How it works
Most seating charts start as a spreadsheet, a slide or a document with text boxes laid over a floor plan. Each row or box holds a person's name, team and desk. That works for a small, stable office but breaks quickly: moving one name means redrawing the layout, and every change has to be sent around again.
A seating chart tool puts the same information on the real floor plan. Each desk is marked as assigned to a person, reserved for a team or open to book, and searching for a name shows where that person sits. When someone joins, moves or leaves, the change is made once and everyone sees the current version.
In a hybrid office the chart covers more than assigned desks. It shows team neighborhoods, which desks are shared and, on a given day, who has booked which seat. That lets teams sit together on their office days without giving every person a permanent desk.
Spreadsheet vs seating chart software
| Feature | Spreadsheet or document | Seating chart software |
|---|---|---|
| Shows desks on the real floor plan | No, or only as a static image | Yes, on an interactive floor plan |
| Updating after a move | Edit the file and send it around again | Change it once; everyone sees the current version |
| Finding a colleague | Search the file, if you have the latest copy | Search by name and see the desk on the map |
| Shared and bookable desks | Hard to show | Shown day by day, with bookings |
| New hires and leavers | Added and removed by hand | Can be synced from the HR system |
How to make an office seating chart
- Start from an accurate floor plan with every desk, room and shared space labeled.
- List people by team, and mark who needs an assigned desk and who can share.
- Place teams that work together near each other, then assign desks or set a team area.
- Mark the remaining desks as bookable and publish the chart where everyone can see it.
- Update it with each new hire, leaver and move, before the change happens rather than after.
Examples
- An office manager seating a new hire opens the floor plan, finds a free desk in the hire's team area and assigns it before the start date.
- A team grows past its area, so the facilities team moves a neighboring team one row over and the chart updates for both teams at once.
Common mistakes
- Keeping several copies of the chart, so nobody knows which one is current.
- Giving everyone a permanent desk when many people come in only some days.
- Seating by headcount rather than by which teams need to sit together.
- Updating the chart after a move instead of before, so people arrive at the wrong desk.
How Kadence helps
In Kadence, the seating chart is the interactive floor plan. Admins assign people to permanent desks and teams to neighborhoods, and can create or change spaces and assignments in bulk from a spreadsheet. Employees search the plan to find a colleague, desk or room. On WorkOps Pro, Move Manager plans new starters, leavers and team moves, and the HRIS integration syncs joiners and leavers to drive seating.
Space management · Move management software · WorkOps
Frequently asked questions
How do I make an office seating chart?
Start from an accurate floor plan, list people by team and note who needs an assigned desk. Place teams that work together near each other, assign desks or team areas, and mark the rest as bookable. Then publish the chart where everyone can find it and update it with every move.
What is the best software for an office seating chart?
Look for a tool that puts the chart on your real floor plan, lets people search for a colleague, handles assigned, team and bookable desks, and updates when people join, move or leave. Tools that also run desk booking and moves save you from keeping a separate chart in step by hand.
How do you keep a seating chart up to date?
Make changes in one place that everyone views, rather than editing and emailing copies. Link the chart to the HR system so new hires and leavers appear automatically, plan moves on the chart before they happen, and check it against the floor after any renovation or layout change so the plan matches the real desks.
Do you need a seating chart in a hybrid office?
Yes, though it looks different. Instead of one name per desk, a hybrid seating chart shows team areas, the desks that stay assigned and which shared desks are booked on each day. It lets teams sit together on their office days without a permanent desk for every person.
Related terms
- Space allocation Deciding which people, teams and activities get which desks, zones and rooms, and whether each is assigned, shared or bookable.
- Interactive floor plan A live, clickable map of an office that shows desks, rooms and people, and lets employees book space and find colleagues.
- Assigned desk A desk reserved for one person, either permanently or on set days, instead of being shared through booking.
- Neighborhood A zone of an office set aside for a team, project or activity, often on set days, so people who work together sit together.
- Joiners, movers and leavers (JML) The process that keeps access, equipment, seating and records in step when people join, change role or leave.
- Move management Planning, sequencing and carrying out workplace moves, from one desk change to a whole-team relocation.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed