The ultimate guide to workplace analytics use cases

Years ago, real estate teams could count the number of people on a team, assign each to a desk, and then set a reasonable number of meeting rooms to serve their needs. But that certainty has flown out the window in the post-pandemic hybrid work world. Teams may have different work schedules and patterns, radically different collaboration needs, and even different preferences or needs regarding seating configurations and environments. When a real estate team has the correct data to understand resource demand and needs by team, they can allocate an ideal amount of space, desks, and other resources to accommodate them in a productive and appealing way. 

XY Sense solution: Entry Sensors and Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Team’s Percent Utilization of Each Space Type
• Team’s Percent of Time Each Space Type is Used
• Team’s Percent Fullness When Used
• Team’s Percent Utilization of Individual Resources (desks, Meeting Rooms)
• Occupancy Count Per Floor/Zone

How to use occupancy sensors and analytics to allocate the correct amount of space/resources to each team/service line:

1. To provide the essential quantitative insight here, XY Sense Area Sensors track utilization at the team, area, and individual resource (e.g., desk) levels. When you first deploy XY Sense Sensors, we map your entire office space so that we can track utilization in real time and over time. We can also create custom subsets like team areas so you can track resource utilization by team. 
2. Determine the current utilization level for every team by consulting the data in your XY Sense Insights Platform. The data are easily found in pre-built reports. Benchmark the team’s current utilization levels for resource types like desks, meeting spaces, and conference rooms. Dig deeper to understand how utilization varies by day of week and hour per day. Determine the maximum capacity utilization level for the team – the team’s “high water mark.”
3. Now you have many options. Different strategies and tactics will make sense depending on your company’s occupancy and utilization data. You may be able to adjust the size of a team’s space, desk, and meeting room allocation to reflect the team’s overall size. If the team rarely or never utilizes all of its space, you can consider switching to a pods-based approach that assigns team members to seats in the team pod when they enter the office. If data for many teams fluctuate widely throughout the week, which is often the case in companies with hybrid work rules, you may want to eliminate team areas and move to a company-wide hot-desk model where people are assigned to the company’s broad pool of workstations when they enter. 
4. If you choose hot-desking, you can also explore floor balancing, which “opens” floors based on expected attendance on that workday. On low attendance days, you can “close” some floors and reduce utilities, heating/cooling, and cleaning services to those areas to reduce expenses and your company’s carbon footprint. The feasibility of this model depends on whether you can control access to floors, elevators, etc. Finally, if your team has high utilization levels only occasionally, you may want to explore flexible workspace leasing.

More information

For more insights on intelligently rightsizing your space, download our Rightsize Right eguide.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

“My team needs more space/desks/conference rooms!” It’s the clarion call of line managers worldwide, and workplace leaders must respond in ways that accommodate genuine needs while avoiding unnecessary allocations and purchases. Often, these requests are based on anecdotal comments, complaints, or moment-in-time observation. With rich occupancy and workplace data from a great analytics platform, real estate teams can assess current usage versus capacity, make wise decisions, and have the proof necessary to show business leaders which requests make business sense. 

XY Sense solution: Entry Sensors and Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Team’s Percent Utilization of Each Space Type
• Team’s Percent of Time Each Space Type is Used
• Team’s Percent Fullness When Used
• Team’s Percent Utilization of Individual Resources (Desks, Meeting Rooms)
• Occupancy Count Per Floor/Zone
  
  

How to use occupancy sensors and analytics to respond to requests for space, desks, meeting rooms, or equipment

1. You need quantitative insight to assess the need for additional resources at the team level. XY Sense Area Sensors can track utilization at the team, area, and individual resource (e.g., desk) levels. When you first deploy XY Sense Sensors, we map your entire office space so that we can track utilization in real time and over time. We can also establish custom groupings like team areas so you can track resource utilization by team or service line.
2. Determine the current level of utilization for the team by consulting the data in your XY Sense Insights Platform. The data are easily found in pre-built reports. Benchmark the team’s current utilization levels for resource types like desks, meeting spaces, and conference rooms. Dig deeper to understand how utilization varies by day of week and hour per day.
3. Determine the maximum capacity utilization level for the team. For example, if your hybrid work policy demands people come in midweek, calculate the utilization level on the highest attendance days to establish the team’s “high water mark.”
4. Now, the fun begins. Your correct course of action depends on the data you find. By measuring current utilization versus capacity levels, you can objectively assess the need for additional resources. You can make a strong case for the funds if resources are truly needed. If resources are short, but other teams have more resources than they need, you can shift desks and other resources between teams to even out demand or show the line manager the data and propose approaches that make the most sense for your business.

