How can I talk to my Works Council about a desk booking tool?

Elected members of the Comité Social et Économique (CSE), the employee representative body (IRP), must be involved in discussions concerning work arrangements designed to improve quality of life at work. According to the Baromètre du dialogue social en 2023, 81% of employees consider working conditions to be a priority issue for the CSE and/or trade unions. During the information-consultation process with the CSE, particularly in the context of the introduction of flex office, you need to raise the issue of equipment, including reservation tools such as desk booking.

Present the reasons for using desk booking to the Works Council

Desk booking software enables employees to reserve a workstation (specific desk, meeting room/coworking space) in a shared work environment in advance. These services are particularly useful in contexts where offices are not assigned, such as the transition to flex office. They also meet the needs of companies adopting a hybrid work organization model.

Employee representatives want to understand the motivation behind exploring this online solution: 

• Changes in work organization, 
• Reassure employees in the transition to a flex office,
• Optimize workspace configuration on company premises, 
• Use data to study how spaces are occupied,
• Growing employee demand for greater flexibility.

In particular, the CSE will examine whether employee well-being is taken into account in the management of workspaces.

Clearly explain to the CSE how the desk booking tool works

To ensure that employee representatives are fully behind the desk booking tool, and to avoid any mistrust, a clear and exhaustive explanation of how it works is essential.

Take a close look at the various offers from desk office solution providers, then compare prices, taking into account the budget available.

You need to give the ESC a precise description of the key functionalities of the chosen application, adapted to your activities: 

• Reservation of workstations for employees,
• Manage cancellations and last-minute changes,
• Real-time visualization of office occupancy,
• Meeting space management,
• Administrator autonomy (plans and authorizations),
• Space zoning,
• Visitor management.

The procedure to be followed must be transparent and easy for everyone to understand. To this end, the software selected must meet a number of essential criteria: 

• User-friendliness, accessibility and adaptability,
• Ease of use with attractive visuals,
• seamless integration with existing office tools,
• Strong data analysis skills.

If possible, schedule a live demo. This hands-on demonstration helps to make the tool more tangible. The CSE then has a practical view of how desk booking really works and its positive impact on the working environment.

The CSE also expects the employer to organize training for beneficiaries, so that they understand how to use the desk booking tool. Deskare offers to guide them through the efficient use of the software.

Highlighting the concrete advantages of desk booking over the CSE

When the CSE discusses the issue of desk booking, emphasize the many benefits that this system of reserving workspace offers employees: 

• Greater flexibility in choice of workplace,
• Total autonomy in reserving workstations (location, date, full or half day),
• Simple calendar consultation to check space availability, 
• Filtering and customized selection of work areas,
• Reduced stress linked to the uncertainty of getting a job,
• Ease of day-to-day management and anticipation of the working week.

The integration of a desk booking platform enables the sustainable deployment of new work organization models combining remote work and face-to-face working.

Flore Pradère, Director of Work Dynamics Research at JLL, explains in the article "Back in the office: the manager, the property manager's best ally": "The major challenge for companies is to organize employees' presence in the office and offer attractive activities, while optimizing costs".

Reassuring the CSE about potential concerns related to desk booking 

The CSE can legitimately express concerns to the employer regarding : 

• Confidentiality and security in the management of employees' personal data,
• Preserving privacy,
• Fair access to offices,
• Change management.

With Deskare, the desk booking tool is simple, intuitive and data-driven to understand employee habits and optimize offices. Data is processed and hosted exclusively in France, in compliance with the RGPD.

The CSE may perceive the desk booking tool as a means of monitoring and tracking employees. By putting the employee experience at the center of concerns, and by aggregating data on the administrators' side, these apprehensions can be dispelled.

The CSE ensures that the introduction of desk booking does not affect health and safety health and safety of employees. It checks that the proposed workspaces comply with ergonomic standards and that circulation areas are not congested.

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Transparent, well-considered communication with the CSE contributes to the successful implementation of the desk booking tool. You strengthen your position as a driver of agility in your company's workspace.