Consultancies have the least predictable attendance of any office-based sector. People are on client site, then in for a team day, then gone again. That makes desk ratios hard and meeting rooms scarce, and it puts real pressure on the front desk because clients visit constantly.
The attendance problem is structural
In most sectors attendance settles into a pattern. In professional services it does not, because it is driven by client engagements rather than policy. Booking data therefore tells you less than usual, and check-in data tells you more.
The practical consequence: measure what actually happened rather than what was booked, or you will size the office off intentions.
Where the pressure actually lands
| Pressure point | Why it bites here | What helps |
|---|
| Meeting rooms | Client meetings cluster on the same days | Release no-shows automatically |
| Desks | Attendance driven by engagements, not policy | Measure arrivals, not bookings |
| Front of house | Constant client visitors, high expectations | Pre-registration and a fast check-in |
| Confidentiality | Competing clients in the building | Cleared areas and host accountability |
| Team days | Whole practice in on one day | Capacity limits and visible availability |
The client experience is the differentiator
A client arriving for a pitch forms an impression at the front desk. Pre-registration so they are expected by name, a badge ready, and a host notified automatically does more for that impression than anything else in the building.
Confidentiality is a real constraint
Firms frequently host competing clients. That makes cleared areas and host accountability more than a formality, and it is a good reason to keep visitor records restricted rather than visible to everyone on reception.
What the research says
Two large evidence bases back the pattern consultancies feel. Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey 2025, a panel of 16,809 office workers across 15 countries, found time spent working with others in person still rising while solo work drifts home, and named noise, privacy and space availability as the biggest workplace complaints. Leesman’s benchmark puts numbers on the experience gap: the average office scored 69.5 on its 100-point index in 2024 while the average home scored 79.5.
For a client-facing firm the implication is direct: the office has to earn the commute on the days that matter, and it earns it with bookable client space, quiet rooms that exist when promised, and a front desk that treats a visiting client like a client. The same booking and check-in data that runs those days also produces the utilisation evidence the partners will want at the next lease event, a theme covered in our piece on office real estate costs in service economies.
Getting the ratio right
Professional services attendance is engagement-driven, so fixed ratios fail in both directions: too many desks on quiet days, too few on team days. The workable approach is a floor of guaranteed space for client teams, a flexible pool sized off twelve weeks of arrival data rather than booking data, and capacity limits that make team days predictable instead of chaotic. Review the ratio quarterly; engagements change faster than leases do. Our comparison of desk booking software options covers the shortlist in depth.
What to measure
Arrivals against bookings, no-show rate on rooms, and peak-day capacity. Those three will tell you whether the office is the wrong size or simply the wrong shape.
References
General information, not legal advice. Confirm what applies to your jurisdiction, sector and site.