How it works
An admin chooses what to close (a building, floor, neighborhood, room or single desk), when and why. The system removes that space from booking for the period, so nobody can reserve it.
Existing bookings in the closed space are handled next. The people affected are told, and depending on the setup their booking is cancelled or moved to similar space nearby. Recurring bookings need the same treatment, or the next one lands in a closed space.
Closures also matter for reporting. A closed floor has no availability, so it should drop out of the denominator of occupancy rates for that period. Otherwise the data shows a quiet floor that was never open.
How to measure it
- Track how many bookings each closure affects and how many were moved rather than cancelled.
- Remove closed space from available capacity when calculating occupancy for the period.
- Review closures that repeat, such as planned maintenance, and schedule them on low-demand days.
Examples
- A floor closes over a weekend for new carpet and reopens on Monday.
- A building closes for a public holiday, so nobody can book desks for that day.
- A room is blocked for a company event, and people with bookings there are told to move.
Common mistakes
- Closing space without telling the people who already booked it.
- Leaving closed space in occupancy denominators, which drags the rate down.
- Forgetting recurring bookings, which keep landing in space that is closed.
How Kadence helps
Kadence Closure Management lets admins close buildings for holidays or events on every plan, and WorkOps Pro adds closures for floors, neighborhoods and individual spaces. Workplace announcements reach people through Slack, Microsoft Teams, email and the mobile app.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to bookings when a space is closed?
In a good setup, the people affected are told straight away and their bookings are cancelled or moved to similar space. Recurring bookings need the same handling, so later bookings in the series do not land in the closed space.
Why should closed space be removed from occupancy reports?
Occupancy rate divides space in use by space available. Closed space was not available, so counting it makes the rate look lower than it was and can make a busy floor look underused.
What kinds of closures do workplace teams plan?
Planned maintenance and refurbishment, public holidays, events that take over a floor or room, deep cleaning, and emergencies such as a heating failure or a leak. Planned closures work best on low-demand days.
Related terms
- Booking policy The rules for booking shared desks, rooms and other spaces: who can book, how far ahead, for how long and when bookings are released.
- Facilities management (FM) The function that keeps buildings and their services working: maintenance, cleaning, security, catering, energy, safety and space.
- Occupancy rate The share of available desks, rooms or floor area in use, at a point in time or on average over a period.
- Building operations The day-to-day running of a building's systems and services, such as heating, cooling, lighting, security, lifts and maintenance.
- Facility service request A request to the facilities team to fix, supply or change something in the workplace, logged and tracked until it is resolved.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed