How much space is needed per person in an office?

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive at Flexioffices is how much space is needed per person in an office space. Whilst this is an important question, the reality of the answer is it all depends on the level of comfortability you would like.

Industry standard is usually worked out per desk rather than sqft. However, per desk would be looking in the range of 35-60sqft dependent on how the operator has set up the space. This may seem small for people who have rented leased space in the past, however, as serviced/flex offices include large breakout areas, bookable meeting rooms, phone booths, kitchenettes, and communal toilets, there is ample space which is available to you.

What to take into consideration when looking at space per person

An office is more than just desks within four walls. People need to collaborate, so you will need to take into consideration how you’d like to set up your office space, for example you may want to add a breakout area within the space you have, this would need extra furniture and therefore you’d need a larger space. The same would go for if you’d like storage space or a partitioned wall to split up the space and potentially create an internal meeting room (be mindful this could also add potential costs if this is something you were thinking of doing.)

A post COVID office space set up

The way we use office space in a post COVID world is very different to pre pandemic. This is why a flex/serviced office space is perfect for businesses looking to adapt to the new norm. As mentioned, a rule of thumb for space per person/per desk ranges from 35-60sqft, however many businesses will still want to adapt their office space to social distancing requirements. If this is you, then it is recommended to double from the required amount, therefore 35-60sqft per person would change to 70-120sqft and of course, you would need to take in to account the extra costs involved with doubling the amount of space needed.

To conclude there really is no set answer to how much space is needed as it fully depends on the nature of your business. We’ve helped clients who are able to run a 2 person office within a 2 desk space and we’ve also helped business with the same 2 person requirement who need more space to operate in the best way.

Authored by Flynn Forster - Content Marketing Lead  

Published 16/11/2022 

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