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CISSS Chaudière - Appalaches
How CISSS Doubled Its Desk Ratio With Occupancy Sensors
When CISSS Chaudière-Appalaches moved into a new administrative office, it had 66 desks and 90 employees assigned. Occupancy sensors showed the space could support more.
At a glance
90 → 150
employees sharing 66 desks
67% increase
in employee-to-workstation ratio
Activity-based
work model
LOCATION
Chaudière-Appalaches, QC, Canada
INDUSTRY
Health and Social Services
SIZE
14,000 employees
company overview
The CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches is a public health and social services organization in Quebec, responsible for healthcare across the region. It operates nearly 100 facilities across 136 municipalities, including 4 hospitals, 23 CLSCs, and 28 CHSLDs.
When CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches acquired the office at 960 Rue de la Concorde and renovated it for an activity-based work model, one question came up immediately: how many employees could share 66 unassigned desks without running out of space on busy days.
Without usage data, that number was a guess. The team put out a tender for an occupancy measurement service that would provide relevant data for this decision-making process.
The challenge
The CISSS needed to know how the office at 960 Rue de la Concorde was actually being used. The activity-based model was new to the organization, and the team had no reliable way to decide how many employees to assign there.
Specifically, the team needed to:
- measure actual desk usage across the administrative floor
- use that data to set the right number of employees at this location
- make sure employees would have access to a desk every time they came in
How elia Helped
In the fall of 2022, the elia team deployed sensors throughout the administrative offices at 960 Rue de la Concorde. Managers could then track how desks and meeting rooms were being used across the floor in real time.
Wider hiring pool
THE ISSUE
With a lower headcount at the site, roles at 960 Rue de la Concorde drew from a narrow candidate pool.
ELIA'S SOLUTION
Raising the headcount to 150 made the location viable for more candidates. The office is accessible from both the north and south shores of the St. Lawrence, and roles there now draw applicants from both sides of the river.
More clinical space
THE ISSUE
Administrative work was spread across multiple sites, occupying space that could otherwise serve patients.
ELIA'S SOLUTION
The occupancy data gave the organization the confidence to consolidate administrative staff at 960 Rue de la Concorde. Spaces that had been used for administrative work at other sites were converted into clinical rooms, adding patient service capacity across the region.
Setting the headcount
THE ISSUE
The CISSS had assigned 90 employees to 66 desks, but without usage data there was no way to know if that number was too conservative or too high.
ELIA'S SOLUTION
The sensors showed the space was being used well below capacity. The team raised the employee count to 150. Employees still have access to a desk every time they come in.
"The elia team has been very proactive right from the start of our collaboration. They were able to adapt the solutions to be deployed according to our specific needs. Thanks to this proactivity, we were able to improve the analysis of the data collected and optimize the use of our spaces."
The results
- 150 employees now share 66 desks, up from 90 (a 67% increase in the employee-to-workstation ratio)
- administrative offices converted into clinical rooms, adding patient service capacity
- roles at 960 Rue de la Concorde now draw candidates from both shores of the St. Lawrence
- managers can track desk usage across the floor day to day
- the activity-based model is running as intended, with no shortage of workstations
Why it matters
In a health organization, administrative space and clinical space are in direct competition. Every square meter used for desk work is a square meter not available for patient services.
The CISSS measured how many employees 66 desks could support, and that measurement unlocked decisions that went well beyond the original question (more clinical capacity, a wider hiring pool) because the data was specific enough to act on.
