"How many square metres do we need?" is the first question in any search for office space, and the one where most tenants guess either too high or too low. Too little space costs productivity and, in the event of a labour inspection, money; too much space costs years of rent. This article first gives the short answer, then explains what the Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) and the Dutch standard NEN 1824 do and do not require, and works it out for offices with 10 to 100 employees and for the various office concepts.
The short answer: how many m² of office space per employee?
- Per workstation (desk, chair, movement space): at least 4 m² according to NEN 1824, in practice 7 to 10 m² including direct walking space.
- Per employee including everything (meeting rooms, pantry, corridors, sanitary facilities, storage, reception): 15 to 25 m² of net lettable area (NLA).
- With flexible working at an occupancy rate of 60 to 70 percent: 10 to 15 m² NLA per employee, because not everyone is present at the same time.
Those ranges are rules of thumb from workplace consultancy practice, not legal requirements. What the law does say follows below.
What does the Dutch Working Conditions Act say about office floor area?
The Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) and its accompanying Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit) do not specify a fixed number of square metres per employee. What the law does require:
- Article 3.19 of the Arbobesluit (dimensions and air volume of spaces): a workplace must be arranged so that employees have enough room to move to do their work without danger to safety or health. If there is not enough space at the workstation itself, space must be available elsewhere in the immediate vicinity.
- Daylight, view, ventilation, climate and lighting (articles 6.1 to 6.4 of the Arbobesluit) and sanitary facilities (articles 3.23 and 3.24).
- A risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) in which the employer demonstrates that the workstations have been assessed for ergonomics, space and health.
The Dutch Labour Inspectorate therefore does not check with a tape measure whether every employee has 8 m², but whether the employer can demonstrably show it has provided a responsible workstation. To demonstrate that, employers, occupational health services and inspectors use the Dutch standard NEN 1824. The European framework directive on workplaces (89/654/EEC) states in similar terms that work spaces must offer sufficient floor area, height and air space.
Working conditions standards for the workstation: NEN 1824
NEN 1824 "Ergonomics – Ergonomic requirements for the surface area of workstations in administrative spaces and offices" is the standard referred to in working conditions assessments. The standard calculates the minimum surface area of a workstation from a base plus surcharges:
| Component | Minimum surface area |
|---|---|
| Base per workstation (person, chair, movement space) | 4 m² |
| Working with a (flat) screen | + 1 m² |
| Reading and writing work with paper or extra documents | + 1 to 2 m² |
| Cabinets and storage space at the workstation | + 1 m² per cabinet |
| Meeting or consultation facility at the workstation | + 2 m² per extra person |
A standard screen-based workstation with some storage space therefore comes to 6 to 7 m², and with walking space to the corridor, 7 to 10 m². The standard covers the workstation itself; meeting rooms, corridors and facilities come on top of that. The standard also applies a minimum clear height of 2.6 metres for office spaces (2.4 metres for smaller spaces) and an air volume per person; buildings built after 1992 almost always meet these.
Those with offices in Germany will recognise a similar system: the Technical Rule for Workplaces ASR A1.2 assumes 8 m² per workstation in a cellular office and 12 to 15 m² in an open-plan office.
From workstation to office: what else is needed?
The difference between "7 m² per workstation" and "20 m² per employee" lies in everything else an office needs. As a rough guide:
- Meeting and consultation space: 2 to 4 m² per employee, more with a lot of client contact.
- Concentration and phone-call spots: 1 to 2 m² per employee, especially in open offices.
- Pantry, lunch area, reception: 2 to 3 m² per employee.
- Sanitary facilities, cloakroom, storage, technical space: 1 to 2 m² per employee; see also how many toilets per employee.
- Circulation space (corridors, walking zones): 15 to 25 percent of the total.
Watch the measurement basis: rents are based on net lettable area (NLA), including corridors and non-load-bearing walls. How you calculate that and why it matters is explained in GFA and NLA explained.