More information

Learn more about occupancy and resource planning.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

Hybrid work rules create unique challenges for workplace teams. Demand for desks and other resources usually varies by day of the week based on the company’s days-in-office rules. While data from XY Sense’s Workplace Utilization Index reports show that global office utilization levels are at about half pre-pandemic levels, demand on midweek days is often at or near capacity. In contrast, Mondays and Fridays show extremely light utilization. 

Further, historic team space and resource allocations often lead to low occupancy levels and workplace ‘ghost towns,’ which waste utilities and other resources and sap the workplace of a productive vibe. In response, many companies are transitioning from 1:1 desk allocations to agile seating in which workers are assigned seats when they enter the office in a hot desk or team “pod” configuration. This enables the company to rightsize space and explore more advanced options like floor balancing to reduce utilities, cleaning costs, and carbon footprint. 

XY Sense solution:  Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Percent Utilization of Desks 
• Percent Utilization of Desks by Floor/Team Area
• Percent of Time Desks are Utilized by Floor/Team Area
• Peak Days/Times for Utilization

   

How to use occupancy sensors and analytics to transition from fixed to agile (unassigned) seating

1. Most companies move from fixed to agile seating to reduce space and move away from 1:1 employee-to-desk rations. The process begins by assessing the current utilization levels of your workplace. To provide the essential quantitative insight here, XY Sense Area Sensors track utilization at the office, floor, area, and individual resource (e.g., desk) levels to provide the essential quantitative insight here. When you first deploy XY Sense Sensors, we map your entire office space so that we can track utilization in real time and over time. That process establishes the capacity of your office. The data collected upon launch shows your current needs. 
2. Determine the current utilization level for your workplace by consulting the data in your XY Sense Insights Platform. The data are easily found in pre-built reports. Benchmark your current utilization levels for your total workplace and resource types like desks, meeting spaces, and conference rooms. Dig deeper to understand how utilization varies by floor, area, and resource type. 
3. Determine the “high water mark” for workplace utilization in your work week. For example, if your hybrid work policy demands people come in on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, calculate the utilization level on those days.
4. Your next task is to understand what sources of potential savings are available. Are leases expiring soon, or is there a market to sublet space you don’t need? If so, reducing the office footprint can be a great source of savings. If not, you will need to enter into negotiations with your landlord or get more creative in identifying achievable savings. There are many potential ways to reduce your minimum required workplace footprint. If you have a very low level of workplace utilization, you may be able to achieve savings without deviating from the traditional 1:1 employee-to-desk ratio. If utilization varies significantly by team, you may be able to reduce the space allocated to that team. If your workplace attendance varies considerably by day of the week, you may consider agile seating approaches like hot desking or assigning each team a compact “pod” of desks and meeting spaces based on its maximum in-office attendance level. 
5. Even when companies cannot change their existing real estate footprint for some time, occupancy analytics can help reduce expenses by helping them avoid or delay obtaining more space as their teams grow. Many companies apply a conservative utilization model, targeting a figure like 70% utilization to ensure that there are always sufficient resources available for people coming to the office. Because historical methods of calculating utilization were inaccurate, companies had to err on holding too much space to avoid resource shortages. With occupancy analytics, you get an accurate picture of current utilization levels and can raise your target utilization level. 
6. Once you have made changes, continue to monitor your workplace to identify additional sources of savings. For example, many companies are exploring “floor balancing,” which refers to taking an agile approach to opening floors of a workspace based on expected attendance. Using an agile seating approach, companies can “close” certain floors on low attendance days and reduce heating/cooling, utilities, and cleaning costs for those areas. All employees coming in on a low attendance day are assigned desks on open floors upon arrival.

