How to Prevent Space Shortages In the Modern Workplace

As more employees return to the office, it's crucial to provide a positive employee experience. The way we work has changed, and office resources and designs must evolve to support these shifts.

In the fourth Occupancy Intelligence Index, we discovered that employees now spend 3x more time in collaboration spaces than focus spaces. Yet, most offices are still primarily designed to support individual work. Without a properly aligned space mix, employees may face space shortages, leading to decreased productivity and a negative impact on their experience.

At the first Occupancy Intelligence Summit, Michael Advani, Site Operations Director at BCG, shared his story of tackling perceived space shortages and addressing events like ghosted meetings. Michael’s focus was on improving employee experience, and he knew that resolving space availability issues had to be a top priority to ensure his teams remained happy and productive.

Here are four takeaways from his session to help you prevent space shortages and improve employee experience in your workplace:

1. Identify the Root Cause Before Making Decisions

Jumping to the conclusion that you need more space can be an expensive mistake. Instead, look closely at how your office is being used before expanding your portfolio. It’s possible that what appears to be a space shortage is actually a perceived shortage, caused by factors such as ghosted meetings or inefficient space usage.

When Michael’s team initially faced a potential space shortage, they took a closer look at usage patterns, and found that ghosted meetings, where rooms are booked but not used, were a significant problem. They also discovered issues with passive occupancy, where belongings were left in rooms, making spaces appear unavailable even when they were not in use.

By identifying these behaviors, Michael’s team avoided unnecessary expansion and instead focused on improving how space was used.

Takeaway: Before deciding on costly redesigns or expansions, investigate employee behaviors to confirm whether you're facing a true space shortage or just a perceived one caused by ghosted meetings or meeting room squatting.

2. Use Multiple Data Sources

Understanding how spaces are truly used requires looking beyond just one data source. Gathering insights from occupancy data, employee feedback, and real-time space monitoring will provide a clearer view of your office's needs.

Michael emphasized that utilizing multiple data sources helps paint a clear picture of employee behavior in the office. Looking at occupancy data from floor, neighborhood, and space levels revealed underused areas, and with anecdotal feedback, Michael and his team uncovered the reasons why certain spaces weren’t being utilized, such as noise levels or missing amenities or furniture.

Leveraging data Michael and his team were able to make minor adjustments and add new furniture to unused spaces leading to an almost immediate spike in space usage. By repurposing or optimizing unused spaces with data-driven insights, you can improve the overall employee experience, increase space availability, and make better use of your real estate footprint.

Takeaway: Using multiple data sources, like occupancy data and employee feedback, enables more strategic decision-making, leading to better space utilization and enhanced employee experience.

3. Leverage Technology for Real-Time Solutions

Technology is a powerful tool that can help modern workplaces adapt to the dynamic behaviors of employees, and workplace leaders should take advantage. Space shortages are often caused by events like ad hoc meetings, where meeting rooms are informally occupied without a prior reservation. By leveraging the right technology, workplaces can become more efficient and better prepared to manage these unpredictable scenarios.

For example, when Michael and his team recognized ghosted meetings and ad hoc meetings as recurring issues they utilized their space booking software with the Occupancy Intelligence Platform to enable automated booking and auto-release across their portfolio. This ensures that even if rooms are being used in an on-the-fly manner, once a human presence is detected they’ll be auto-booked, and ghosted meetings will be auto-released when no one is present. 

Takeaway: Leveraging technology like automated booking and occupancy intelligence can eliminate issues caused by ghosted or ad hoc meetings, ensuring that spaces are used efficiently and freeing up rooms that would otherwise remain booked but unused.

4. Communication Is Key—Don’t Overlook It

A key part of change is change management. If you’re going to redesign a space or implement a new policy you need to make sure your teams are on the same page and understand what’s happening across your organization. For example, many employees don’t move from floor to floor. If there’s a perceived space shortage, communicating which areas are underused across your building can help alleviate the problem.

Michael stressed that overcommunication is better than under communication. Employees may not realize they’re affecting their coworkers by squatting in meeting rooms or misusing spaces. Clear guidelines and reminders—whether verbal, through signage or kiosks, or via digital platforms—can go a long way in improving space usage.

Takeaway: Reinforce changes in multiple ways to ensure everyone understands how the space should be used. Verbal reminders, signage, and floor-by-floor updates can help alleviate perceived space shortages and ensure smoother transitions.

Optimize Space Availability with VergeSense

As the workplace continues to evolve, ensuring that your office space is used effectively is key to maintaining a productive and positive employee experience. By identifying the root causes of space shortages, using data to drive decisions, communicating effectively with your teams, and utilizing technology, you can prevent space shortages and create a more adaptable workplace.

At the end of the day, understanding how your employees use space and taking proactive steps to optimize that usage will not only alleviate frustration but also enhance collaboration and overall satisfaction. Keep these insights in mind as you work towards creating a more efficient and employee-friendly workspace. For the full story and more insights check out the full recording of the Occupancy Intelligence Summit.

Interested in learning more about preventing space shortages with data-driven decisions? Set up a time to talk with a specialist about your workplace goals.