

Learn about how to make utilization improvements, reduce overhead and operations costs related to workspace resources, and take advantage of other data-driven benefits here.

What is the Layout of Your Workplace?

The physical design of a workplace can also influence resource booking. From the architectural layout to interior design, resource booking varies depending on how the office is arranged.

Does your office have a mix of open and closed spaces? Are meeting rooms accessible? What about group spaces such as break rooms or creative thought rooms?

Something to consider with a larger workplace is to provide resource booking tools that employees can use on-site around the entire building.

• Conference Room Signs could help optimize meeting room usage and eliminate no-shows
• Make desk booking quick and easy with digital desk booking screens that can double as meeting room booking displays and work with Microsoft Outlook®, Exchange and Microsoft 365.
• Dynamic digital signage can also help prevent double booking, and support wayfinding, visitor engagement, and internal and external communication

Are Resources Adaptable for Employee Working Styles?

Finally, the way employees work and the mix of personalities in your workforce can impact resource booking needs, as well as resource usage and management. Some employees may be most effective if they can work in a quiet setting, while others may prefer constant stimulation and interpersonal communication. Others may thrive with a flexible work model and need hot desks and remote workplace resources such as a laptop, display screen, and other remote technologies.

The way employees work and how your workforce operates can influence the way your resource booking needs to be set up. For example, a business with a hybrid workforce needs resource booking tools that work both in and out of the office. Resource Central is a great example, as it’s designed to support hybrid, on-site, and flexible work models that are seeking to streamline resource and workspace management while reducing employee administrative burden.

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