16/10/2026
A booked desk isn’t an occupied desk.
Many desk-sharing setups are planned on booking data alone. But bookings don’t tell the whole story:
→ Desks are reserved but never used
→ People leave mid-day, but the desk stays “taken”
→ Plans change, but nobody cancels the booking
The result: the office looks full when it’s half empty.
Five rules for desk sharing that actually works:
1. Measure real use and plan for peaks. Booking data only shows intent. Measure how desks are actually used to find your real peak days, then size the office for those peaks, not the weekly average.
2. Release unused desks automatically. Let people book for the whole day, but free up desks that sit empty. A desk that’s booked but unused is a desk someone else could have used.
3. Match zones to how teams work. Some teams need a home zone, while others work best moving between activity-based spaces. Coordinate team days so colleagues are in the office at the same time.
4. Design for collaboration, but keep room for focus. People come in to work together, so give them project rooms and informal meeting spots. They still need quiet space for heads-down work between meetings.
5. Start small, measure, then scale. Pilot changes on one floor or with one team. Compare how the space is used before and after, adjust what doesn’t work, and only then roll it out more widely.
The common thread? Decisions based on how space is actually used, not how it was booked.
How does your organization handle ghost bookings?
