Related terms
Occupancy rate: definition and challenges
In workspace management, the occupancy rate is the percentage of workstations occupied in relation to the capacity of the building or office.
Occupancy rate: what is it?
It's an indicator designed to express the ratio of the number of workspaces occupied at a given time to the total number of workspaces available. It can be used to identify patterns of behavior according to location and day, and thus to better manage the occupation of workspaces.
Knowing a company's occupancy rate means :
- improve job management ;
- assess whether work surface occupancy is optimized;
- avoid peak periods;
- be able to adapt your workplace strategy.
With the emergence of hybrid work organizations, it is essential to rethink the way workspaces are used. The occupancy rate is a key indicator to support the implementation of telecommuting or flex office within a company.
How do you calculate the occupancy rate of your workspaces?
To find out the number of positions occupied, a company can use :
- an entry badge ;
- infrared presence sensors to detect movement when an office or meeting room becomes available;
- workspace reservation software.
To calculate the occupancy rate, simply use the following formula:
number of occupied workspaces*100/total number of available workspaces
Occupancy and expansion rates: decision-making tools
The expansion ratio is the ratio between the number of available workstations and the number of employees. For example, if you have 100 employees for 60 workstations, the overcrowding rate is 0.6.
A single indicator doesn't give you an overall picture of how your workspaces are being used. A fill rate of less than 1 may suggest a shortage of workstations. However, if we combine this information with a daily occupancy rate of 70%, we see that there is no shortage of workstations.
By combining fill rate and occupancy rate, a company can make data-driven decisions, and adapt its workplace strategy accordingly.
Occupancy rates and corporate strategy
Activity based working
It's possible to make the most of your works pace withactivity-based working. It's a matter of rethinking spaces to bring them into line with employees' needs. To meet their needs, you need to :
- provide individual spaces for moments of concentration;
- create collaborative spaces for sharing moments ;
- offer spaces dedicated to well-being and relaxation.
In this context, the occupancy rate enables us to check that spaces are well used, and therefore meet employees' needs.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
According to Mike Barnes, Associate Director European Research at Savills, "daily office occupancy rates show that Tuesdays (63%), Wednesdays (62%) and Thursdays (62%) are the busiest days for offices, with similar occupancy levels."
As part of CSR, occupancy rates can help reduce energy waste. If the offices are empty on certain days of the week, the company can turn off the heating and lighting. A small gesture for the planet and savings for the company!
The occupancy rate is an indicator that measures the percentage of workspaces occupied at a given time in relation to the total number of workspaces available in the company.
