Desk sharing ratio: How to calculate for hybrid teams

As hybrid work models rise in popularity, so did the concept of desk sharing. At each moment in time, only some employees are at the office daily and use workstations. Instead of assigning each person a desk and being left empty when that person is away from the office, desk sharing ensures the desk is occupied to fully utilize the office space available.

The desk sharing ratio helps organizations understand how to best allocate resources and optimize their office layouts based on real attendance and behavior. Getting this number right determines whether your office feels comfortably flexible or frustratingly overcrowded. This guide covers how to calculate your ratio, what factors influence it, and how to find the balance that works for your organization.

Key takeaways

• Desk sharing ratio measures how many employees share each workstation, calculated as total employees divided by available desks
• Most organizations target ratios between 1.2 to 1.8 employees per desk, with hybrid companies reaching up to 2.0
• Technology solutions like desk booking systems are essential to guarantee optimal balance between cost savings and employee satisfaction

‍

What is a desk sharing ratio? 

The desk sharing ratio (also known as the desk-to-employee ratio or hot-desking ratio) is a metric that compares the number of employees to the number of available workstations. In other words, it denotes how many people are using one desk. 

What does this mean in practice? If two people are using the same desk at different times throughout the week, this ratio would be 2:1 (or 0.5). A 1.5:1 ratio means three employees share two desks. The higher the first number, the more people are sharing each workspace.

How to calculate the desk sharing ratio

The formula is straightforward: Desk Sharing Ratio = Total number of employees ÷ Total number of available desks.‍

If you have 120 employees and 80 desks, your desk sharing ratio is 1.5:1 . This means, on average, every desk is shared by 1.5 employees, or roughly three employees share every two desks. A ratio greater than 1 indicates there are more employees than workstations, which is common in desk sharing environments, while a ratio less than 1 suggests excess capacity or underutilized space.

Finding the right desk sharing ratio is key to achieving a balance between space efficiency and employee comfort.

• A low ratio, 1:1 or higher, can lead to wasted space and higher costs.
• A very high ratio such as 4:1 or 5:1 may result in frustration when desks are unavailable.

‍

This is the short answer though. Finding the right desk sharing ratio is key to achieving a balance between space efficiency and employee comfort and arriving at the right number involves more than plugging figures into a formula. A systematic approach that considers wider data yields better results.

‍

Understanding your desk sharing ratio

How can business leaders determine what the proper desk-sharing ratio is? How many desks are actually needed? And, what is the fewest number of desks that can be made available at a time without hindering employees from coming into the office and collaborating? First, some benchmarks.

Common desk sharing ratios by work model

Most organizations now target a desk-sharing ratio between 1.01 and 2.0 employees per desk, but in reality different hybrid intensities require different desk ratios.

• 1:1 ratio. Traditional assigned seating. Best for teams requiring daily in-office presence (4-5 days per week)
• 1.3:1 to 1.7:1 ratio. Moderate hybrid. Best for teams working 2-3 days per week in the office
• 2:1 to 3:1 ratio. Flexible/hoteling environments. Best for teams with heavy remote work and lower in-office attendance (1 day per week or less)

‍

Beyond the ratio: Factors impacting your desk sharing strategy

Beyond benchmarks, several variables determine what number makes sense for your specific situation, and they interact with each other in ways that aren't always obvious at first. The most essential elements to consider are the size of your team, their roles, how often they spend in the office, and the projected growth of this team. 

Remote and hybrid work policies

The frequency employees work from home directly impacts how many desks you actually require. A team that works remotely three days per week can share desks far more aggressively than one that comes in four days. Your formal policy sets the baseline, though actual behavior sometimes differs from what's written down.

Peak attendance patterns

Most offices see predictable traffic patterns. Tuesday through Thursday typically draw more people than Monday or Friday. Your ratio has to accommodate the busiest days, not just average attendance. Planning for the average leaves you short exactly when it matters most.

