Why Is Space Management In Offices Important?
Proper space management can help a business save money, and boost job satisfaction and productivity. It can also keep the business thinking ahead, keeping on top of any growth. From the outset, managing space might seem like a simple task. If a desk booking system is consistently fully booked then the solution would be to bring in more desk space to the office by repurposing social areas or meeting rooms. However, on closer inspection, it might be that people aren’t booking desks for work, but actually booking them for a quick 10-minute email catchup before heading into in-person collaboration meetings, leaving the desk empty for most of the day. Clearly, the answer is not as easy as bringing in more desks. Another scenario could involve an organisation with multiple office locations for different departments, with some locations being underutilised while others are bursting at capacity. Effective office space planning could help solve these issues but requires a lot of research and data gathering before a solution is found. Space management has become even more important post-Covid, although office occupancy rates are creeping up, recent research in December 2022 has shown this depends very much on the day of the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays are by far the busiest days in the office, with office occupancy reaching up to 52% (pre-Covid there was an average of 60%). Yet on Fridays, central London resembles a ghost town with only 15% occupancy. As both employees and companies embrace the flexible schedule of hybrid work, offices would do well to embrace these commuting patterns and learn how to best maximise their office space and layout on both busy and quiet days.