Glossary
Occupancy
Often quoted as a daily average, which hides the peak that space is actually sized for.
Occupancy is, in Workplaced's definition, the share of workplaces in use at one measurement moment, counted against the workplaces available at that moment. The counted object is the workplace, the period is one stated moment and workplaces taken out of service do not count. It is a snapshot, not a period figure.
Also called Occupancy rate, Space occupancy
How it is calculated
Occupancy = workplaces in use ÷ workplaces available × 100
- Workplaces in use
- Observed as being worked at, at the moment of measurement.
- Workplaces available
- Workplaces a person could have used at that moment, excluding anything out of service.
Expressed as A percentage, at a stated moment on a stated day.
This is a Workplaced definition, not a universal industry norm. Counted object: workplaces in use. Capacity: workplaces available, excluding anything out of service. Period: one stated moment. Exception: a bag or coat on a desk is not use. CBRE publishes an "occupancy rate" that means assigned employees per available desk. That is the inverse of a sharing ratio, not this measure, and the two move in opposite directions. Check which one a benchmark is quoting before comparing it with your own.
Illustrative worked example: one building at two moments
- Workplaces available
- 240
- In use, Tuesday 11:00
- 101
- In use, Friday 16:00
- 26
Occupancy is 42 per cent on the Tuesday morning and 11 per cent on the Friday afternoon.
Neither figure sizes the building. The Tuesday reading is closer to the question, and only the distribution across the whole measured period answers it.
Where it goes wrong
Averaging the day away
A daily or weekly average smooths the peak out of existence. Space that works at the average fails on the busiest day, which is the day people remember.
Counting the desk, not the work
A workplace with a bag on it is occupied and produces nothing. Occupancy without activity classification cannot tell you which of the two you are looking at.
Comparing across definitions
Two suppliers can quote the same number against different denominators: all desks, bookable desks, assigned desks. Ask what the denominator was before you compare.
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
The same building over a period rather than at a moment.
- Peak
The reading that actually sizes the space.
- Presence
Someone is there. Not the same as the space being used.
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.