The proportion of available desks to total employees, used to determine how many shared workstations are needed in a flexible office.
The desk-to-employee ratio expresses how many desks an organisation provides relative to its headcount. A ratio of 1:1 means one desk per person -- the traditional model. A ratio of 7:10 means seven desks for every ten employees, which works when hybrid schedules mean not everyone is in the office at once.
Choosing the right ratio is one of the most impactful workplace decisions. Too few desks and people are left without workspace on busy days. Too many and you are paying rent on empty floor space. Booking data and badge swipe records help calibrate the ratio to actual attendance patterns.
Most organisations transitioning to hybrid work start conservatively (around 8:10) and adjust downward as they gain confidence in their data. A good desk booking system provides the utilization metrics needed to fine-tune this ratio over time.
The percentage of available workspace being actively used, calculated as occupied hours divided by total available hours.
The process of determining how much office space, how many desks, rooms, and parking spots an organisation needs based on actual usage data and growth forecasts.
The practice of not assigning permanent desks to employees, allowing anyone to use any available desk on a first-come, first-served basis.
A work arrangement where employees split their time between remote work and in-office work on a regular, planned basis.