Outlook calendars now offer a way to book office space for "hoteling" or temporary workspaces. For University employees working a hybrid schedule, Outlook resources offer the ability to reserve a desk or office to use while in the office.
While traditional Outlook meeting rooms are limited to one reservation at a time, workspaces can be configured so that multiple employees can book a workspace at the same time. For example, if a room has five desks set up for employees to work, then the workspace will accept up to five simultaneous reservations. Workspaces typically require a minimum duration for reservations - ITS suggests a minimum of four hours.
Booking a Workspace in Outlook
Booking a workspace in Outlook is similar to booking a conference room. However, the experience is slightly different depending on the version of Outlook you are using. See this article from Microsoft for full details.
In Outlook, if you use the Room Finder option, you should now see the option to select either a Conference Room or a Workspace under Type as shown below.
Please note, if you are booking a workspace from Outlook desktop, you will need to schedule the time as an appointment, rather than a meeting. You cannot invite others people to your reserved time in a workspace. Each individual planning to use a workspace needs to reserve it for themselves.
Requesting a Workspace for Your Area
If your department is interested in a workspace but needs help setting up the physical space, please contact Facilities Management. Please make sure you first to get an appropriate physical space (chairs, desks, electrical) set up before working with ITS on the Outlook reservation system.
Departments can create an Email and Calendar ticket to request an Outlook resource be set up in their area provided they already have necessary space and hardware.