Glossary
Sharing ratio
Quoted as a target when it is an outcome: it follows from the policy and the peak.
The sharing ratio is, in Workplaced's definition, workplaces per FTE: workplaces provided (numerator) divided by FTE assigned (denominator). A ratio of 1 means one FTE has one workplace; 0.7 means 0.7 workplace per FTE. It is an outcome rather than a target: it follows from the peak, the policy and the buffer the organisation accepts.
Also called Desk-sharing ratio, Workplaces per FTE, Flex factor
How it is calculated
Sharing ratio = workplaces provided ÷ FTE assigned (numerator ÷ denominator)
- Workplaces provided
- Derived from the peak plus a buffer, not chosen in advance.
- FTE assigned
- The FTE the building serves, on the definition the policy uses.
Expressed as A ratio in workplaces per FTE: 1 means one FTE has one workplace, 0.7 means one FTE has 0.7 workplace, also written 1:1.4 (one workplace for 1.4 FTE). The inverse, 1.4 FTE per workplace, is the same ratio the other way round. State the direction with every figure.
This is a Workplaced definition, not a universal industry norm. Numerator: workplaces provided. Denominator: FTE assigned, on the definition the policy uses. The "occupancy rate" CBRE publishes is assigned employees per available desk: that is the inverse of this ratio, not occupancy. A result of 1.67 FTE per workplace corresponds to a sharing ratio of 0.6.
Illustrative worked example: 600 FTE
- Peak attendance at P95
- 68%
- People at the peak
- 408
- Buffer for churn and choice
- 5%
- Workplaces required
- 429
The sharing ratio is 0.7 workplaces per FTE (1:1.4), roughly seven workplaces for every ten FTE.
Nothing here started from a ratio. Change the policy to three fixed days and the peak moves, and the ratio moves with it.
Where it goes wrong
Setting the ratio first
A ratio chosen before the measurement is a floor-area decision dressed as an analysis. The peak decides it, and the peak is measured rather than assumed.
Applying another organisation's ratio
The same ratio in an organisation with a different attendance policy produces a different experience. It is a result of local conditions, not a benchmark to import.
Forgetting the buffer is a choice
The buffer is where the tolerance for a bad day lives. Setting it to zero is defensible; doing it without saying so is not.
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
- Peak
The measurement the ratio is derived from.
- Occupancy
The measure a sharing ratio is most often confused with.
- No-show rate
Why the desks provided and the desks used diverge.
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.