    

More information

For more insights on intelligently rightsizing your space, download our Rightsize Right eguide.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

Workplace teams work hard to get the balance right between resource types to create office harmony and ensure maximum productivity. But traditional “rules of thumb” like deck-to-employee rations and meeting spaces per hundred employees are no longer valid in a hybrid work world. Only by understanding actual resource utilization and the percent of time resources are used can real estate teams define the optimal mix of resources. 

Further, there are unique challenges for meeting space planning in the “new hybrid normal.” By tracking the utilization of these resources vs. capacity and the relative appeal of different meeting resource types, workplace leaders can define the perfect set of spaces to maximize productive collaboration. 

XY Sense solution:  Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Percent Utilization of Collaboration Spaces per Floor/Team Area
• Percentage of Time Resource Types are Used
• Percentage of Time Individual Resources are Used
• Percent Fullness When Resource Types are in Use
• Peak Days/Times of Utilization for Each Resource Type

   

How to optimize fit-out mix (balance of desks, meeting rooms, amenities)

1. The first step in optimizing fit-out is understanding the current utilization rate for different types of workspace, like desks, collaboration areas, and meeting rooms. When XY Sense Sensors are first deployed in your locations, your XY Sense team will work with you to map all your workspaces. Because XY Sense Sensors are accurate to within one foot (35cm), you can measure utilization at the individual desk or space level and get insights on groups of same-type resources. Pre-built reports in the XY Sense Insights Platform make accessing these data points and insights easy. 
2. By comparing utilization rates by workspace type, you can determine which types of space are underutilized and which are in short supply. Examine utilization levels across time, by day of the week and hour in the day, to help ensure you have resources available in the busiest times.
3. In the return-to-office/hybrid workplace environment, organizations often find that the historic ratios they used for allocating individual workstations and meeting spaces no longer align with how their team works. Most companies devote 80% or more of their workspaces to individual desks or cubes. In a hybrid work world, some companies find that people spend more time collaborating with others during their in-office days. That change in work patterns can make it worthwhile to change fit-out ratios to increase the allocation for collaborative meeting rooms and areas. 
4. Our recent Global Workplace Utilization Index found that, on average, 36% of desks sit completely unused in a typical office since the return to office (RTO). An additional 29% were utilized three hours or less each day. Just 14% were utilized more than five hours per day. By contrast, meeting rooms for two persons or more were utilized 90% of the time. Every organization has unique patterns, and fit-out should be adjusted to reflect those patterns. Alter the fit-out ratios in your office to its unique work patterns. This will make your workplaces more productive and ensure that people have the space types they need when they come in.

    

More information

For more ideas on environmental enhancement, download our workplace experience solution brief.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

With the return-to-office and hybrid work rules, many facilities and team areas are minimally occupied some or all of the time. When employees work in spaces where most desks are unused, the “ghost town” environment hurts productivity and the workplace’s vibe. By analyzing the utilization of resources in a facility/floor/work area, real estate teams can pinpoint over- and under-utilized spaces and make changes to correct the situation.

XY Sense solution: Entry Sensors and Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Team’s Percent Utilization of Each Space Type
• Team’s Percent of Time Each Space Type is Used
• Team’s Percent Fullness When Used
• Team’s Percent Utilization of Individual Resources (desks, Meeting Rooms)
• Occupancy Count Per Floor/Zone
  
  

How to use workplace sensors and analytics to address a lack of workplace vibe in offices, floors, and team areas

