How we work has changed – but not our offices

As organizations strive for innovation and better work-life balance, managing the remote and hybrid working models is still a challenge. Some organizations introduce new mandatory office days policies, while also considering to reduce their office footprint. Teams come to the office a few days a week for collaboration and face-to-face alignment, but if less workspaces are available, it may become a threat to productivity and even make people unwilling to visit the office. Yet, the hybrid working model often leaves a significant amount of office space unused, making the facility lose its maximum value.

As a result, executives and facility managers are often left with a decision on whether to reduce desks and meeting rooms or move to a smaller location. This is not an easy decision and requires careful evaluation on how much space would be optimal for collaboration and productivity.

Here we offer 5 key considerations that will help to determine how to effectively reduce office space.

Evaluate how much space you can reduce with 5 key questions:

1. Can we identify any usage patterns indicating that certain days and areas are less utilized?
2. How should we forecast the number of employees in the office on any given day to avoid overcrowding or wasted resources?
3. Could a switch to flexible seating/shared desks improve the efficiency of our existing layout?
4. How might we balance cost efficiency with a positive employee experience, ensuring we still offer an attractive and functional workplace?
5. How do we measure the success of our space reduction efforts, and what metrics or KPIs should we use to guide further decisions?

Final considerations

Useful Approaches to Reducing the Space

Additionally, hot desking strategies, where employees reserve workstations on-demand basis, can greatly reduce the space wasted on empty desks. For organizations that•

One practical way to reduce office space is to thoroughly analyze when and how often employees physically come on-site. If evidence shows that only half the workforce uses specific areas or rooms consistently, those zones may be good candidates for repurposing or elimination.

host frequent client or partner meetings, a careful balance of meeting rooms and open collaboration spaces can ensure that team members can still gather easily.

Leveraging Occupancy and Utilization Data

Occupancy data helps to understand, in real time, how many people use specific areas, such as desks, conference rooms, or social spaces. By reviewing average occupancy rates and peak usage, facility managers can determine if office capacity is sufficient.

By comparing scheduled bookings to actual usage, you can identify if there are chronic no-shows for booked meeting rooms and if the estimations for space requirements are too high. These metrics offer practical guidance on how to consolidate areas or shift them to different purposes.

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Author

Polina Feshchenko

Marketing Manager