KudoZ home » English » General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

"hot desk"

English translation: no assigned workstation

11:29 Nov 5, 2009

English to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

English term or phrase: "hot desk"

In the context: "Employees will “hot desk” on anonymous work stations".

leno
Greece

English translation:no assigned workstation

Explanation:
'hot desk' means that individual workers are not assigned a personal desk or work station which they use every day - rather they use any desk or workstation that is free

Selected response from:

Liam Hamilton
Bulgaria
Local time: 17:47

Grading comment

thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +11

no assigned workstation

Liam Hamilton

grab whatever space is available to work

Charlesp

5 -1

being a temporary physical occupant of a work station or surface by a particular employee

Yasutomo Kanazawa

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +11

no assigned workstation

Explanation:
'hot desk' means that individual workers are not assigned a personal desk or work station which they use every day - rather they use any desk or workstation that is free

Liam Hamilton
Bulgaria
Local time: 17:47
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Vicky Nash

4 mins

agree

Sheila Wilson

17 mins

agree

Gordana Sujdovic: http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/hot_desk/.... http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/hot-desking.htm...

25 mins

agree

Goldcoaster

34 mins

agree

kmtext: It encourages staff to get in early to get the best desks/PCs and is also useful when the company operates a shift system.

52 mins

agree

Jeux_de_Mots

1 hr

agree

cmwilliams

1 hr

agree

urbom: the second part of the explanation is correct -- it's used as a verb in the asker's sentence.

1 hr

agree

Charlesp

5 hrs

agree

Julie Waddington: Yep, definitely: Sure Start Centres all over England have caught onto this idea! As urbom says, it is being used as a verb in this context.

8 hrs

agree

Polangmar

11 hrs

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

being a temporary physical occupant of a work station or surface by a particular employee

Explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_desking

Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 00:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Japanese
PRO pts in category: 4

5 hrs confidence:

grab whatever space is available to work

Explanation:
the term is derived from "hot bedding"

This would mean a desk or cubicle which is "shared" by two or more persons in shifts, each using it for their designated time and then vacating it for the next occupant.

There are offices for self-employed, eg freelancers, which rent "hot desks." That means that they don't have an assigned desk, but use whatever desk or cubicle is available (or they have reserved). It is cheaper this way, if they dont need to be there every day (or all the working day).

In the situation mentioned in the question, it generally would mean that the employee would grab whatever space is available to work.

Charlesp
Sweden
Local time: 16:47
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

Return to KudoZ list