Lets face it, moving offices can be challenging and with space at a premium, it’s important to make sure that your space is working as hard as possible for you and your team. One question that we are always asked is “how much office space do I really need?” This quick guide will explain the legal constraints of space needed per person in an office.
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What is the legal amount of space needed per person?
With a maximum ceiling height of 3 metres, each employee must have 11 cubic metres of space each by law. If this space is filled to the brim with furniture etc, this still may be deemed inadequate by Health and Safety Executive standards. What this means in reality -“is there enough space to comfortably walk around your office and, be able to push your chair away from your desk and get up?”
How do I work out how much space I need?
Firstly work out the volume of your entire office space. Measure the length, height (to make this fair you should calculate the maximum ceiling height at 3 metres if you have expansive ceilings) and width of your office and multiply them together (Length x Width x Height). Then divide this by the maximum amount of users you have in your office at capacity. If your staff don’t have at least 11 cubic meters of space each, it’s time to move to a bigger office!
Want to work out how many extra people you can fit in?
It’s simple really! Again work out the volume of your space, then divide the number by 11, this will tell you how many people you can fit into the space. If you are having trouble with this then please contact someone from our space planning team.
Other important points to remember
Workspaces need to be big enough to allow users to comfortably move around the office with ease. In addition to this, you also need to factor in the amount of furniture. If bulky desks, plant pots and boxes are taking up a majority of the space, it’s time to have a rethink. Making your space safe with HSE guidelines should be a priority to safeguard your team.
Need some more advice? Speak to our space planning team or download our free office space calculator to help you configure your space.
Want to find out more? Call us on 0330 332 0880 or leave us a short message below
