Expansion rate / Flex office rate

Defining the expansion ratio

The overflow rate, also known as the flex office rate or flex desk rate, is the ratio between the number of positions available and the number of employees in the company.

This rate can vary depending on a number of factors, including the implementation of flexible working practices, the use of remote work, the layout of workspaces and office management.

An indispensable metric for flex office

Flex office: the new way of working?

The flex office has become a major trend in the world of work. The employee no longer has a dedicated workstation, allowing greater flexibility to choose where and how he or she works within the company. This can include working remotely, reserving coworking spaces or meeting rooms as required. They can also collaborate with colleagues in a variety of environments. Employees are then equipped with a desk booking tool to ensure proper management of flex office spaces.

Measuring flexibility

The workload ratio is a key indicator for measuring the effectiveness of flex office implementation within a company. It is calculated on the basis of the number of workstations available in relation to the number of employees. It takes into account the frequency of use of these workstations and the flexibility in the choice of workplaces.

For example: a company in Paris with 600 employees is planning to switch to flex office. In view of its hybrid working policy and the use made of the various spaces, it decides to move to a flex office rate of 0.5, equivalent to one workstation for every two employees.

Tips for calculating your expansion ratio

There is no single overrun rate for all companies. Each company must determine its own rate based on a number of factors:

• Current space occupancy: identify the presence habits of your teams and employees
• Maximum office capacity: define the number of people who can be accommodated without impacting on their safety and productivity.
• Corporate culture and policy remote work: offices must be able to accommodate all employees, depending on the number of days they are present.

It is therefore important to evaluate these elements carefully, in order to find the metric best suited to your specific situation. A miscalculated expansion rate could have harmful consequences.

A low overcrowding rate, close to 1, would leave a great deal of unused space, which would run counter to the space-optimized nature of the flex desk.

On the contrary, if the flex ratio is too high, i.e. below 0.5, there's a risk of office overcrowding, depending on the practices of your employees. Employees might want to come to the office, but the lack of available space would prevent them from doing so. Let 's talk about it?

The advantages of calculating an expansion ratio

A well-calculated flex office ratio can have significant benefits for companies, including optimized real estate costs, better workspace management, increased employee satisfaction and more flexible management of work organization.

For employees, this means they can better reconcile their professional and personal lives, manage their working hours with greater autonomy, and choose a working environment that suits their needs. Implementing a desk booking tool also contributes to improving their mental well-being, as they no longer have to worry about not having a desk available when they arrive at work.

Management and adaptation

Managing overflow or flex desk rates requires constant adaptation to the changing needs of the company and its employees. This may involve setting up tools for reserving office space, managing meeting rooms, collecting data on space use and communicating effectively about flexible working practices.

In a nutshell

The "foisonnement" or "flex office" rate is an essential indicator for measuring the flexibility and efficiency of workspaces within a company. It is unique to each company and reflects the transition to more flexible working practices and the adaptation of workspaces to meet employees' new needs.