Access-Card Swipes, WiFi Logins and Occupancy Sensors are the New Data Currency for Companies Rethinking Office Design Amid Greater Hybrid Work

A new CBRE survey shows companies are more closely tracking their use of their office space, with 90% of respondents saying they now routinely gather utilization data – be it access-card swipes, WiFi logins or occupancy-sensor data – in order to better understand why, when and how employees are using the office.

Their findings are adding momentum to trends of larger workstations, fewer private offices, more use of desk-reservation systems and a greater emphasis on shared space and amenities. In total, 60 clients of CBRE’s Occupancy Management practice participated in the benchmarking program, which gauges their plans for the size, use and functions of their offices. These companies cumulatively occupy 493 million sq. ft. of office space across the globe.

Such monitoring and analysis of companies’ use of office space equips those companies to make decisions about how to allocate their office space to various uses and whether to expand or shrink their overall office portfolio. To that end, 87% of companies in the study aim to optimize their office portfolio to better fit their patterns of use.

“The increase in hybrid work means greater importance for occupancy management, defined as continual, real-time analysis of how – and how often - companies use their office space,” said Susan Wasmund, CBRE Senior Managing Director and Global Occupancy Management Lead. “Employee’s workstyles have changed more in the past two years than in the previous 20. Companies that measure space utilization have a better understanding of employee preferences and work habits, making it easier for them to design spaces that attract employees back to the office.”

With greater hybrid work, office-space allocation now is leaning more toward collaborative, “we” uses, such as teamwork pods, huddle rooms and lounges. Companies in the study are dedicating an average of 16% of their office space to such collaborative uses, up from 13% last year. In contrast, space assigned to “me” uses such as private offices and assigned desks declined to 40% this year from 53% last year.

Meanwhile, space allotted for support functions and for amenities such as cafeterias, coffee counters and walk-up tech support increased several percentage points this year to 30% and 14% of floorspace, respectively.

“Companies used to plan their office space based on historic data, which sometimes was subjective,” said Georgia Collins, CBRE Americas Consulting Leader. “They now can use more objective, real-time data to manage their office space more dynamically. That generates greater efficiency and performance over time for their employees, be they remote, hybrid or mostly office-based.”

Among the other findings of CBRE’s benchmarking program:

Workstations are getting larger as companies shift more to unassigned, “free address” seating. Last year, the largest portion of companies – 56% – reported their average workstation size at 35 sq. f.t or smaller. This year, the largest contingent – 63% – favors the next size up: 35 sq. ft. to 49 sq. ft. CBRE anticipates workstations will get fewer in number as they get larger in size to accommodate the type of work that hybrid employees need to do while in the office.

Private offices may be falling out of favor. Thirty-one percent of companies don’t include offices in their design standards, meaning offices aren’t among their most common space types. That’s up from 25% last year.

Shared space often functions best with reservations. Reservation systems for meeting rooms isn’t a new trend. But many companies are taking that a step further by providing daily reservations for desks and workstations. The 54% of companies offering desk-reservation systems represent double last year’s share.

Most companies measure office utilization in multiple ways. Ninety-one percent monitor access-badge swipes, 34% use visual observation, 32% assess corporate WiFi logins, 23% use ceiling-mounted sensors and another 15% use threshold sensors. Seventy percent use two or more utilization sources.

Here, for example, is a screenshot of one day of office use as recorded by occupancy sensors at CBRE’s office in El Segundo, Calif.

To read the full report, click here.