The essential workplace analytics glossary

The office isn't what it used to be. With hybrid work now the norm, companies are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to make their spaces work. The old ways of measuring and managing offices just don't cut it anymore. That's why we've put together this guide.

Here are the workplace analytics terms to know, ranging from the industry standard terms and metrics that have defined the space for decades to the ones the industry leaders are using to analyze the new world of work.

What to measure: Metrics

Industry standard metrics

There are certain terms and practices that workplace teams have been using for decades to understand how their offices are being used:

• Badge Swipes - Count of unique badge swipes coming into a building.
• Headcount - The number of people assigned or planned for a particular floor or building.
• Utilization Rate - The number of people in a space relative to the number of desks.
• Desk Sharing Ratio - Allocated headcount / allocated desks.
• Attendance or Show-up Rate - Attendance / headcount.

While these continue to offer value in the new world of work, they also have limitations. These terms often miss nuances around the use of one type of space versus another, or how spaces are used throughout a day. For example, are people able to find meeting rooms when the office hits peak occupancy? With these blunt instruments, you just don’t know. That’s where modern metrics come in to complete the picture.

Modern metrics

To get a deeper understanding of how your workplace is used, you need to measure how people are using all of the various spaces that make up your office. This more granular measurement and understanding is crucial for effective workplace strategy and design. 

Here are the metrics that act as building blocks for analyzing how spaces in any workplace are being used.

• Occupancy - space occupancy is the number of people present in a space, on a floor, or in the building at a given time.
• Time used - the average time a space is occupied over a specific time interval.
• Saturation - a measure of how many spaces are available during a given time interval.
• Efficiency - ratio of the average number of people occupying a space compared to its designated capacity.
• Capacity - the number of people you can fit in a space, floor or building before you start running out of any specific space.

Where to measure: Space types

As organizations strive to create more flexible and collaborative environments, the traditional office layout has given way to a diverse ecosystem of purposeful spaces. Here are some of the key space types you'll encounter in today's workplace:

• Me spaces - floor space allocated to desks.
• We spaces - floor space allocated to meeting and group activities (including kitchens and open collaboration).
• Open plan seating - large areas for desks without cubicles or private offices.
• Phone booths - enclosed booths with acoustic privacy, ideal for an individual taking a virtual meeting.
• Open collaboration space - flexible, unenclosed space that can accommodate meetings, individual focus work, or social gatherings.
• Meeting / conference rooms - traditional enclosed spaces for taking meetings.
• Workpoint - anywhere someone could work from, including cafe seating, open collaboration space, or a desk.
• Unassigned seating - also known as a hotel desk or hot desk, any seat that’s not assigned and meant to be used on-demand

What to look for: Trends

As traditional office norms give way to more flexible work arrangements, new patterns of behavior and space utilization have emerged. These trends are reshaping how we think about and manage our workspaces. Let's explore some of the most pressing issues and concepts shaping today's office dynamics, and how to address them:

Unassigned seats or hot desks - Where offices do not provide an assigned desk for each employee, and instead have them find desks or workspaces on-demand.

• Key question: Can unassigned seating lead to a more efficient use of office space for a hybrid workforce? 
• Key metric to consider: Desk occupancy

Meeting room squatting or camping - Where employees treat meeting rooms as a personal office, using them as a space for individual work or spending hours on end in the room.

• Key questions: How often are meeting rooms used by one person at a time? How often is meeting room saturation hitting 80% or higher, where people have trouble finding the space they need? Can our office set up alternate spaces, like phone booths or open collaboration spaces, to accommodate the needs of employees?
• Key metrics to consider: Meeting room efficiency, meeting room saturation

Ghost meetings - Where employees book a meeting space, but never show up for the meeting. 

• Key questions: How are ghost meetings affecting employees' ability to find the meeting spaces they need? How can we give employees the tools they need to find meeting spaces?
• Key metrics to consider: Meeting room occupancy vs. booking data

Occupancy planning - the practice of analyzing how your space is being used and making adjustments to maximize current and future utilization. It’s an effective strategy to improve any space, from a single office to an entire corporate real estate portfolio.

• Key questions: How many desks go completely unused for each team and area, and how can we more efficiently allocate that space? At what level of desk occupancy do our teams start running out of meeting room space? Which space type is limiting our building or floor capacity? Do we need more meeting rooms or desks?
• Key metrics to consider: peak desk occupancy, meeting room saturation

Coffee badging - Where employees show up at the office just long enough to meet RTO compliance, usually to get a coffee or lunch.

• Key question: How long are employees staying at the office, and where do they go when they visit?
• Key metrics to consider: time used for meeting rooms, desks, and other spaces

Desks as coat racks - Where employees drop off their belongings at a desk, but do not spend any meaningful time there.

• Key questions: How much time are employees spending at their assigned desk? Are there different patterns of desk usage by different cohorts (e.g. managers versus individual contributors)? Are assigned desks serving a meaningful purpose, or could a locker or other solution work better?
• Key metrics to consider: time spent by desk

Critical Mass - the ideal balance of space and human energy that creates a better workplace experience for employees.

• Key questions: Do we have the right types of spaces? How much space do we need to create the office buzz employees want?
• Key metrics to consider: occupancy by space type, occupancy by floor

By moving beyond table-stakes data to table-turning insights, you can transform your office from just a physical space into a strategic asset. Understanding these key terms and metrics empowers you to make informed decisions, optimize your workspace, and create an environment where teams can thrive.

Learn more about Density's workplace metrics software or request a demo to see Density in action.