Example

Let's walk through a real scenario. Imagine a company with 150 employees and 100 desks. Dividing 150 by 100 gives a desk sharing ratio of 1.5:1, or 1.5 employees per desk. Now, whether this ratio works depends entirely on actual attendance patterns. If roughly 60% of employees typically come in on any given day, 100 desks comfortably accommodate the 90 people who show up. On the other hand, if 80% show up on Tuesdays, you've got a problem.

Team collaboration requirements

Some teams thrive with constant in-person interaction while others work independently most of the time. Engineering teams debugging together or creative teams brainstorming may benefit from lower ratios or dedicated zones. Meanwhile, teams doing focused individual work can share more flexibly without much disruption.

Organizational growth plans

A ratio that works perfectly today might cause desk shortages after your next hiring push. Building in buffer capacity—typically around 10-15% extra—prevents scrambling when headcount grows. This forward-looking approach saves the hassle of constant recalculation every time someone new joins.

‍

Best practices to finding your desk sharing ratio

1. Account for peak days and seasonal variation. Gather historical data on daily office attendance and find patterns on attendance. How many people actually show up on Mondays versus Wednesdays? How does Q4 crunch time compare with peak summer months? Plan for high-attendance periods, not just averages. Desk booking software is able to automatically track this information. ‍
2. Survey employee work preferences. Ask your team how often they plan to come into the office and what would make them come in more frequently. Their preferences inform realistic planning and surface potential friction points.
3. Test and adjust based on real usage. Treat your initial ratio as a hypothesis rather than a final answer. Monitor actual utilization after implementation, gather feedback from employees, and refine over time. The best ratios emerge from iteration, not calculation alone.
4. Always iterate. Review your desk sharing ratio quarterly, especially after policy changes or significant hiring. What worked six months ago may no longer match current reality.

‍

Benefits of optimizing your desk sharing ratio

Desk sharing - also referred to as hot desking - can help your business save costs by downsizing your workspace without downsizing your team. Optimize space and resources by implementing a flexible model that gives employees the space they need on the days they need it most. With a well-coordinated desk-sharing system, you can boost employee productivity and satisfaction.

Additionally, independent research from deskbird has shown that well-coordinated hybrid work can win your employees up to a day of productivity each week while improving employee satisfaction. The same research also proves that employees are happier when they know who else is in the office when they come in. 

When calibrated correctly, optimizing your office's desk sharing ratio supports:

• Cost control by reducing unnecessary real estate, energy and resources
• Better space utilization aligned with real occupancy patterns.
• Employee flexibility through shared resources and dynamic work zones.
• Sustainability by avoiding underused office areas.

‍

Achieving workplace balance with the right desk sharing strategy

The optimal desk sharing ratio balances cost efficiency with employee experience. Too aggressive, and people struggle to find seats on busy days. Too conservative, and you're paying for empty desks that nobody uses.

When desk sharing works well, the office becomes a destination employees actively choose rather than a place they're required to be. People come in knowing they'll have a workspace, can sit near their teammates, and won't waste time hunting for a spot. That confidence changes how people feel about coming to the office.

The key is treating your ratio as a living metric rather than a one-time calculation. As work patterns evolve, policies shift, and teams grow, the right number changes too. Regular review keeps your workplace balanced and responsive to how people actually work.

‍

How deskbird supports desk sharing

Desk sharing can help your business save costs by downsizing your workspace without downsizing your team. Optimize your space and resources by implementing a flexible model that gives employees the space they need on the days they need it most.

However, managing desk sharing manually becomes impractical beyond a handful of employees. Technology makes the difference between a smooth experience and daily chaos, especially as organizations scale. With a well-coordinated desk-sharing system, you can boost employee productivity and satisfaction.

Workplace analytics tools like deskbird can remove a lot of this guesswork and even automate this calculation using real booking and attendance data rather than estimates. Organizations often combine desk sharing metrics with average utilization rate and peak occupancy data to gain a complete view of workplace efficiency.  Book a demo to see how deskbird helps hybrid teams balance space, attendance, and flexibility with real-time booking and workplace analytics.