I work as a research analyst in a fairly large company and split my time between two different sites, alternating between them on successive weeks. One of the sites is running out of space and is therefore requiring that employees who aren't on the site at all times begin working from 'hoteling' desks. I put that in quotes because these aren't proper desks; they're simply unadorned chairs out in the middle of the hallway with a little lap desk attached (think of the tray table on an airline seat), and they're planned to be as such for the duration. In this position, I wouldn't be able to keep any papers, books, a computer monitor, etc., and working in the middle of a hallway without any privacy or quiet would make it impossible to get anything done. I've told my boss about the problem and he's sympathetic, but this is a large company where these sorts of arrangements are handled by a separate, bureaucracy-laden department. Their response has simply been that there's a rule that only people who are on the site every day are allowed to have cubicles or desks, and that's the end of it as far as they're concerned.
So, what are my options here? Part of my job involves coordinating analysis with people at the separate sites, so working from home every other week isn't really a viable option. If I do go into the site, I won't be able to make much progress on my own work. I like the job otherwise, but I think this situation is bad enough to make me quit. This is certainly not the only company with hoteling in place (although usually it's done much better, with proper facilities); how is it handled elsewhere?