Correct people who show claiming behaviour; Establish (and enforce) a clear desk policy; Create visual overview in the office so people can easily see which workspaces and focus rooms are available;Provide employees with a place finder app for their phone to help them to locate available workstations.Paper and stuffAn often-heard concern is Where am I going to leave all my stuff? It is obvious that ABW is not going to work if people have a lot of things to carry around. But people still have things, such as a laptop, a mug, books and printouts or marketing materials. There should be places where people can store those items.Digitalize work processes, in so far as that hasnt been done already;Organize a clean up of filing cabinets, pedestals and storage spaces before moving into the ABW office; Provide employees with a basket or company Provide employees with lockers where they can storebag that they can use to carry their things while personal items; on the move in the office. The size should be such that it that can easily fit into a locker.Provide a cloakroom for storing clothing such as (photo: Anna Autio)bicycle helmets and coats;Provide team storage where needed.HygieneEmployees may worry about hygiene as workstations are used by multiple persons. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this concern. Many people dislike the idea of unseen germs, bacteria, microbes and viruses harboured by shared desk surfaces and peripherals such as keyboards and mice. Increase cleaning frequency (e.g. extra cleaning round during office hours to wipe down desks and keyboards);Place a canister of disinfectant wipes and/or a bottle of hand sanitizer on desks (NB without harmful chemicals,Sharing workspaces means higher standards for preferably biodegradable); cleaning, especially in times of virus outbreaks.Draw up a protocol that asks employees to keep workspaces clear, clean and tidy; Provide people with their own headsets, keyboards and mice (although this means that they have more stuff to carry around);Place hand sanitizers at strategic places (entrance, pantry, toilets) and make sure they are regularly refilled;In case of a virus outbreak, allow employees to book/use workstations for an entire day. Clean and disinfect these workstations thoroughly at the end of the day.In most ABW offices employees get their own personal locker so that everyone has a place to store personal items (e.g. ones laptop at the end of the day). In practice, however, not everyone uses them, in which case a shared locker system might be considered.(photo: Anna Autio)35