Is office occupancy reporting more important than desk booking?

Let’s face it:  The general trend for working from home along with rail strikes, the rocketing cost of commuting, traffic jams and great video conferencing facilities could mean that there’s JUST SO MUCH empty office space.  According to recent studies, two thirds of desks remain unused.

So is a desk booking system essential?  The ‘current’ reality is that you could pitch up any day of the week and get a plum desk or a meeting room…. without the need to pre-book it.

According to Jim Fussell, workspace management lead at Essential, “Rattling around in a near-empty office is about to change, and enterprises need to be poised to accommodate growing office footfall.”

One contributing factor in recent news articles is the prediction that rising energy costs could drive individuals back to the office in a bid to save money.

On the flip side, Essential has seen another emerging trend amongst facilities managers in response to growing energy bills.

“We’ve had a number of requests from existing customers where they want to block out entire floors from their desk and room booking systems in a bid to reduce costs”, explained Fussell.

“This, combined with the prediction that workforces will want to return to the office to stay warm this winter, will put available office space at a premium.  The pincer effect of both businesses and individuals each wanting to shrink energy bills will make booking a desk in the office like a game of musical chairs.

Understanding how to calculate your average desk occupancy rate and see trends through the use of your workspace booking system will allow you apply policies that give equitable access to all. Being able to accurately track demand and re-open sections of the office as needed to efficiently deal with ‘dead’ office space will also be important.

With the help of desk booking systems and occupancy utilisation analytics, you can make sure that you are using your office and resources effectively, for the upcoming winter months and beyond”, concluded Fussell.

If you would like to understand your workspace occupancy metrics better, view our Office Space Utilisation Reporting page for more information and contact form.