How Space Management Helps Facilities Managers Ditch Desks

Just a decade ago, it might have seemed outlandish to hear a facility manager touting the benefits of moving employees’ desks out of the office, but this is a conversation that’s taking place within a growing number of corporations. Companies are recognizing the benefits of teleworking as a way to reduce operational costs and offer employees new benefits. Facilities managers are the key to the success of these plans because they have access to real-time data about occupancy rates on a daily basis and areas of the office that are used most often through their space management software.

The Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) is an example of a company that benefited from telecommuting, Fast Company reports. It started as a slow and steady progression after employees noticed that commutes to the Washington, D.C. office were taking longer due to congestion. At first, a handful of employees were allowed to work from home one day per week, but that limitation was removed after it developed an effective program. Now, staff member attendance is only required one day each week, but employees are allowed to come in more frequently if they want.

To accommodate lower occupant rates, AIIM downsized its leased real estate, got rid of abandoned desks and moved into a smaller location, the source reports.

What If! is another organizations that has turned the traditional workspace on its head, according to The New York Times. Bart Higgins, the director of the innovation company that advises major corporations, told the source that participants must think about the switch as an opportunity to gain mobility rather than losing space. When a telecommuting plan and complementary hoteling policy are implemented correctly, employees can benefit from impromptu conversations while on the go and still find private space to complete independent work.