How do I know if my office space is being wasted?
You can tell if your office space is being wasted by measuring how often each space is used—and occupancy sensors provide the real-time data you need to find out.
If desks, meeting rooms, or entire floors are consistently empty or underutilized, that’s space (and money) going to waste. Tools like Density’s Waffle and Atlas help companies assess usage accurately so they can cut costs and improve the workplace experience.
Signs your office space Is being wasted
If you’re noticing any of the following, chances are your space isn’t being used efficiently:
- Desks that sit empty most of the day
- Meeting rooms booked but not used (“ghost meetings”)
- Employees reporting difficulty finding space, despite low attendance
- Entire floors operating below 30% capacity
- Cleaning or utility bills for rooms no one enters
Without precise occupancy data, these patterns can go unnoticed—leading to poor space planning and unnecessary spending.
How to measure office space utilization
Step 1: Conduct a space audit
Start by mapping how different areas of your office are used. Manually surveying or observing only gives you snapshots—occupancy sensors give you a continuous, unbiased view.
Step 2: Use occupancy sensors and dashboards
Sensors like Waffle anonymously count people in real time, showing:
- Which spaces are occupied and when
- Average daily usage rates
- Patterns by department, time of day, or day of the week
With dashboards like Atlas, you’ll also see:
- Which floors are underperforming
- Where people prefer to work (e.g. focus spaces vs. open areas)
- How close your spaces are to achieving “Critical Mass” (the ideal energy and buzz for collaboration)
The cost of wasted space
Poor space utilization means:
- Paying for empty square footage
- Overspending on utilities, cleaning, and amenities
- Delaying better workplace experiences due to faulty assumptions
Real-world example: One Density customer identified underused floors and consolidated them—saving $2.6 million annually in rent while maintaining employee experience.
What to do with the data
Once you identify wasted space, you can:
- Consolidate or sublease unused floors
- Redesign areas to better match work styles
- Repurpose low-use rooms into collaborative or quiet zones
- Adjust cleaning and energy schedules based on actual use
Summary
If you’re not measuring how your office is used, you’re probably wasting space.
Occupancy sensors help you detect underutilized areas, reduce costs, and create a workplace that actually works—for your people and your budget.
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How do I improve the employee experience with workplace analytics?
You can improve the employee experience by using workplace analytics and occupancy sensors to design better spaces, support hybrid work, and make data-driven decisions that align with how people actually use your office.
Workplace analytics helps you understand how your environment supports (or hinders) focus, collaboration, well-being, and productivity—all of which directly impact engagement and retention.
What are the advantages of occupancy sensors?
Occupancy sensors provide real-time, accurate insights into how spaces are used—helping companies reduce costs, improve office design, and make better business decisions.
They eliminate guesswork from space planning and empower workplace, facilities, and real estate teams to optimize every square foot.
What are effective workplace strategies for the return to office?
The most effective return-to-office (RTO) strategies combine clear policy, human-centered flexibility, data-driven decisions, and office designs that employees actually want to use.
RTO success isn’t just about mandating a presence—it’s about building a workplace that drives collaboration, morale, and performance.
How do I know if my office space is being wasted?
You can tell if your office space is being wasted by measuring how often each space is used—and occupancy sensors provide the real-time data you need to find out.
If desks, meeting rooms, or entire floors are consistently empty or underutilized, that’s space (and money) going to waste. Tools like Density’s Waffle and Atlas help companies assess usage accurately so they can cut costs and improve the workplace experience.