By 2015, workplace utilization will rise from 35 percent today to 85 percent as the desk-to-employee ratio is reexamined and space is reapportioned. That’s a lot of fancy talk for less individual office space, more collaborative space, and more mobile workers.

“The workplace of today—and the future—is changing dramatically, driven by advances in technology, a shift in work patterns and a greater desire for work-life balance and living sustainably,” says Kay Sargent, Teknion vice president of Architecture, Design and Workplace Strategies.

Consider the strategies companies are employing to accomplish increased space utilization. As you do, think about how this might trickle down to your business center:

•    77%—Open, collaborative workspaces with fewer offices
•    62%—Densification of workspaces
•    54%—Reduce square footage footprint through disposition
•    46%—More employees working remotely, from home, satellite or client sites
•    31%—Mobile working programs including desk-sharing, hoteling or coworking spaces

The survey also revealed that 78 percent of the companies polled have less than 10 percent of their employees working from home more than one day a week, but expect that to grow by 2015. This is in line with all the studies on the rise of mobile workers.

“To achieve space reduction, companies are looking to reduce the traditional model of providing every employee with a dedicated workplace. Today, an office with 100 employees might only require desks for 80 due to mobile work programs and desk sharing,” Sargent says.

“However, companies with limited mobility programs, such as allowing staff to work from home one day a week, rarely impact overall square footage because most staff still have a dedicated workspace. Unless employees are out of the office two or more days a week and give up an assigned desk, real estate is usually not affected.”