Welcome to part two in our four-part webinar series; Be Your University’s Hidden Hero: Budget-Busting Timetabling and Space Management Ideas (That Could Save Millions Over Time).
In this episode, we’re uncovering ways you can stop office space sitting idle – and running up costs – across your university estate.
For more budget-busting ideas, check out our other webinars in the series too:
Is idle office space costing your estate money?
You’re not alone.
Nearly every university we speak to is grappling with this issue.
Technology is changing the way we work. Hybrid working is now a thing.
All of which can create a space planning headache when you need to find that sweet spot, between fewer empty desks and making sure staff have a workspace when they need it.
In the second instalment of our series of Budget-Busting Timetabling and Space Management Ideas (That Could Save Millions Over Time), we look at three things you can do to tackle idle office space head on.
It also just so happens that they all begin with R!
You can watch the full, 30-minute webinar below but before you dive in, let’s take a little look at our three Rs in a bit more detail.
1. Reduce
Ok, this sounds obvious. But we know that in your world, reducing office space is nowhere near as simple as deciding to get rid of a few desks.
Teaching staff have their own working patterns and preferences. Timetables and teaching hours change. And that’s before you’ve factored non-teaching staff needs into the equation!
So how do you find the sweet spot between reducing office space that's underused, and factoring in enough flexibility to keep things running smoothly?
Data. An office space utilisation survey is by far the most accurate way to build a picture of your office space use and trends throughout the academic year. Wi-Fi, swipe card, heat sensor and good old-fashioned employee survey data can all add to the picture, too.
Don’t be alarmed if your data shows overall use is on the low side. We’ve carried out space utilisation surveys for dozens of universities, and have found that on average, office space utilisation post-pandemic tends to come out at just below 20%.
2. Re-use
Another way to stop office space sitting idle is to repurpose it.
Here’s the scenario: your traditional office space sits empty half the time now that hybrid working is the norm.
The answer – turn it into space that complements hybrid ways of working. Create co-working spaces that are easy to drop in and out of. More breakout or meeting rooms, so that people are encouraged to get together on-site. Workspaces that both students and staff can use, and that build a more collaborative culture.
You could even go one step further and make some of your re-designed office space multi-functional, so that it can flex to meet seasonal space demand. For example, you might create a co-working space that can also be turned into temporary study space during exam season.
You can still keep some of your more traditional office space (we know, for example, that academics often like to have their own, dedicated office). But by shaking up the way you use the rest of it, you can use it more efficiently, more cost effectively and create a more vibrant campus and a better staff and student experience, too.
Here’s the scenario: your traditional office space sits empty half the time now that hybrid working is the norm.
The answer – turn it into space that complements hybrid ways of working. Create co-working spaces that are easy to drop in and out of. More breakout or meeting rooms, so that people are encouraged to get together on-site. Workspaces that both students and staff can use, and that build a more collaborative culture.
You could even go one step further and make some of your re-designed office space multi-functional, so that it can flex to meet seasonal space demand. For example, you might create a co-working space that can also be turned into temporary study space during exam season.
You can still keep some of your more traditional office space (we know, for example, that academics often like to have their own, dedicated office). But by shaking up the way you use the rest of it, you can use it more efficiently, more cost effectively and create a more vibrant campus and a better staff and student experience, too.
3. Recycle
Sometimes, the answer is to say goodbye to idle office space altogether.
In fact our own poll (carried out live during the webinar at 23:43) reveals that since 2020, 77% of you have done – or are thinking of doing – just that.
Selling property or ending leases can lead to big cost savings, but they’re also big decisions. And the more data you’re armed with to be able to make them, the less likely you are to have to reacquire space at a later date.
Again, this is where data modelling really comes into its own. Using your own data (and a bit of modelling magic, which we can help you with) you can predict all sorts of scenarios – from changes in staff and student numbers to the potential impact of future timetable or curriculum changes – and see how you’d handle them without the space you’re thinking of dropping.
In fact our own poll (carried out live during the webinar at 23:43) reveals that since 2020, 77% of you have done – or are thinking of doing – just that.
Selling property or ending leases can lead to big cost savings, but they’re also big decisions. And the more data you’re armed with to be able to make them, the less likely you are to have to reacquire space at a later date.
Again, this is where data modelling really comes into its own. Using your own data (and a bit of modelling magic, which we can help you with) you can predict all sorts of scenarios – from changes in staff and student numbers to the potential impact of future timetable or curriculum changes – and see how you’d handle them without the space you’re thinking of dropping.
Does your office space need a rethink? Talk to us
You can also watch the webinar here
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