1. Companies need to periodically assess the utilization rate for different types of workspace, like desks, collaboration areas, and meeting rooms. When XY Sense Sensors are first deployed in your locations, your XY Sense team will work with you to map all your workspaces. Because XY Sense Sensors are accurate to within one foot (35cm), you can measure utilization at the individual desk or space level and get insights on the utilization level for groups of same-type resources. Pre-built reports in the XY Sense Insights Platform make accessing these data points and insights easy. 
2. Once you have the baseline data, look for locations, areas, days of the week, and hours in a day when workplace utilization rates are low. It can be helpful to set a target level of utilization that creates the desired collective energy. 
3. Then, examine your space to pinpoint areas and times where the utilization level is well below a desirable level. In our recent Global Workplace Utilization Index, 36% of desks sit completely unused in a typical office since the return to office (RTO). An additional 29% are utilized three hours or less each day. Only 14% were utilized more than five hours per day. In environments where many desks sit empty, the low-energy environment cuts individual and team productivity.
4. Now it’s time to consider your options. There are several strategies to consider to address the ghost areas in your office. If you can rightsize your space, you can concentrate your people in a smaller area and improve that sense of a “productive hive” of activity. Concentrating people can still make sense if you cannot reduce leased space because of long-term agreements. For example, you can consolidate people on fewer floors and try to sublease your excess space. Your consolidated space can use (smaller) dedicated team areas or move to an agile seating scheme like hot-desking, in which employees are assigned desks when they enter your space. 
5. Consider your weekly utilization patterns. In the hybrid work world, many companies find that their XY Sense Sensor data shows low utilization levels on certain days of the week. Agile seating strategies can help ensure that your people sit in buzzy, product environments every day they come in. Many companies are exploring floor balancing, an approach that opens and closes floors based on expected attendance that day. On midweek days when attendance is higher, they open all floors. On Mondays and Fridays, when attendance is lower, they open a subset of floors that concentrate workers to create the right vibe.
6. Remember that the right occupancy level for maximum productivity can vary by organization and team. Some roles like HR and Marketing often benefit from having higher occupancy in their areas. By contrast, Finance and IT are often better served sitting in areas with a lower density. Leverage the data in your XY Sense Insights Platform to experiment and optimize density for your organization’s unique needs. Employee survey data can also be helpful here to aid in formulating strategies and optimizations to create the perfect vibe for every team.
   
   

More information

For more insights on proven rightsizing strategies, download our Rightsize Right eguide.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

Workplace leaders are the biggest evangelists for the power of a well-planned and appointed office to create a more pleasing and productive worker experience. Understanding an office’s utilization and usage patterns can provide the insight necessary to optimize it for maximum satisfaction. Often, worker survey data are used to measure the effectiveness of these initiatives. However, surveys cannot help you accurately understand current usage patterns. For accurate utilization insights, you need occupancy sensors and analytics.

XY Sense solution: Area Sensors

Essential metrics and reports

• Percent Utilization of Collaboration Spaces and Amenities Spaces Per Office/Floor/Area
• % Time Collaboration Spaces and Amenity Spaces are Used 
• % Fullness of Collaboration Spaces and Amenities Spaces
• Peak Days/ Times for Collaboration Spaces and Amenities Spaces Utilization

How to use workplace sensors and analytics to empower human-centered workplace design

1. The first step is to identify the utilization rate for different types of workspace, like desks, collaboration areas, and meeting rooms. This gives you critical insight into what your workers find useful and valuable. When XY Sense Sensors are first deployed in your locations, your XY Sense team will work with you to map all your workspaces. Because XY Sense Sensors are accurate to within one foot (35cm), you can measure utilization at the individual desk or space level and get insights on the utilization level for groups of same-type resources. Pre-built reports in the XY Sense Insights Platform make accessing these data points and insights easy. 
2. Once you have the baseline data, examine your spaces for areas with low or excessively high utilization levels. In environments with empty desks, the low-energy environment takes a hit to individual and team productivity. Similarly, areas with excessive occupancy make it hard for employees to focus and get work done, harming workplace productivity and engagement. 
3. Next, consider how utilization varies by day. In the hybrid work world, many companies find that their XY Sense Sensor data shows low utilization levels on certain days of the week. Agile seating strategies can help ensure that your people sit in buzzy, product environments every day they come in. Many companies are exploring floor balancing, an approach that opens and closes floors based on expected attendance that day. On midweek days when attendance is higher, they open all floors. On Mondays and Fridays, when attendance is lower, they open a subset of floors that concentrate workers to create the right vibe.
4. Remember that the right occupancy level for maximum productivity can vary by organization and team. Some roles like HR and Marketing often benefit from having higher occupancy in their areas. By contrast, Finance and IT are often better served sitting in areas with a lower density. Leverage the data in your XY Sense Insights Platform to experiment and optimize density for your organization’s unique needs. Employee survey data can also be helpful here to aid in formulating strategies and optimizations to create the perfect vibe for every team.

More information

For more ideas on environmental enhancement, download our workplace experience solution brief.

