As more and more people started to work from home, the company realized it didn’t need so much office space, so it consolidated, saving $8.5 million a year in real estate costs, said Karen Kelly, a workforce mobility consultant at the health plan. But even then, there were rows upon rows of empty work space in the head office, since some people worked from home only sometimes, and still had desks. So the company is now launching a program which would get rid of permanent desks for many workers. Instead, they’re given a laptop and a rolling locker that they can use to store coffee mugs, pictures, and other belongings. When they want to work in the office, they can log onto a calendar and reserve a mobile desk.
The new set-up saves money while getting more productivity out of workers, Kelly said. Surveys that the company did indicated employees “were less distracted and more productive working in the right environment,” she said.
Kelly works from home most of the time now. She has gotten back around two hours of personal time now that she doesn’t have to commute she says. She lost 10 pounds since she can go to the gym more, and spends a little more time working, since she doesn’t have to spend so much time in the car.
A study by Stanford researchers published earlier this month affirms that allowing some employees to work from home makes them more productive.
