Add a zone with spaces

Learn how to add zones to your location and enable bookable spaces. You need the Desks and Spaces add-on enabled and the Administrator user role to access these settings. 

How it works

Zones are used to distinguish between areas in your location. They can be any defined area, such as floors, neighborhoods, or buildings on campus. You can also set up zone groups to link connected zones.

Create bookable spaces within zones with the Desks and Spaces add-on. Spaces can be any area in a workplace, for example, desks, meeting rooms, breakout spaces, and car parks.  

Add as many zones and spaces as you need. For each zone, upload a floor plan, add the maximum occupancy, the number of bookable spaces, and give the spaces custom names that fit your workplace.

Depending on your settings, employees can either book a space when signing in, or with the Employee Scheduling add-on, they can book a workspace in advance on OnLocation Mobile.

Zones and spaces explained

MRI OnLocation categorizes space in a workplace in four ways:

  1. Location - The physical premises where your organization is located.
  2. Zone groups - Links zones under a common name. For example, a floor in a building or a building on campus. 
  3. Zones - Defined areas within a location, such as a group of desks, a neighborhood, a department, a floor, or a restricted area. 
  4. Spaces - Bookable spaces within each zone, such as individual desks, meeting rooms, or car parks.

Zone-Space-Diagram.png

Adding a floor plan

You can upload a floor plan for each zone so employees can use it when choosing a space. Here are some tips for adding a floor plan: 

  • Your floor plan should be a bird's eye view of the space. Make sure it clearly shows the zone area and number on each space.
  • Employees can zoom in to view the floor plan, but it should not be too large and detailed as they may be viewing it on their mobile.
  • If you don't have a suitable floor plan, you can create your own using any floor plan or drawing tool available online. It doesn't have to be an architectural plan; it just needs to show the space clearly. 
  • Upload a PNG or JPG file. Ensure the file size isn't too large so there aren't any loading issues. The image must be between:
    • 200-3000px high
    • 200-3000px wide

A simple floor plan could look something like this:

Classroom_Seating_Floor_Plan-2.png

 

Before you start

  1. Enable the Desks and Spaces add-on.
  2. If you'd like employees to book their workspace before they come on-site, enable the Employee Scheduling add-on.
  3. Set total occupancy limits for your location.
  4. Find or create a floor plan.

Step 1: Create zone groups

To create a new zone group:

  1. Go to Locations, then select the location from the drop-down list.
  2. Select Access Control Points & Zones.
  3. Select the Zones tab.
  4. Click Create Zone Group.

  5. Enter the name of the group. The maximum length is 40 characters. 
  6. Click Save.

    Create-zone-group-name.png

Step 2: Create zones and add spaces

  1. Go to Locations, then select the location from the drop-down list.
  2. Select Access Control Points & Zones.
  3. Select the Zones tab.
  4. Click Create Zone.
  5. Enter the zone name. The maximum length is 40 characters. 
  6. (Optional) Enter a reference.
  7. (Optional) Choose a zone group from the drop-down menu. If you do not have any zone groups, your zone will be added under No Group.
  8. Enter the maximum occupancy for the zone. Ensure this number does not exceed the maximum occupancy for the whole location.
  9. Upload an image of a floor plan.
  10. Select the checkbox next to Enable Zone Spaces.
  11. Enter the number of available spaces.
  12. Give the spaces a title. It should describe the function of the space, e.g., desk, car park, meeting room. The maximum length is 40 characters. 
  13. Click Save.

    Workspaces-Create-Zone-Details.png
  14. If you haven't already activated the workspace selection question, you'll be asked to choose which methods you'd like employees to use to select a workspace. Once you've made your selection, click Save.  
  15. (Optional) If you'd like to provide workspace labels so employees can check a space's availability and make bookings, click Print labels. 
Make sure you link your zones to access points, making them available for selection during sign-in.

Manage zones and zone groups

There are two views in the Zone tab:

  • The grid view shows a thumbnail image of the floor plan.
  • The list view shows the maximum occupancy and number of bookable spaces.

Click the view link in the top right corner to switch views.

Edit or remove a zone

To edit a zone, click Edit next to the zone, update the details, then click Save. 

To remove a zone, either click Archive or Delete. You can only delete zones that aren't linked to an access point or employee schedule.

Rename or delete zone group

To rename a zone group

  1. Click the settings icon next to the group, then click Rename. 
  2. Update the details, then click Save.

You can only delete a zone group that doesn't contain any zones. If there are any zones assigned, you'll need to edit the zone and reassign them to another group before you can delete the zone group. 

Next step: To make the workspace selection question mandatory, go to Sign In/Out Questions and update the question settings.