Number of offices reopening up 5% in August

Offices reopening their doors and employees returning to work increased by 5% in August compared to July, despite it being a traditionally slow month.

That’s according to data from from Freespace, a workplace technology solution that anonymously captures space usage in offices worldwide. It has so far deployed over 120,000 workplace sensors worldwide at major corporations, providing insights into working patterns and office utilisation, supporting the ‘return to work’ across 130 cities, in 36 countries, and five continents.

The Freespace Index measures offices which consider themselves “open”, which is determined by an average of 10% occupancy across a full week. It measures the number of offices returning to work, how busy offices are, and what spaces are proving popular within offices.

It’s research found:-

• Globally, 30% of offices where Freespace sensors are deployed are returning to work, an increase of 5% compared to July.
• 21% of offices are a fifth full, an increase of 3% compared to July.
• Global average office occupancy rates remains steady at 19%.
• The busiest office day of the week in Europe remains Thursday, whereas Monday & Tuesday are the busiest days for Asia & Australia.
• Office occupancy rates in the US increased by 4% to 21%.
• Office occupancy rates in EMEA remains unchanged at 16%.
• Office occupancy rates in Asia & Australasia decreased by 6% to 30%.

Raj Krishnamurthy, Freespace CEO, said: “It’s very positive to see more offices reopen during what is traditionally a quieter month even under normal circumstances. Offices have clearly used this period to reconfigure their workplace and do precisely what they need to in order to keep their employees safe, and to adhere to their own Covid protocols. We continue to see a shift away from the use of focus spaces in the office whilst areas for collaboration remain steady. Everything is heading in a positive direction when it comes to office occupancy and this is positive positioning for future growth in the coming months. Based on our data in 2020, we had already anticipated an increase in occupancy in September and October, especially after holiday season and with more employees settled back into a routine.”