What is space per person?

How it works

Space per person divides an area by a number of people. The area can be rentable, usable or net internal area, and the people can be employees assigned to the building, workstations, or people actually present. Each combination answers a different question, so the definition has to be stated whenever the figure is reported.

Per employee, the figure shows how much space the organization provides on paper. Per person present on the busiest day, it shows how crowded the office actually feels. In a hybrid office the second number is often much higher than the first, which is why a portfolio can look tight by headcount and still feel empty most days.

Planners use space per person to size new space, to compare buildings and floors, and to spot where a restack or densification would release the most area. Legal minimums set the lower limit; the work being done, comfort and the mix of shared spaces set the practical target.

Formula

Space per person = Floor area ÷ Number of people

Floor area: Usable or rentable area of the floor or building, in square feet or square meters. State which one you use and keep it the same across buildings.
Number of people: Employees assigned to the space, or people present on a chosen day, such as the average day or the peak day, from measured attendance.

Worked example · illustrative figures

A floor has 24,000 usable square feet and 160 employees assigned to it.
Per employee: 24,000 ÷ 160 = 150 square feet.
Check-in data shows 100 people present on the busiest day: 24,000 ÷ 100 = 240 square feet.

150 square feet per employee, and 240 square feet per person present on the peak day.

How to measure it

Pick one area standard (rentable, usable or net internal) and use it everywhere in the portfolio.
Report space per employee and space per person present side by side, using measured attendance rather than bookings.
Break the figure down by floor and team to find where a restack would release the most area.
Exclude floors that are closed or under fit-out from both the area and the headcount.

Benchmarks

In Great Britain, the HSE Approved Code of Practice and guidance on the Workplace Regulations sets a minimum of 11 cubic meters of room volume per person normally working in a room.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), How much space am I entitled to at work?

Common mistakes

Mixing rentable and usable area across buildings, which makes comparisons meaningless.
Using headcount alone in a hybrid office, which hides how little of the space is used on most days.
Treating a low figure as a target rather than a result to check against peak-day crowding and employee feedback.

How Kadence helps

Kadence supplies the people side of the calculation. Workplace Insights reports attendance and occupancy by building and floor from desk check-ins, the Kadence Agent's network detection, badge data and other signals, so the count reflects who actually came in. Data export takes those counts into your own area figures, and SpaceOps scenario planning tests how a headcount or policy change would affect space needs.

Workplace analytics · Scenario planning

Frequently asked questions

How many square feet per employee is standard?

There is no single standard. Figures vary by country, sector, layout and whether the area is rentable or usable. Health and safety law and guidance set minimums, and most organizations plan well above them. In hybrid offices, sizing to peak-day attendance rather than total headcount usually matters more than any published average.

What is the minimum space per person in an office?

It depends on the country. In Great Britain, HSE's Approved Code of Practice and guidance says the total volume of a room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic meters. HSE guidance sets this as a minimum, not a planning target, and it does not apply to rooms used for lectures, meetings and similar purposes. Other countries set their own rules.

How do you calculate space per person?

Divide the floor area by the number of people it serves. State whether the area is rentable or usable, and whether the people are employees, workstations or people actually present, because each choice gives a different figure.

Why does space per person matter in a hybrid office?

Because headcount and attendance diverge. Space per employee can look tight while space per person present is generous on most days. Comparing the two shows how much space sits idle and how far densification or consolidation could go before the busiest day becomes crowded.

Densification Supporting more people in the same floor area, through desk sharing, a tighter desk ratio or reuse of underused space.
Cost per seat The total annual occupancy cost of an office divided by the seats it provides, or by the seats actually used.
Total occupancy cost Everything an organization spends to occupy a workplace in a year: rent, operating costs, utilities, services and fit-out.
Rentable vs usable square feet Usable area is the space a tenant occupies; rentable area adds a share of common areas, and rent is charged on it.
Desk ratio (desk sharing ratio) The number of people assigned to a workplace for each desk, set from peak attendance and policy.

Sources

How much space am I entitled to at work?, Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed September 30, 2026