What is desk utilization, and how do you calculate it?

How it works

Desk utilization measures intensity over time. Each booking and check-in records which desk was used, by whom, from when and until when. Rolled up, the data shows how many of each desk's available hours were used, by desk, neighborhood, floor, team and day of the week.

It is not the same as desk occupancy, which only asks whether a desk is in use at a point in time or on a given day. A desk used from nine to eleven and then left empty counts as occupied that day, but it is used for only a quarter of an eight-hour day. Because a desk seats one person, utilization reduces to the share of available desk-hours in use.

The check-in separates use from intent. Without it, utilization counts reservations nobody turned up for. Ghost bookings (booked, not used), zombie bookings (booked and left empty week after week) and people who sit without booking all distort the figure until check-in or presence data corrects them.

Formula

Desk utilization = (Desk-hours used ÷ Desk-hours available) × 100

Desk-hours used: The hours each desk was in use, from check-in to check-out, auto-release or the end of presence, summed over all desks in the period.
Desk-hours available: Open, bookable desks multiplied by the hours they were available in the period, excluding closed or out-of-service desks.

Worked example · illustrative figures

A neighborhood has 20 desks, available 8 hours a day for a five-day week: 20 × 8 × 5 = 800 desk-hours available.
Check-in and presence data show 360 desk-hours used across the week.
360 ÷ 800 = 0.45.
On the same data, an average of 16 of the 20 desks had someone at them at some point each day: 80% average daily occupancy.

Weekly desk utilization: 45%. Most desks are occupied each day, but many are used for only part of it.

How to measure it

Use check-ins or automatic presence detection with an end time (check-out, auto-release or presence ending); booking data alone overstates use.
Count hours, not only days: a desk used for an hour and a desk used all day are both occupied that day, but their utilization is very different.
Report by neighborhood and team, not only by building, so over- and under-supplied areas show up.
Track no-shows next to utilization. A high booking rate with low check-ins points to ghost bookings, not a shortage.

Examples

A sales team books every desk in its neighborhood on Mondays but checks in to half of them; auto-release and a reminder return the rest to other teams.
Window desks run near full while an interior bank is rarely used; better lighting and monitors fix the imbalance before anyone adds desks.

Benchmarks

Kadence booking data from over 1,100 buildings, published in June 2025, showed most offices running at 20 to 40% average desk utilization. It comes from booking data, so it likely overstates real use.
Kadence guide: Office space planning

Common mistakes

Counting bookings as use.
Reporting one building-wide figure that hides crowded and empty neighborhoods.
Removing desks based on an average week without checking the peak day.
Ignoring people who sit without booking, which makes utilization look lower than it is unless presence data records them.

How Kadence helps

Kadence records desk bookings and check-ins from the web and mobile apps, Microsoft Teams and Slack, and auto-releases desks nobody checks in to. The Kadence Agent checks people in when it detects them on the office network, and Automatic Bookings records people who turn up without a booking. Workplace Insights reports occupancy, no-shows, heatmaps and average weekly hours, and CSV and bookings exports feed your own desk-hour calculations.

Desk booking software · Workplace analytics · Workplace occupancy

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate desk utilization?

Divide the desk-hours actually used by the desk-hours available in the same period, then multiply by one hundred. Count use from check-ins or presence data with an end time, and count only desks that were open and bookable. Counting only whether each desk was used on a day gives desk occupancy instead.

What is a good desk utilization rate?

Most offices run at 20–40% average desk utilization, according to Kadence booking data from over 1,100 buildings published in June 2025; because it comes from bookings, real use is likely lower. A good rate for you depends on your policy and your peak day: aim for a busy midweek that still leaves a small buffer.

What is the difference between desk utilization and desk occupancy?

Desk occupancy asks whether a desk is in use: the share of desks in use at a point in time or on a given day. Desk utilization asks how intensively desks are used over time: the share of available desk-hours actually used. A desk used for one morning counts as occupied that day but is only partly utilized.

Can you measure desk utilization without sensors?

Yes. Desk booking with check-in records use desk by desk, and automatic check-in from office network presence removes the need for people to remember. Badge data adds building arrivals, though it cannot say which desk someone used.

How do I find out how much of our office space is actually used?

Measure use desk by desk and room by room over several weeks, from check-ins and office network presence, and compare it with what you have. Bookings and badge entries alone overstate use, because booked desks go empty and a badge-in does not show where someone sat. The gap is space you pay for but do not use.

Space utilization How intensively buildings, floors, rooms and desks are used against their full capacity over time.
Occupancy vs utilization Occupancy is the share of space in use; utilization is the share of capacity-time actually used.
Desk ratio (desk sharing ratio) The number of people assigned to a workplace for each desk, set from peak attendance and policy.
No-show rate The share of desk and room bookings nobody checks in to, which makes space look busier than it is.
Desk check-in Confirming that you are at the desk or room you booked, by app, QR code, badge or Wi-Fi presence, so unused bookings can be released.
Desk booking system Software that lets employees find and reserve a desk before they come in, check in on arrival and free desks nobody uses.

Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed October 6, 2026