Occupancy and Auto-release

• Occupancy sensors
• Color coding and availability
• Auto-release: Rooms and Desks
• Release timing: Rooms vs. Desks

Occupancy sensors

In facilities that have occupancy sensors installed at individual desks, the app provides real-time information on whether someone is or is not currently occupying the desk. The system also tracks if someone was there recently, just in case the occupant is only taking a break and will be coming back.

• Occupancy sensors complement the standard booking and reservation options that your organization has set up. 
• When you are looking at a floor map, the colored squares indicate the desks that can be booked. In an office with occupancy sensors, some of the squares will appear yellow or gray, indicating someone is there or was there recently. 

Color coding and availability

Availability is represented by a color-coded circle or square on the map.
Room = circle / Desk = square

	Available – nobody is currently occupying the room or desk, and it is not reserved for the day. It is available for booking or immediate use. Room = green circle Desk = green square
	In use / Booked by me – the room or desk you booked for the day Room = purple circle Desk = purple square
	In use – someone else is currently sitting in the room or at the desk or they have it reserved. Room = dark gray circle Desk = dark gray square
	Unknown  – the occupancy status is unknown; you may need to contact the Comfy administrator at your location. Room = light gray circle Desk = light gray square
	Recently in use – Though currently unoccupied, this indicates that someone was recently using the room or desk. They may have stepped out for a break, lunch, or a meeting, but still have their reservation for the day. Room = yellow circle Desk = yellow square
	Unavailable – the room or desk is not available for booking. Room = clear circle Desk = clear square

Auto-release – Rooms and Desks

The auto-release feature is meant to help make sure unused spaces are available to others. 
If enabled by your organization, auto-release automatically cancels a room or desk reservation if the location sensor does not detect an occupant during a booked time period. 

• Location sensors help the app keep tabs on the occupancy of desks and rooms. When a reservation starts, the system detects when someone arrives. If the sensors think someone is there, they will show the space as occupied. 

Detection

If a reservation time has started and no one is detected, a warning message is sent to the employee who made the reservation.

• With room reservations, the warning is sent by email
• If the employee has the app notifications turned on, the warning is sent to their device.
• With desk reservations, the warning will be sent by email only.

Cancellation

After the warning time is passed, the app continues to check and see if anyone is there. 

• If no one is detected and the auto-release time is reached, the reservation is canceled.
• This means that space will be available for immediate use by someone else and appears “Available” in calendars.

Release Timing - Rooms versus Desks 

The release time for rooms is different from that of desks.

• A room reservation is usually short, 30 minutes or an hour. To help make a room available quickly, the warning time could be 10 minutes from the start of the reservation, and then the auto-release time could be 15 minutes from the start of the reservation.
• Desk reservations are for an entire day and employees may have different arrival times, so more time could be given for employees to initially get to their desks in the morning. The warning time could be one hour from the start of the workday, and the auto-release time could be two hours from the start of the workday.

Note that these time limits are set by your organization’s app administrator and may vary for your company.