How Much Space Per Employee Do You Need?

If you’re planning a new office, in a new space, one of the questions you may have is, how much office space per employee do you need? Here’s ideas on how to plan your space, allowing for common areas and future growth.

An enormous concern when designing an office is the calculation of how much space each employee will require. Companies are always anticipating growth, which means additional employees and additional space needs, but they also don’t want to spend needless money on area that will not be utilized.

The standard of allotment of space per employee is 150-300 square feet per person. These numbers tend to include common areas like a break room or a kitchen area with lounge, and depending on the length of your lease or how long you intend to own the building, many people will factor in 5% space increase for growth per year your company will stay in that space.

There are other factors, however, that determine whether you are more on the 150 sq. ft. side of the spectrum or more on the 300 sq. ft. side. These factors include:

  • Do you use your space to engage with customers/clients? More space is needed if you want to be able to receive frequent visitors and impress them.
  • Does your staffing change based on the season or the state of the industry? Consider how you can make best use of your space during the high-traffic times of your schedule, while being able to shift your space in leaner seasons in order to avoid the feeling of an “empty” office.
  • Do your employees share workstations, have individual offices, or work in specific cubicles? Every choice you make about the personalization or “ownership” of spaces in the office will affect how much space the office needs.

Many other factors impact how much space your office will need in order to fully meet the needs of the company while making the most efficient and effective use of your employees’ time.


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