What is a desk ratio?

How it works

The ratio divides people by desks. A team of 120 with 80 desks has a ratio of 1.5:1. Assigned seating is 1:1; any ratio above one means desks are shared through hot desking, hoteling or neighborhoods.

The right ratio comes from the peak, not the average. If a team's busiest normal day brings in 70% of its people, it needs desks for 70% of them plus a buffer for growth and visitors. That ratio then sets desks per team and, through space per desk, the floor area.

A ratio only holds if attendance is managed. Team days, neighborhoods and booking rules keep the peak predictable; without them, everyone picks the same midweek days and a ratio that works on paper fails on Tuesday. Teams often need different ratios: a sales team on the road can share more than a team with daily in-person routines.

Formula

Desk ratio = People assigned ÷ Desks available

People assigned: Employees and regular contractors allocated to the floor, team or building.
Desks available: Open, bookable desks in the same area, excluding closed or out-of-service desks.

Worked example · illustrative figures

A team of 90 people shares a neighborhood.
On its busiest normal day, presence data shows 54 people in. With a 10% buffer, the team needs 54 × 1.1 ≈ 60 desks.
90 ÷ 60 = 1.5.

Desk ratio: 1.5:1, or one and a half people per desk.

How to measure it

Measure each team's peak attendance from presence data over several normal weeks.
Add a buffer for growth, visitors and uneven days, and decide it explicitly.
Set ratios by team or function where work patterns differ.
Review after policy changes; a new office-days requirement moves the peak and the ratio.

Examples

A consultancy with most staff at client sites runs 2:1 in its hub, while a finance team with fixed routines stays near 1.2:1.
A company moving from 1:1 to 1.4:1 releases a floor, then uses team days so the busiest day still fits.

Benchmarks

Wavex runs its London HQ with 18 desks for more than 80 employees.
Kadence customer story: Wavex
In CBRE's benchmarking, 48% of respondents target a sharing ratio between 1.01 and 1.49 people per seat, and only 33% target more than 1.5:1.
CBRE, The Hybrid Reality (2026 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights)

Common mistakes

Setting the ratio from average attendance instead of the peak.
Applying one ratio to every team.
Raising the ratio without team days or neighborhoods to manage the peak.
Measuring the peak from bookings rather than attendance.

How Kadence helps

Kadence measures attendance and occupancy from check-ins and automatic network presence, so each team's peak day is visible in Workplace Insights. Team neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Scheduler and assigned desks put a ratio into practice, and SpaceOps plans floors and compares scenarios against measured occupancy.

Workplace occupancy · Space management · Scenario planning

Frequently asked questions

What is a good desk sharing ratio?

It depends on each team's peak attendance and how much buffer you want. In CBRE's benchmarking, 48% of respondents target a sharing ratio between 1.01 and 1.49 people per seat, and only 33% target more than 1.5:1.

How do you calculate a desk ratio?

Divide the number of people assigned to an area by the number of desks available there. To set a target, start from the team's busiest normal day of measured attendance, add a buffer, and divide the team's headcount by the desks that result.

What is the difference between a desk ratio and desk utilization?

The desk ratio is a planning setting: how many people share each desk. Desk utilization is the outcome: how much of the desk time is actually used. A higher ratio usually raises utilization, until the busiest day no longer fits.

Can different teams have different desk ratios?

Yes, and they usually should. Teams that travel or work with remote clients can share more desks than teams with daily in-person routines. Neighborhoods make this practical, because each team's zone can be sized to its own peak.

How do I manage desks when more people come in than we have seats?

Plan for measured peak days, not averages. On those days, ask people to book ahead instead of first come, first served, release desks nobody checks in to, and give teams set days so they do not all pick the same one. If peaks still exceed desks, change the ratio for the busiest teams or open overflow space.

Peak occupancy The busiest level of use a floor or building reaches in a normal week, which sets the capacity you actually need.
Hot desking and hoteling Two ways to share desks: hot desking is first come, first served; hoteling means reserving a desk in advance and checking in.
Densification Supporting more people in the same floor area, through desk sharing, a tighter desk ratio or reuse of underused space.
Desk utilization The share of available desk-hours people actually use, measured desk by desk from check-ins or presence data.
Space per person Office floor area divided by the number of people it serves, in square feet or square meters per person.

Sources

The Hybrid Reality: Why the Office Is More Important Than Ever, CBRE

Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed October 6, 2026