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

Nothing is more frustrating than being compelled to come into an office and finding no place to sit or meet. One key issue is “no-shows” when resources are booked but unused. Integrating real-time workplace analytics with a company’s resource booking tools allows you to set policies like releasing reserved space after ten minutes of disuse and power more effective agile workplace strategies. 

XY Sense solution: Entry Sensors and Area Sensors and Pre-built XY Sense API Integrations with Leading Resource Booking Platforms

Essential metrics and reports

• Percent Utilization of Each Resource/Space Type
• Difference in Utilization at Peak and Non-Peak Times
  
  

How to use workplace sensors and analytics to reduce workplace friction (e.g., shortages of meeting space or desks)

1. Begin by analyzing your space’s utilization rate of desks, collaboration areas, enclosed meeting rooms, and other resource categories. With XY Sense, you can examine the utilization of every individual resource; when we first deploy XY Sense Sensors in your space, we carefully map all resources. Then, we can track utilization in real time because our positioning data are accurate to within one foot (30 cm).
2. Then, get your platforms working together. The XY Sense Occupancy API integrates XY Sense data with resource booking tools. XY Sense has pre-built integrations with many leading platforms, including AppSpace, Calven, and GoSpace AI. 
3. With your platforms integrated, XY Sense’s real-time occupancy data will inform your booking software with resource utilization states in real time. For example, setting business rules allows you to reduce or eliminate ghost bookings where space is unreserved. For example, a rule can cancel a booking if the room goes unused for ten minutes of the booking block. This frees up that space for others, who will no longer be without a place to meet. 
4. If you leverage an agile seating plan that assigns desks when employees arrive in the office, having XY Sense Area Sensor real-time utilization data integrated into your booking solution can cancel pre-bookings of seats if they are unused. This enables you to accommodate more people and dramatically reduce the risk of employees arriving and finding no seat available.
   
   

More information

Get more insight into agile workplace design and how it can help reduce workplace friction. 

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.

Optimizing meeting space to meet company needs is critical to portfolio planning. By integrating real-time occupancy data with a company’s booking platform, the workplace team can get a precise view of utilization by space type and the optimal sizes for collaboration spaces. Many companies use such integrations to learn if they have the right mix of spaces and types for typical team meetings.

XY Sense solution: Entry Sensors and Area Sensors and Pre-built XY Sense API Integrations with Leading Resource Booking Platforms

Essential metrics and reports

Real-Time Utilization of Collaboration Spaces and Desks

How to Track Actual Availability/Usage of Collaboration Spaces for Portfolio Planning

Start by analyzing current utilization rates for enclosed meeting rooms, informal collaboration spaces, banquettes, and any other resource categories in your space. XY Sense tracks the utilization of every individual resource in real time and over time, then consolidates the data in figures for resource types. When our team first deploys XY Sense Sensors in your space, we carefully map all resources. Then, because our positioning data are accurate to within one foot (30 cm), we can track utilization in real time.

Integrate your XY Sense data with your resource booking tools using the XY Sense Occupancy API. XY Sense has pre-built integrations with many leading platforms, including AppSpace, Calven, and GoSpace AI. 

With your platforms integrated, XY Sense can inform your booking software with the actual utilization in real time. By setting business rules, you can reduce or eliminate ghost bookings where space is reserved but not used. For example, a rule can cancel a booking if the room goes unused for ten minutes of the booking block. 

Data from XY Sense also tracks the number of people using meeting spaces in real time. This data is helping many of our clients make better decisions about the right capacity for meeting spaces and determine whether the “new” types of collaboration space, like open areas and banquettes, are being used and appreciated by team members. By analyzing the number of people using a space versus its capacity, you can determine if changing the size of some spaces makes sense. 

It can also be helpful to compare your utilization and other data to industry benchmarks. In our recent Workplace Utilization Index report of global workplace utilization benchmarks, we revealed that most meetings are attended by 2-3 people, regardless of the size of meeting spaces. Insights like this are helping companies make decisions like breaking up multiple large “board-room-like” rooms into smaller units.

More information 

Agile workplace design best practices can help provide more insight. 

Download our Buyers Guide to Workplace Utilization Technologies.