Space Utilisation Survey
The goal of a Space Utilisation Survey (SUS) is to establish an accurate baseline of current utilisation. It identifies opportunities for efficiencies, and the data provided can be used to build a case for optimising the use of space thereby providing an environment that supports your staff in what they actually need rather than what they perceive is required.
It is extremely important that we are able to accurately calculate the actual use of your space in order to offer best advice on what is needed. The average office occupancy rate in the UK used to be around 65% with a 1-1 desk allocation policy but this is much more variable today with most businesses now having a flexible desk allocation policy. However your desks are allocated, reliable and accurate occupancy data gives you the strategic insight to best manage your real estate portfolio, usually a company's second largest expense item (behind its staff).
Prepare to think about your workspace in terms of:
- Workstations - the number of individual desks, whether in private offices or in the open plan.
- Occupancy - the occupation of desks or meeting spaces.
- Utilisation - how many desks (or meeting chairs) that are "in use" at any moment during the workday.
- Capacity - the seat count or number of people that a space can support at one time.
- Head Count - the total number of people that need to be accommodated.
Post pandemic we have seen an increase in the use of the SUS. Most businesses now have many staff working from home for at least part of the week, and this has redefined the requirements for modern offices. Occupancy often peaks Tuesday to Thursday with businesses strategizing processes to manage peak occupancy rates.
