Ineffective meeting spaces may be costing your organization thousands of dollars a year by not aligning with your team’s day-to-day workflows. For example, a recent analysis found that a single worker occupied meeting rooms 36% of the time. This finding has been primarily attributed to the fact that workplaces do not have adequate areas for quiet and focus-intensive tasks. But, overall, the analysis found that: 

• 40% of meetings comprised two to four participants

• 85% of meetings had fewer than seven participants

• Only 6% of meetings involved more than 10 workers

• Even the largest conferences only used 45% of the meeting spaces

Surprised by these numbers? If yours is like most companies, your existing meeting spaces are likely far larger than they need to be. But how can you determine the right size for your needs?

Data-Driven Office Design

In today’s increasingly connected world, we no longer have to take guesses on how to use our office space most effectively. That’s where data-driven office design comes into play. However, it’s not as simple as figuring out how people use your office’s meetings spaces; it’s about understanding how your team uses your office as a whole.

Remember how the average meeting space is only occupied 36% of the time? That means the average office could benefit from smaller meeting space and using that additional space to incorporate quiet work areas. At the same time, not all meeting spaces need to be formal meeting rooms. Instead, you can have several meeting areas for smaller groups that break down with moveable wall systems to form one large conference room.

The numbers for every organization will be as unique as your team. If you’re looking for strategies to maximize productivity, start by monitoring how your team uses collaborative and meeting spaces.

Portland Workspace Design Experts

If you want to use data-driven insights to optimize your office for efficiency and productivity, contact the experts at DESIGN+BUILD today. We use the latest workplace strategies to help your organization overcome challenges and achieve new levels of prosperity.