No More Nameplates?

Federal budget cuts are causing many agencies to scrap large traditional office spaces for open workstations, telework, and "office hoteling," where employees reserve desks as they need them. Federal Times reports that Bart Bush, the assistant commissioner for the Office of Client Solutions at the General Services Administration, is leading an effort to reduce GSA's real estate footprint -- potentially saving millions of dollars in leasing. The effort includes cutting the square footage of office space from 29,120 to 14,065 for about 170 employees.

The new hoteling concept means employees won't have their own desks, but rather will be required to reserve workstations when they plan to be in the office. The trend will mean scrapping the nameplates mounted on feds' doors in favor of emphasizing mobile technology, Bush told Federal Times. "Some agencies might promote more telework, or create more open spaces or rely more heavily on technology," he said.

Is your agency making changes to reduce its real estate footprint, in part by emphasizing hoteling, telework and mobile technology? What are your thoughts on the changes?