It’s hot desk summer At Work! Desk bookings are up 550% since last year

This summer is already looking different than it did in 2021. States have eased mask mandates. Businesses have lifted capacity restrictions. And employees are heading to the workplace, even if just for a few days each week.Workplace managers have accepted that return-to-office planning is an iterative and continuous effort. Especially if your workplace is embracing hybrid work. As your working model and your workforce change, so must your return-to-office plans. The transition back to the workplace introduces new challenges. Not only do you need to welcome new team members, but existing employees must also reorient themselves to working onsite. This is a positive sign for businesses, but it's also a heavy lift to coordinate meeting space, desks, and resources for new and returning workers. You aren’t alone! This is where workplace analytics can play a key role.

To help companies in their planning, we analyzed millions of employee desk and meeting room reservations from over 16,000 workplaces across the globe. Here’s what we found out.

Desk bookings are up 550% since last year

Since the launch of Envoy Desks in June 2021, desk bookings have grown more than 550%*. The tremendous growth of this product and bookings can be attributed to the popularity of hybrid work. As more companies adopt hot desking and hoteling to support their hybrid workforce, we’re seeing desk bookings grow at incredible rates.

These flexible seating arrangements are particularly popular among larger companies. When we look at growth by company size, Enterprise (1,500+ employees) and Mid-market (250-1,500 employees) companies are driving the most growth, with 556% and 585% growth respectively.Some may assume that larger organizations would be more inclined to stick to the standard assigned seating model due to their more traditional nature. But it turns out that it’s the opposite. These companies are rethinking their space planning strategies. They are optimizing their workplaces for efficiency, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

‍*Note that Envoy Desks launched in June 2021.

78% of companies are fostering collaboration with team neighborhoods

Desk booking growth is booming and employees are heading on-site in droves. Why? To gather in person, collaborate with teammates, and socialize with friends and coworkers again. In a 2022 survey, we found that impromptu social interactions (48%) and in-person collaboration (42%) topped the list of what excites employees about being in the workplace. Companies are fostering this team collaboration by implementing workplace neighborhoods throughout their space. Neighborhoods are groups of desks and workstations that are dedicated to specific departments, functions, or activity types. 78% of companies using Envoy Desks are using the neighborhoods feature to ensure that teams have the space they need to work closely together.

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Meeting room booking will grow nearly 500% by the end of the year

Desk booking is just half of the space management story. We also looked into how employees are booking and using meeting rooms on-site. Since May 2021, room bookings have grown 300%—and we expect that number to continue growing. By the end of the year, we predict that room bookings will grow nearly 500% compared to the previous year.

As the workplace gets busier with more folks on-site, meeting spaces are in higher demand. Employees not only need a space to gather in person. They also need to be able to loop remote folks in virtually. Ensuring efficient use of your meeting spaces is imperative to creating a productive and happy workplace.

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You’ve done the hard work to bring people back on-site. Now, be sure employees have access to the space they need to work productively as more people return. With Envoy Rooms and Desks, you can empower employees to book the space they need and understand how your workplace is used, so you can design a place where people want to be.

Interested in how Envoy can help with your space management needs? Learn more.