Estimating desks from actual attendance patterns

Estimate desks from the number of people who need a work point at the same time. Headcount and average daily attendance can hide a shortage on a regular team day. Use attendance records where available, then show planned changes as separate scenarios.

Record desk demand consistently

Count people needing a desk in each relevant time block. An entry record shows visits, but may not show how many people needed desks together. A room booking is also incomplete evidence: someone in a meeting may need a desk before or afterwards. Use the same definition each time, such as people needing desks between 10 am and noon.

Gather ordinary weeks that reflect the current working pattern. Mark leave, public holidays, travel, unusual events and temporary projects. If a planned whole-team day has not happened yet, put it in a future scenario rather than the observed count.

A team total may be enough for this calculation. Avoid collecting individual location histories without a clear need.

Explain how records will be used and check the rules before repurposing access or monitoring data. Australian privacy requirements depend on the entity and record; workplace surveillance may also be subject to state or territory law.

Identify the concurrent peak

Find the highest repeatable count within the time blocks that matter. Keep an isolated spike visible, but find out what caused it before treating it as a normal day.

Suppose a hypothetical team of 18 needs desks at the same midday time block for 8 people on Monday, 12 on Tuesday, 15 on Wednesday, 11 on Thursday and 5 on Friday. The five-day average is 10.2; the observed peak is 15.

If Wednesday is the regular team day, an offer of 11 desks needs either more confirmed capacity or a change to that day's plan. These invented numbers illustrate the calculation, not a recommended desk ratio.

Check demand across the whole peak day as well. People in a morning meeting may need desks afterwards. Conversely, arrivals that never overlap need not be counted as simultaneous demand.

Add planned changes explicitly

Start with the repeatable peak. Then show what a new starter, regular contractor, planned session or change in attendance would add, and when.

Count desks separately from seats used only during a group activity. Do not hide these changes in an unexplained percentage buffer.

Select capacity for the scenarios the business intends to support. If the plan relies on extra bookable seats, confirm the entitlement and likely availability for the relevant times.

Compare demand with usable desks

Count the work points in the exact offer that suit the intended tasks. A lounge seat is not necessarily a usable desk.

A workstation reserved for particular equipment or an agreed individual need may not be interchangeable with a shared seat. Check whether hot desks suit different users and whether people can obtain a desk fairly; check local requirements as well.

Keep three figures together: the repeatable concurrent peak, the highest planned scenario and the usable desks available at those times. If demand exceeds supply, change the attendance plan, secure more desks or assess another offer. After the team starts using the space, record shortages and unused capacity and recalculate from the new pattern.