Glossary
No-show rate
In Workplaced's measurement rounds it lay between a fifth and a third, and it is highest on the busy days that matter most.
The no-show rate is, in Workplaced's definition, the share of bookings made without observed use, established by comparing the booking record against what was observed in the space. The counted object is the booking, the period is stated with the figure and bookings cancelled before the release window do not count.
Also called Ghost bookings, Booking waste
How it is calculated
No-show rate = bookings not used ÷ bookings made × 100
- Bookings not used
- Reservations with no observed use during the booked window.
- Bookings made
- All reservations for the period, including those cancelled after the release window closed.
Expressed as A percentage of bookings, over a stated period.
This is a Workplaced definition, not a universal industry norm. Counted object: bookings without observed use. Denominator: all bookings made in the period. Period: stated with the figure. Exception: bookings cancelled before the release window. The range quoted here is what these measurement rounds have found. It is not a published sector benchmark (no Dutch one exists) and it should be measured in the building rather than assumed from it.
Illustrative worked example: one week of desk bookings
- Bookings made
- 1,840
- With no observed use
- 497
- No-show rate, week average
- 27%
- No-show rate, Tuesday
- 31%
On the busiest day of the week, roughly one desk in three that was reserved sat empty.
That is not a supply problem. Every one of those desks was available to someone who was told the building was full.
Where it goes wrong
Treating it as a supply shortage
A building that appears full at the point of booking and half empty in observation does not need more desks. It needs the bookings it already has to be released.
Measuring against the calendar alone
A booking system can only see itself. The no-show rate is the difference between what it recorded and what was observed, so it needs both.
Reporting a weekly average
The average hides the days the problem costs something. Tuesday and Wednesday are the days worth reporting separately.
Where this measurement decides something
- How much office space do we need?
Sizing a building on this figure.
- Consolidate or renew the lease?
Taking it to a board.
- Occupancy
How it is measured in practice.
Related terms
- Utilisation
What the space did, against what the calendar claimed.
- Peak
The days on which no-shows cost the most.
- Sharing ratio
The provision the no-shows are eating into.
Comparing two suppliers' occupancy figures?
Describe in a message how each supplier defines its occupancy figure, and we will tell you what each one is counting.