Utilisation & Changes

17. Are you measuring desk utilisation?

yes – utilisation is higher than pre-pandemic levels yes – utilisation is about the same as pre-pandemic levels yes – utilisation is lower than pre-pandemic levels don’t know other

18. Have you remodelled your workplace post pandemic?

Workplace utilisation studies were not carried out on a regular basis pre-pandemic. They were usually commissioned by Finance or Facilities Managers who had change in mind but needed data to back up their own observations. Some organisations have invested in sensor-based systems for providing real-time utilisation data, but costs dictate that this has not become standard practice.

Thus, just as with the 'Productivity' question, we are likely here to be discussing perceived workplace utilisation. Reported changes in utilisation have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

If utilisation is not being measured by the majority, and the numbers of desks are more or less staying the same, remodelling of workplaces must be down to changing layout to increase functionality.

Where there is an opportunity to move to smaller, better workplaces (the ‘espresso office’ [1]) the down-sizing, or more accurately, the right-sizing, allows organisations to respond to their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) commitments.

In our 2021 Perspectives on the Future Workplace survey, nearly 70% of respondents said they would reconfigure space to better align with new working practices. The responses left would suggest that many have followed through on this promise.

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