The old rule of thumb was roughly 10 m² of office per employee. Hybrid work changed the maths: many companies now share desks and need less total floor area, but more meeting and collaboration space. Use a per-person range to size your search, then adjust for how often people are actually in.
Rule-of-thumb ranges
Office space per person (usable m²)
Dense / call-centre style — 6-8 m² per person
Standard office — 8-12 m² per person
Spacious / senior / client-facing — 12-18 m² per person
Add for meeting & breakout — +15-25% on top
Adjust for hybrid working
If only 60% of your team is in on the busiest day, you do not need a desk for everyone. A common approach is a desk-sharing ratio: size the floor for peak attendance, not total headcount. A 100-person company with a 6:10 ratio might size for ~60-70 people - but then spend the saved area on more meeting rooms and quiet zones, which hybrid teams use far more.
A quick sizing method
- Take your peak-day headcount (not total staff).
- Multiply by your target per-person figure (10 m² is a safe default).
- Add 15-25% for meeting rooms, breakout and circulation.
- That is your usable-area target - search a little above and below it.
Example: 40 people on the busiest day × 10 m² = 400 m², plus ~20% = ~480 m² usable. Watch the difference between usable and gross (lettable) area - quoted rents are often on gross, which includes a share of common space.
