Floor area per employee decides how many desks actually fit on a floor — and what the rent costs per person. A commonly used figure in Indonesia is 8–12 m² gross per person for leased offices in large cities, but that number is only useful once it is broken down: how much for the desk, how much for circulation, how much for shared rooms. This guide breaks it down and works through a 50-person office.
Quick summary
- Desk + personal storage: 3.5–5 m² per person for bench workstations, 4–6 m² for staff desks with a pedestal.
- Circulation: 25–35% of net work area; main aisles at least 1.2 m.
- Meeting rooms: 2–2.5 m² per seat; one 8-person room for every 10–12 employees.
- Gross total: 8–12 m² per person, depending on density and shared facilities.
Allocation table by function
| Function | Allocation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Two-person bench workstation | 4.5–6.5 m²/person | 1400×700 mm module per person, including screen and cable path |
| Staff desk with pedestal | 4–6 m²/person | Add 0.5 m² when a side cabinet is used |
| Manager office | 9–12 m²/room | 1600 mm desk plus two guest chairs |
| Director office | 18–25 m²/room | Room for an L-shape desk plus a small meeting corner |
| Meeting room | 2–2.5 m²/seat | Boat/oval tables are more efficient than round for 8+ people |
| Reception | 12–18 m² total | Including a four-seat waiting area |
| Pantry / lounge | 1.5–2.5 m²/person | Based on how many staff are present at once |
| Archive & printers | 0.5–1 m²/person | Lower with wall cabinets or digital archives |
Worked example: a 50-person office
Take an open office with two-person workstations and one pedestal per person:
- Work area: 50 × 6 m² = 300 m²
- Circulation at 30% of work area = 90 m²
- Three 8-person meeting rooms at 20 m² = 60 m²
- Reception 15 m², pantry 18 m², archive 12 m²
- Net area = 495 m²; at 85% efficiency for columns and walls → about 582 m² gross
- That is 11.6 m² per person — still within a reasonable range for class-B leased offices in Jakarta.
When rent pressure forces a smaller floor, the usual order of cuts is: replace a large meeting room with a six-person room, move archives into wall cabinets, and combine the pantry with the lounge. The last thing to cut is aisle width — aisles under 1.2 m make a space feel full even when the desks still fit.
Workstation or single staff desk?
Bench workstations are more efficient for teams that work in pairs: a two-person module shares one frame and one cable path. BG-24859W4, for example, already includes closed cabinets and cube shelving, so no extra cabinet is needed on the floor. A single staff desk is more flexible when team headcount changes often or the room has an irregular shape.
For a warmer look, a module with wooden legs such as BG-24844W4 occupies the same area but feels less dense visually — a real difference in rooms without wide windows.
Measuring from an existing floor plan
If the floor already exists, first measure the usable net area: deduct wall thickness, lift core and vertical shafts. Divide the net area by headcount for a rough figure. Then draw the desk modules at 1:100 — a two-person bench module is usually 2800×1400 mm including screens, or 1400×700 mm per person. Leave 1.2 m on the chair-entry side and 0.9 m at the side so a chair can be pulled out without blocking the aisle.
For meeting rooms, draw the table first and then count seats around it: a 2400×1100 mm boat table typically seats 8, while a 1200 mm round table seats 4–5. The difference matters a lot when meeting rooms are planned on a tight floor.
Last step: mark power points and cable paths. A desk that is drawn without socket access forces extension cables across the floor — and that eats into the circulation width you already counted.
Common planning mistakes
- Counting only the desk. A 0.98 m² desktop looks small, but the allocation per person stays at 4.5–6 m² once chair, drawers and cable path are included.
- Forgetting columns and cores. 80–88% efficiency is realistic; planning at 100% means the layout will not fit once drawn.
- Counting meeting rooms per room instead of per need. One 12-person room costs more floor area than two 6-person rooms for daily use.
- Ignoring storage. Without cabinets, boxes and archives end up under desks — eating legroom and making the office look full.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good floor area per employee in Jakarta?
For class-B leased offices, 9–12 m² gross per person is still comfortable. Below 8 m² usually means narrow aisles, small meeting rooms, or storage pushed into shared areas.
Is 6 m² per person enough?
It is enough for the work area alone, but not for meeting rooms, pantry and reception. Plan the gross total, not just the desk area.
How many desks fit on a 300 m² floor?
At 6 m² of work area per person and 30% circulation, roughly 38–40 desks — before meeting rooms and shared facilities are counted.
Next step
Send your floor plan (PDF or image) with headcount and meeting-room requirements. We prepare a trial layout, a desk schedule by zone and a shipping estimate in one quotation. See also two-person vs four-person workstations and the office workstation category, or contact the BG team directly.