Measuring Attendance and Occupancy – How to Interpret the Numbers

Want to make informed decisions about office design, right-sizing and flexibility? You need the right data – and you need to interpret it correctly. A skilled workplace strategist uses metrics like attendance and occupancy, but also understands that they’re not the same. And misinterpreting the numbers can derail your entire workplace strategy.

Attendance ≠ occupancy

• Attendance tells you how many people are in the office at a given time
• Occupancy tells you how much space is actually being used (desks, rooms, zones)

Just because 40 people show up doesn’t mean the space is working – quiet zones might be overcrowded while collaborative areas sit empty.

The key: variation and trends

It’s not about averages alone – the real insight comes from:

• Standard deviation – how much does attendance vary day to day?
• Peak demand – which times or days stretch capacity?
• Underuse – which areas are rarely or never occupied?

These insights help you decide whether to redesign, repurpose, or simply clarify how spaces should be used.

Ready to make your data work for you?

Read our article on how to measure and analyse office usage for hands-on guidance tailored for workplace strategists, read more here.

And don’t miss the e-learning course at workplacestrategist.eu – it walks you through the full analytics journey, from data collection to strategic recommendations and action.