Desk sharing in crafts: tradition meets flex office

Die Chamber of Skilled Crafts Stuttgart Region comprises around 220 employees spread over two locations. In addition to fixed workstations, there are 25 flexible workstations that can be booked via the Flexopus app.

How does that work and what is the acceptance of desk sharing? Our contact Peter Pfeiffer, IT and communications manager at the Stuttgart Chamber of Crafts, answered these and other questions about workplace management with Flexopus.

Briefly about the company: As a central representative of crafts in the region around Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Crafts supports over 32,000 companies, from carpenters to precision engineering. In addition to representing the political interests of craft businesses in the state, the HWK is therefore also available to advise them.

The introduction of desk sharing: modern work concepts with flex and fix workstations

“Due to the increasing number of employees and modern working time models, it was necessary to establish a shared desk model in addition to a concept for mobile working,” says Peter Pfeiffer.

Hybrid work and the ability to start and end the day at different working hours required a smart solution for workplace booking. In the end, HWK decided to introduce desk sharing and, as a result, introduced different variants of tables in its premises. The HWK Stuttgart region differentiates its workplaces according to how they are used and how the tables can be booked. This resulted in the following workplace variants:

Flex workplace: All employees can book these tables.

Fix workplace: An employee has a fixed position (as he works with sensitive data, for example).

Anchor workplace: Reserved for a group, if you do not book by date X, the space is released for everyone.

Intuitive and cost-effective workplace management that fits the price

In their search for a cost-effective solution that is intuitive and easy to use, the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Crafts came across Flexopus. In addition, the easy and quick creation of the floor plans by Flexopus Designers and the simple administration of the software were convincing.

The introduction of desk sharing also requires the right change communication and the introduction of an accepted clean desk policy. At the HWK Stuttgart Region, the introduction of desk sharing was initially met with skepticism, but was quickly accepted by employees thanks to modern workplace design and the right communication. Flexopus also contributed to this with its user-friendly, simple user interface.

The Stuttgart Region Chamber of Crafts has divided up its workplaces ideally for their purposes and made them bookable with Flexopus. Although Flexopus is a standard solution, it adapts to the use and individual needs of companies. “The flexibility that Flexopus offers us here has immense added value for our organization,” says the IT manager at HWK.

Tips and tricks for the introduction of Flexopus from the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Crafts

What happened at the introduction of Workplace Management Software challenging and what advice does Peter Pfeiffer have when introducing shared desks?
“The biggest stumbling block is equipping employees. Lockers and a uniform office and IT standard are important requirements.”

Pfeiffer also recommends that, with the introduction of desk sharing, a clean desk policy be created and that the exact design of the offices be designed beforehand. If the tables are equipped exactly according to the work criteria, every employee can work efficiently and without worries.

What is HWK's conclusion after almost 3 years of desk sharing with Flexopus?

Peter Pfeiffer summarizes the use of Flexopus in the Stuttgart HWK region in one sentence:

“With Flexopus, we have a simple and effective booking system that is much more convenient than previous Outlook calendars.”

Flexopus does not replace Microsoft 365, but cleverly complements existing systems with the option to book workstations and meeting rooms. In addition, the analysis functions in Flexopus provide a holistic overview of the utilization of all resources at any time. In this way, efficient building management can be operated and unused space can be saved. This significantly reduces running costs such as rent and energy costs.