FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Data from workplace technology company, Freespace, shows London office occupancy peaked at 42 per cent on Thursday 10th March, the highest single daily rate in the capital since before the pandemic in 2020. The weekly average prior to the pandemic was 63 per cent.
Furthermore, last week was the highest weekly average for the UK and London, with both averaging 31 per cent office occupancy across the five days. The UK’s weekly average occupancy increased by five per cent from the previous week, and London increased by seven per cent.
These findings come from The Freespace Index that is derived from over 120,000 sensors worldwide that measure building occupancy and environmental conditions. This anonymous data provides an insight into working patterns, environments and office utilisation, supporting new ways of working across 130 cities, in 80 countries, and five continents.
Commenting on the data, Raj Krishnamurthy, Freespace CEO said: “The conversation continues to shift in regards to the return to work, and it seems there’s still plenty of life in the office yet. We are heading in a positive direction with occupancy, but this has now become more purposeful in terms of how people want to work, what spaces they are using, and what the overall purpose of the office is.
“To have the opportunity to define how this should evolve is an exciting prospect allowing organisations to tailor the workplace to accommodate the needs of their employees who have adapted well to a hybrid model. Employees are looking for organisations where the technology, infrastructure and culture addresses their need for professional development, personal wellbeing and social responsibility. Smart employers will interpret workplace data to respond to changing needs while also providing tools that use such data to positively empower their employees at work.”
Informa, the organisers of Facilities Show, together with FMJ magazine, have teamed up to launch a questionnaire which aims to offer a useful snapshot of where the facilities management sector is now, and an outlook on the future.
For instance, are you asking workers to begin to return to the office with a hybrid home/office work schedule? Are you revising your premises to enable more flexible ways of working and as such have your workplace strategies, including sustainability, wellbeing and engagement had to be radically rethought?
Your anonymised answers will contribute to a report on the biggest challenges and opportunities facing facilities managers; now, and anticipated in the next 12 months.
To take part click here.
