Optimize budget and improve productivity with these occupancy planning tools.

One of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses from every industry is a new focus on occupancy tracking. Regulations in 2020 and beyond called for occupancy monitoring to ensure that workspaces were never overcrowded, as this would create a risky environment for staff and clients. 

Now, although COVID-19 regulations have lifted, many businesses face a large shift in the way workspaces are used. Remote work gained popularity due to necessity created by the pandemic, and some companies have not fully transitioned back to a fully in-person workforce. For companies trying out “hybrid” or “in-person optional” models, there is now a growing need for precise occupancy planning. 

What Is Occupancy Planning?

Occupancy planning is the tracking and managing of the use of physical spaces within an organization. It strives to answer questions like:

• How many hours per day is each conference room in use?
• How many employees use the office space on any given day?
• Are there ever more employees than desks in the provided workspace?
• How many working hours per week is the workspace sitting empty?

Through occupancy monitoring and the interpretation of occupancy patterns, businesses can make informed decisions about how to use their office space and how much room they truly need. Analyzing these patterns allows for more strategic space allocation, layout design, and overall workplace optimization. 

Why Focus on Occupancy Planning?

By leveraging tools for occupancy tracking, businesses can improve employee satisfaction, enhance collaboration, optimize resources and respond to today’s ever-changing workforce landscape. 

Effective occupancy planning can help businesses to:

• Optimize resources - Without a full view of how many people are using your office spaces on a given day, it’s very difficult to determine whether you should keep utilizing resources to have an office space of that size. 
• Save energy - Occupancy monitoring allows companies to stop wasting energy and company resources on lighting, heating or cooling empty rooms. 
• Enhance productivity - Occupancy planning facilitates an appropriate balance between the number of occupants in a workspace and the available amenities. For example, if a workspace is at full capacity and a lack of desks is interfering with employee productivity, occupancy tracking can help businesses identify and address this issue. 
• Drive cost savings - Some businesses have shut down physical offices altogether or downsized drastically after realizing their employees don’t use them, saving thousands in real estate costs each month.

Top Tools for Occupancy Planning

Bring precision to your occupancy planning efforts with powerful analytics. There are various security solutions that come with built-in occupancy tracking capabilities, including Avigilon and SAFR SCAN from realnetworks. 

Avigilon

Avigilon’s cloud-based access control and video monitoring solutions now include a new and improved map view. Automatic counts and real-time occupancy data allow for precise occupancy monitoring in each designated space. Plus, users can monitor entrances and exits to keep a rolling total of occupancy counts and flow. Quickly view heatmaps to identify overcrowded or scarcely-used areas, and say goodbye to guesswork in your occupancy planning efforts. 

SAFR SCAN

As SAFR’s analytics grow more reliable, their occupancy management tools become increasingly useful. SAFR’s product responses to the COVID-19 pandemic included mask detection, touchless access control, and facial recognition with accuracy for even masked faces. Most helpful in the long-term are their occupancy counting dashboard and occupancy report features. These allow users to leverage an in-depth view into the occupancy of each space in real-time and over a set time period. 

As workspaces continue to adapt to changing priorities and trends, occupancy planning will continue to play a vital role in optimizing budgets and preserving productivity. To learn more about occupancy tracking tools and how they fit into your overall physical security strategy, get in touch today.