Last year, in 2022, Disruptive Technologies launched its new Desk Occupancy sensor to help companies to understand how desks are used (or not) in the modern-day workplace. The timing was perfect, with companies reevaluating office layouts and making space for more flexible, hybrid working following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw us all working from home.
In 2023 the work landscape continues to evolve, and understanding both real-estate and office usage is a hot topic as companies strive to eliminate waste wherever possible. Hybrid working is our new normal, with employees choosing their office hours and often working from home. Previously packed buildings are sometimes half empty, even if each employee still has their desk, making it difficult for companies to know what workstations, meeting rooms, and space, in general, are needed for employees to work efficiently and comfortably.
![]() |
![]() |
An increasing number of companies are looking for ways to understand occupancy in their offices and buildings. There are different ways to do this, including monitoring using cameras, badge data, or simply sending someone around to count heads. But the most efficient and accurate method of collecting space occupancy data is to use tiny, wireless sensors that identify if someone is sitting at a desk or not, and motion sensors that know when a meeting room or shared space is occupied.
Benefits of Understanding Space Occupancy
Cost Savings
Space Optimization |
By gaining a proper understanding of how desks and spaces are used, companies can identify the real requirements. If every day, 50% of desks are unoccupied, it justifies the decision to down-size or “right-size” to reduce running costs. |
Reduced Energy Waste |
When you know how spaces are being used, and identify areas that are not used as frequently, it is easy to adjust heating, ventilation, and air conditioning schedules based on actual need. Reducing heating and cooling in unused areas can greatly impact energy bills, significantly lowering costs and positively impacting carbon footprint. |
Optimized Staff and Service |
When you understand precisely how and when a space is used, it becomes clear what services, for example, cleaning and maintenance, are needed and when. |
Workplace Productivity
A Better Employee Experience |
Desk occupancy data helps hot-desking in a flexible working environment. Knowing which desks are occupied stops the search for an available seat. In the same way, meeting room availability is available at a glance. Because of the trend of working from home, meeting rooms are often booked but not used. |
A Clean Environment |
When cleaning schedules are adjusted to focus on busy areas, quality is improved, creating a healthier, more productive workplace. |
What to Consider When Implementing a Space Occupancy Sensor Solution
Wireless Desk Occupancy Sensor
The benefits of understanding occupancy are clear. What should you consider when evaluating the best way to do it?
If you have an office space with hundreds, maybe even thousands of desks, choosing a sensor solution that does not require wiring, pairing or configuration will significantly reduce the installation cost and effort.
Choose a solution your IT team will love that, once set up, will carry on capturing data year after year without recalibration, battery replacement, or maintenance.
Employees don’t want to feel as if they are monitored, even if it is only to understand space utilization. Sensors that are discrete, anonymous, and respect employee privacy concerns will do away with these concerns.
As your business grows, changes, and adapts to new working trends, a solution that is easy to scale up (or down) will ensure you are well-prepared for the future.
About Disruptive Technologies Space Occupancy Solution
Disruptive Technologies Space Occupancy Solution
Disruptive Technologies Space Occupancy Solution allows businesses to optimize office layouts by analyzing usage patterns, enabling a more productive, collaborative, and cost-effective work environment.
With our tiny, discrete sensors, you can effortlessly monitor space occupancy to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency. They are easy to install, require no commissioning or pairing and offer an industry-leading battery life of up to 15 years without maintenance. Make your workplace more intelligent and more productive in a simple, scalable, and cost-effective way.
Download our Space Occupancy Solution Guide:
Leona is the VP of Marketing at Disruptive Technologies. She has more than 15 years of experience working in B2B marketing of technical solutions. Leona loves getting into the head of customers to try to understand the "need behind the need" and taking a value selling approach towards marketing and sales. Outside work, she spends as much time as she can in France and Italy, drawn to the people, languages, culture, and food.
Follow this blog for a peek of our future!
* By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive digital communications. You may withdraw this consent at any time.
33-40% of the world’s food is lost or wasted annually at some point along the production spectrum: from farm..
Whether you’re equipping an office building with sensors to understand usage or implementing remote..
Technology is making food spoilage a thing of the past, protecting retailers from profit loss, ensuring food..