Hybrid work only saves money if space is shared well. Give everyone a permanent desk and you pay for seats that sit empty three days a week; share badly and people spend the first ten minutes of the day hunting for somewhere to sit. Good desk booking is the difference.
Start with the ratio
The first decision is how many desks per person. A team that is in twice a week can often run comfortably at six or seven desks for every ten people, but the right number depends on how synchronised your days are. If everyone piles in on Tuesday, plan for the peak, not the average.
Measure before you cut. Run booking for a few weeks with the desks you already have and watch the occupancy peaks before you hand any space back.
Mix assigned and shared desks
Not every desk should be a hot desk. Some roles need a fixed spot, and some people simply work better with one. A good system lets you keep assigned desks for those who need them while the rest float in a shared pool.
The trick is letting assigned-desk owners release their desk on days they are out, so it drops into the pool instead of sitting empty. That single feature recovers a surprising amount of space.
Make it effortless to find a seat
People should be able to see what is free by floor, book in a couple of taps, and have it land in their calendar. If booking is more effort than just turning up, they will stop booking and the data becomes useless.
Add check-in so no-show bookings free up automatically. Nothing frustrates a full office more than a wall of "booked" desks that are actually empty.
Key takeaways
- Plan desks for your busiest day, not the weekly average.
- Measure real occupancy before you reduce space.
- Blend assigned and shared desks, and let owners release assigned desks when away.
- Keep booking to a couple of taps, and auto-release no-shows with check-in.
See how Trezod does this in practice.
See desk & room booking