Office concept and occupancy rate matter most
| Office concept | Indicative NLA per employee | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular office (1 to 3 people per room) | 20 to 25 m² | Many walls and corridors, high privacy |
| Combi office (rooms plus open zones) | 17 to 22 m² | Mix of concentration and collaboration |
| Open-plan office with fixed desks | 14 to 18 m² | Efficient, requires acoustic measures |
| Activity-based or flexible working (60 to 70 percent occupancy) | 10 to 15 m² | Fewer desks than employees, more meeting spots |
| Flex office or office unit in a multi-tenant building | 6 to 10 m² own space | Meeting room, pantry and reception shared |
The occupancy rate has been the biggest lever since hybrid working became common. A company with 40 employees, of whom an average of 26 are in the office at the same time, can manage with 28 to 30 workstations. Measure actual occupancy for a few weeks before you start looking; many companies overestimate their peak day.
Calculation examples: 10, 25, 50 and 100 employees
| Employees | Cellular or combi office | Open-plan office, fixed desks | Flexible (65 percent occupancy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 200 to 250 m² | 150 to 180 m² | 110 to 150 m² (or a unit of 60 to 80 m² in a multi-tenant building) |
| 25 | 450 to 600 m² | 350 to 450 m² | 260 to 375 m² |
| 50 | 900 to 1,200 m² | 700 to 900 m² | 500 to 750 m² |
| 100 | 1,800 to 2,400 m² | 1,400 to 1,800 m² | 1,000 to 1,500 m² |
All figures are NLA and indicative. Smaller organisations come out relatively higher, because a meeting room, pantry and reception are needed even for ten employees. Add 10 to 20 percent for growth over the next three years, or rent a space with an expansion option in the building.
Common mistakes when determining office size
- Calculating based on the total number of employees instead of the number present at the same time.
- Forgetting meeting space or, conversely, renting too many large meeting rooms that stand empty most of the week.
- Comparing prices per m² on different measurement bases (GFA versus NLA) or without counting the shared areas in a multi-tenant building.
- Not taking the floor plan into account: a long, narrow floor with many columns yields fewer usable workstations than a square one.
- Ignoring acoustics and climate: an open office with 14 m² per person only works with good acoustic measures and sufficient ventilation.
- Not updating the RI&E after a move or reorganisation; that is one of the first things the Labour Inspectorate asks about.
How do you determine the right size in practice?
- Count the number of employees and measure the actual daily occupancy over a few weeks.
- Choose the office concept and determine the number of workstations (for flexible working: those present on the peak day plus 10 percent).
- Multiply by the indication per concept from the table and add growth for the next three years.
- Compare listings on NLA, rent, service charges and energy label; see what does office space cost per m².
- If in doubt, have a short workplace study carried out: an advisor translates your organisation into a brief and a realistic number of square metres.
On RE-SEARCH you can filter the office space for rent listings by floor area, and for many properties you can see the available units with the number of workstations included. You can also leave a search request; then we do the calculations for you.
Frequently asked questions about m² of office per employee
How many m² per person is legally required in an office?
There is no legal minimum in square metres. The Arbobesluit requires enough room to move and a healthy workstation; NEN 1824 translates that into at least 4 m² per workstation plus surcharges, in practice 7 to 10 m².
What is the working conditions standard for a workstation in m²?
NEN 1824: 4 m² base per workstation, plus 1 m² for a screen, 1 to 2 m² for paperwork and 1 m² per cabinet. A standard workstation therefore comes to around 6 to 7 m².
How much office space do I need for 10 employees?
Indicatively 150 to 250 m² NLA for a self-contained office, depending on the concept, or an office unit of 60 to 80 m² in a multi-tenant building where meeting space and a pantry are shared.
How many m² per workstation with flexible working?
The standard for each physical workstation stays the same, but because not all employees are present at the same time, you end up with 10 to 15 m² NLA per employee instead of 15 to 25 m².
Does meeting space count towards the m² per employee?
It does in the 15 to 25 m² per employee rule of thumb; it does not in the NEN 1824 standard per workstation. Keep the two apart when comparing listings.
