Whether planning a new office or updating existing office space, possessing the knowledge of how your employees use your current space is essential in creating your most effective work environment.
Gathering data via robust and accurate reporting within the workplace will provide you with this knowledge, with the following metrics being key.
Meeting room quantity and size
Meeting rooms are a huge and often costly part of a business workspace, so it’s important to ensure data surrounding their utilisation is accurate and useful. Look at the overall usage of rooms, including how often they’re used and by how many employees. Take stock of any information you may have via existing meeting room booking systems – for example, which room is most frequently booked? Pay particular attention to size of meetings – you do not want to make meeting rooms too large, therefore wasting valuable and useful space.
Meeting room equipment
An often overlooked area of managing business meeting rooms is the usage of technology in meetings. Increasingly, technology like video integrated meetings are commonplace, with other tech such as projectors and screens being expected as the norm. Measuring how often these types of equipment are used can be done by reviewing your meeting room booking systems, but also by surveying your employees, and asking their opinions on technology that they feel may enhance their meetings.
Desk ratio
Working out the ratio of employees to desks in your workplace is a significant part of ensuring your office is as efficient as possible. Wasted desks cost money, so consider optimising the ratio by utilising flexible working policies and desk booking software. When gathering this kind of data, be sure to also place importance on how desks are being used, as well as how often. Floor walking and sensors can help reporting here, along with reviewing any existing desk booking system.
Desk type
Fixed desks or bookable desks? This is another point for you to discover via your reporting, as both types of desk will have their importance in differing scenarios. When it comes to desk usage, you don’t have to be rigid, particularly if your data shows that employees would benefit from a mixture of type. To find this kind of data, review existing desk booking software, but also ensure you survey employees.
People counting
Once you’ve taken a deeper look at the usage of meeting rooms and desks, it’s time to turn your attention to the rest of the space – common and breakout areas, toilet facilities, kitchens and similar. While these areas may not seem as urgently important as others, tracking their usage could provide you with important information on your entire space – for example, is there a bathroom that seems more popular, and therefore busier than others? Is that because it’s in an area of higher footfall? Using a people counting solution, such as infrared sensors or cameras, can really help fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
