If you’ve ever been in a meeting where someone asks, “So how exactly are people using the office?” and all you’ve got is a vague shrug and a spreadsheet from last quarter… you’re not alone.

The modern workplace is full of moving parts. People come in, they work remotely, they hot-desk, they book rooms and sometimes don’t show up. It’s messy. That’s why more and more teams are turning to data to understand what’s really going on in their offices.

But here’s where it gets confusing. There are different types of data you can collect including:

• Booking data
• IoT sensor data
• Wi-Fi data
• Badge (access control) data

Each of these tell a slightly different story. Let’s break it all down in simple terms, so you can figure out what’s actually useful for your workplace.

IoT Sensor Data

Let’s start with IoT, which stands for Internet of Things. In this case, it means sensors that are physically installed around your office, under desks, on ceilings, in meeting rooms. They track real-world stuff like motion, temperature, light, CO₂ levels, and more.

What makes IoT data so useful is that it’s tied to real-time behaviour. If a desk is showing as occupied, it’s because someone is actually sitting there. Not because they booked it, but because the sensor picked up movement.

This is super helpful if you want to understand which spaces are genuinely being used, which ones sit empty all day, or how busy certain zones get throughout the week. It’s also brilliant for automating things like cleaning only the rooms that were used or adjusting lighting and temperature based on occupancy.

Of course, these sensors need to be installed and maintained, so there’s a bit of investment and setup involved. But if you’re looking for accuracy, IoT is hard to beat.

Great for:

• Seeing which desks or rooms are truly occupied
• Tracking how busy spaces get during the day
• Automating things like cleaning or lighting

Not-so-great for:

• It comes with a higher investment than alternatives
• People may worry about being “watched” (though the data is usually anonymous!)

Wi-Fi Data

Wi-Fi data is a little more behind-the-scenes. When someone brings a phone or laptop into the office, chances are it pings the company Wi-Fi. Those pings can be used to estimate how many people are in a particular area.

Now, this doesn’t mean Wi-Fi knows exactly who is where. It’s more like a general sense of busyness. You might know there are 30 devices on Level 3, but not whether that’s 20 people or 30, since some people carry multiple devices.

The upside? You don’t need to install anything new. The network is already there, so you can get a decent overview of foot traffic and popular areas without spending more. It’s a great starting point if you want some data but aren’t ready to go all-in on sensors.

That said, don’t expect precise numbers or detailed room-level data. Wi-Fi is more like a heatmap than a headcount.

Great for:

• Spotting trends in foot traffic
• Seeing how full your floors get over time
• Getting started without extra hardware (you’ve already got Wi-Fi!)

Not-so-great for:

• It doesn’t know if someone’s sitting or just passing through
• One person might have 2-3 devices, so numbers aren’t perfect

Badge Access Data

We all know the badge swipe. You tap in at the entrance, and boom—you’re in. Access control data captures those entries. It tells you which employee swiped into the building and what time they arrived.

This data is especially useful for security and compliance, like knowing who was on-site during an emergency or tracking attendance for certain zones.

But here’s the catch: some badge data only shows entry. It doesn’t track when someone left or whether they stayed all day. Someone could swipe in at 9:05, nip in for a coffee, and head out by 9:30. That still counts as “onsite” in badge records. Not all badge data is reliable as if employees are not required to badge in and out at every entry and exit, the data will have significant gaps. Badge data does not show you the how or why. FM teams cannot find out insights into occupancy or the types of spaces being used.

So, badge data is great for knowing who had access, but not so much for how they used the space inside.

Great for:

• Knowing who came in on which days
• Managing building access and security
• Supporting fire safety and compliance

Not-so-great for:

• Doesn’t tell you if they actually stayed (someone could swipe in and leave)
• Doesn’t track movement inside the office

Booking Data

This is what people enter into their desk or meeting room booking apps. It shows their intent—what they planned to use.

Maybe they booked a desk for three days this week or reserved a big meeting room for Friday’s team catch-up. That’s valuable info for predicting demand and helping people plan their hybrid schedules.

But here’s the thing: just because someone booked a space doesn’t mean they used it. Life happens. People cancel, forget, or change their minds. So, while booking data helps with planning, it doesn’t always reflect reality. It’s kind of like RSVPing to an event and then ghosting. The host still had to prepare for you.

Great for:

• Seeing what people intended to use
• Planning ahead (e.g. how much space to open)
• Managing hybrid work schedules

Not-so-great for:

• Doesn’t confirm if people actually turned up
• Ghost bookings can waste space if people forget to cancel

So, Which Data Is Best?

Here’s the truth: there’s no single “best” type of data. They all tell you different parts of the story.

Data Type	What it tells you	Best for…
IoT Sensors	What’s actually in use	Real-time occupancy & automation
Wi-Fi	Rough idea of crowd size	Trend spotting at scale
Badge Access	Who came in (and when)	Attendance & security
Booking System	What people planned to use	Scheduling & capacity planning

Pro Tip: Combine Your Data

If you really want the full picture, the best move is to combine them. Layer IoT with booking data to see who booked vs. who actually showed up. Use badge data to support your attendance reporting. Bring in Wi-Fi to spot patterns and heatmaps.

That’s where workplace platforms like GemEx can help, by pulling all of this together in one place so you’re not jumping between systems or stuck guessing.

Want to see how this looks in action?

We’d love to show you. Book a demo and let’s chat about making your workplace work smarter.