One of the most popular scenarios to use IoT in commercial buildings is workplace occupancy monitoring and analysis. For good reasons. Many organizations waste as much as half their space so their savings potential is huge. European businesses could save $243 billion by reducing wasted space in office buildings, according to a World Green Building study.
With flexible working policies and hybrid work, office occupancy remains lower and less predictable. Not surprising then that many companies consider or are in the process of moving from assigned seating to more agile workplace concepts, with flexible seating arrangements, hoteling or hot-desking. Early adopters such as AXA were able to reduce desk-to-employee ratios and use space more efficiently even before the pandemic forced everyone to move towards hybrid.
Workplace occupancy monitoring: a cornerstone of the modern office
Reducing vacancy must not happen at the expense of the employee experience. A smart approach starts with measuring evolving building utilization. This allows gaining insights to not only resize the footprint (or square footage) but also improve the space configuration.
Heads of real estate need to be able to make informed portfolio decisions, with confidence. This requires detailed and highly accurate information, not partial data and sporadic feedback that may lead to the wrong conclusions. That’s where the IoT comes in. Sensors are much better than humans in systematically – and anonymously – capturing and mapping occupancy data.
Sensor options range from basic motion sensors that tell you when a space, desk, or seat is occupied to more sophisticated headcount sensors that you mount on the ceiling and that can really tell you how many people are in a specific space and where they are. This data is processed, securely stored in the cloud, and analyzed. And, most importantly, visualized on floor plans and dashboards that provide a detailed view of how office buildings are used throughout the day.
Non-intrusive workplace occupancy monitoring
It’s important to note that IoT sensors provide accurate occupancy tracking data without infringing on people’s right to privacy under GDPR. A sensor knows whether a seat is occupied or not occupied; it doesn’t know who is in the seat. A smart solution such as Spacewell Workplace processes occupancy data to optimize the work environment, not to keep tabs on people’s activities. We believe that responsible use of the IoT – and the insights derived from it – is critical in realizing the full potential of our workplaces.
Workplace occupancy and hybrid work
Want to know more about what’s considered average and acceptable in office occupancy and data across industries? Download Spacewell Benchmark Report with data from clients across 20 countries and find out.
