New report unmasks global office inefficiencies

A new report by Spacewell, "Office Myths vs. Real Use," reveals that many companies are unknowingly wasting capital on office space despite the shift to hybrid work.

Spacewell - Workplace Benchmark Report 2026

This is not merely about general occupancy, but rather hidden inefficiencies such as high vacancy rates (a global median of 34% against a "normal" 20%), meeting rooms being occupied by only one person nearly a third of the time (32%), and frequent "no-shows" for reservations (one in 10 bookings go unused). These factors create significant, often unseen, costs.

The report analysed anonymised data from over 80,000 sensors in 236 buildings across 20 countries, providing a comprehensive benchmark of office usage. It highlights that the core issue is not simply the amount of space a company holds, but rather a misalignment between office design and employees' actual work patterns, including their requirements for collaboration and focused work.

Achieving 50–70% average office occupancy is unrealistic for most knowledge-based organisations. A median occupancy of approximately 34% is considered normal, with 45% now viewed as best practice. Buildings exceeding 60% are rare and often serve specialised purposes.

Industries such as Energy, Utilities & Sustainability, and IT & Digital Services tend to have higher, more variable occupancy due to a stronger on-site presence and diverse work models.

Financial Services, Banking, Insurance & Real Estate, Professional Services, and the Public Sector show lower, more consistent occupancy due to standardised workplaces and widespread hybrid models.

Logistics, Transport, and Mobility consistently show a median occupancy between 30% and 45%.

Tuesdays to Thursdays see the highest average occupancy, while Mondays and Fridays consistently underperform. Maximum occupancy rarely exceeds 63%.

Collaboration spaces have ~41% occupancy, followed by workspaces at ~33% and concentration/focus spaces at ~30%. This indicates a clear preference for collaborative environments and a structural underutilisation of quiet focus areas, suggesting that desk-centric thinking is outdated.

Despite high occupancy, 32% of meeting room usage involves only one person. This means collaboration spaces are often functioning as expensive private offices, pointing to an over-provisioning of traditional meeting rooms and an under-provisioning of smaller focus rooms or booths.