Implementing desk sharing and office relocation successfully requires robust behavioural data. After refurbishing its office, a UK financial-services business still faced complaints about a lack of space. It needed to understand how employees were using the different settings and whether the workplace supported its planned transition to agile working.
Understanding differences between departments
OpenSensors deployed 600 sensors across desks, collaboration zones and other work settings, supported by reporting and onboarding. This gave the team evidence of usage patterns and differences between departments.
The analysis helped identify which settings were in higher or lower demand and where changes to the mix of spaces could be considered.
Putting the evidence to work
The business implemented desk sharing, using departmental occupancy patterns to understand how many desks different teams needed. When its lease later came up, it also used Observe data to inform its property decision and moved to a new workplace.
The useful question was how each team used the workplace, rather than whether the office looked busy overall. Departmental analysis can help teams discuss changes with more specific evidence.
Making shared workplaces work for your teams
Explore our guide to analysing desk utilisation by department and our hybrid workplace planning guide. They provide a starting point for understanding different needs before changing desk allocations or work settings.
Today, Observe supports workplace measurement and Tessellate helps teams compare possible changes using their data and business context. Talk to us about a desk-sharing or workplace-planning decision.
Download the original financial-services case study.
Here’s how this customer leveraged our utilisation software to fully transition to agile working.