A desk to person ratio, also known as a desk sharing ratio, is the ratio of employees to available desks in a given office building or floor. An ideal ratio in a traditional working environment would be 1:1 (one desk for each employee). However, as most organizations employ a percentage of their workforce part time, and because staff are likely to be sick or on leave several for weeks each year it is typical to see a ratio of around 10:7 (10 desks for every 7 people). This ratio varies from country to country, depending on leave requirements, and cultural practices.
In a hybrid working environment, where it is typical for employees to work remotely, organisations typically see a much lower ratio (eg 1:2).
In hybrid working environments it is common for companies to implement hot desking practices as this improves the spatial utilization of the workplace floorplate and desk resources. Organizations can choose to use the additional space created to increase the amount of collaborative spaces, or reduce the size of their office footprint by downsizing or subletting their office space. This can result in significant cost savings for office based businesses.
