If your organization has transitioned to hybrid work models, there is a good chance you have scaled-down your office space dramatically. Many of you have cut down the number of desks and enabled flexible desking using a desk booking system. If you have, how do you know if your desk booking system has been effective?
This software should generate clear and concise data to confirm its effectiveness. Implementing a simple desk booking system is not enough. It should also tell you how, when, and why employees book their desks. For this, you need to look at some metrics.
Here we will discuss the top five metrics to help you determine your desk booking system’s success.
Metrics That Show the Success of Desk Booking System
- Number of Desks Booked
This metric should tell you how many desks are booked per hour daily. If all desks get booked quickly, it could be time to increase the number of desks in your office and vice versa.
In the hybrid workplace, tracking this metric is all the more crucial. After all, with employees coming into the office as per their work demands, office footfall varies. And if your current desk booking tool is not effective you could be facing overused or underused desks in your office.
A good desk booking system ensures every employee gets a desk without looking too hard for it. And a desk of their choice with all the resources they need at that. Yes, this improves employee productivity at the office, but it also optimizes desk usage.Â
- Duration of Desk Booking
A desk booking system enables employees to book work desks and shared resources like conference rooms for a specified time. It could be for a few hours a day or a few days a week, like desk hoteling.
As a manager, you can study the office trends when it comes to the duration of their booking.Â
And these trends can give you insights into the effectiveness of the software as well. For instance, if you notice that desks go unreserved for a long period of time but you still have employees visiting the front desk complaining about insufficient desks, it is a sign that your desk booking system is not doing its job well.
Ideally, your desk booking system should ensure that everyone in the office has a desk, regardless of the average desk booking time in your office.Â
- Occupancy Rate
This is a pertinent metric to take into account when determining whether your desk booking system is fulfilling its potential.Â
To calculate the occupancy rate for your office, divide the total number of occupied desks by the total number of available desks, and multiply the answer by 100.Â
For instance, if you have 70 desks in your office, and only 30 get used daily, your occupancy rate is 42%. This indicates you need to take a second look at your desk needs. Ideally, you want the desk occupancy at your office to go up after installing the desk booking system.
- Utilization RateÂ
A successfully implemented desk booking system also improves your office space utilization. How? By ensuring more people occupy desks and don’t crowd at other common meeting areas in the office.
To calculate this, divide the total number of employees by the full capacity of your office and multiply the answer by 100.
For instance, if you have 80 employees and the maximum capacity of your office is 85, your utilization rate is 94%. This shows a healthy use of office space.
Social distancing norms have reduced the office’s maximum capacity. So, while deciding on the target space utilization rate at your office, keep the updated safety standards in mind.
- Mobility Ratio
The hybrid workplace model involves employees working in the office and remotely. The mobility ratio calculates how many employees work from the office and how many remotely. Based on that, you can calculate your office seating.
The mobility ratio metric must be considered to judge whether your desk booking system is being utilized in the best way possible. Most effective desk booking systems ensure that the mobility ratio in a hybrid workplace is greater than 1.
Final Thoughts
Judging the success of your desk booking system is key to managing your hybrid workplace. Software that is not functioning optimally does little for your company. Periodic checks based on these five metrics will ensure a smooth and efficient desk booking system.
Platforms like WorkInSync offer desk booking systems among their many hybrid workplace solutions. Their software comes with user analytics and reports that provide data on space optimization, desk utilization, etc. This helps you get a clear understanding of how your software is functioning. All this with a single click.
To know more, visit their website and book a demo today!
