It may be  possible for agencies to reduce their space needs when this mobility is  combined with hoteling, which means that employees give up their  individual, permanent space and use shared, nonpermanent workspaces  when they are in the office.more of an organization’s space to collaborative areas, such as  conference rooms, team rooms, and informal meeting rooms. Selected Agencies Are Using Workforce Mobility to Increase Their Use of Alternative Work Arrangements and Reduce Their Space Needs

Officials at the five agencies we reviewed told us they are exploring or  taking actions to reduce their space needs and achieve space  efficiencies. However, some agency  officials we spoke with pointed out that actions such as increasing  telework participation or implementing a hoteling program may not be  appropriate in all instances. Some employees, for example, may not want  to telework for personal reasons or be unable to telework due to the  requirements of their work—these include employees who work with  sensitive or classified documents, or who interact with members of the  public as part of the jobs. With respect to the agencies we reviewed:  USPTO has been taking steps to reduce its space needs as a result  of increased workforce mobility for more than a decade. Further, we note that there are indications that USPTO has avoided  real estate costs as a result of its efforts. For example, in 2012, the  Department of Commerce reported, that as a result of USPTO’s  Patent Hoteling Program, USPTO has avoided almost $17 million in   In  real estate costs annually since 2006 when the program started.addition, an analysis of the costs and benefits of USPTO’s Patent  Hoteling Program that USPTO conducted for fiscal year 2012  indicates that USPTO’s estimated savings could be larger. USDA set agency-wide goals for increasing the number of its  employees with approved telework agreements as well as its overall  telework participation rates for fiscal year 2013. However,  this estimate does not include the costs for its headquarters  renovation, which has not yet been completed. GSA Offers General Guidance and Customized Programs to Help Agencies Address Their Changing Space Needs

Since the late 1990s, GSA has issued several reports that provide  general guidance to assist with agencies’ space-planning efforts in an  environment of increased workforce mobility. In its reports, GSA has provided  examples of how various federal agencies have achieved space  efficiencies, including reducing their space needs, through reconfiguring  the layout of existing workstations and implementing various alternative  work arrangements, such as hoteling and increased use of telework. For  example, since 2011 GSA has offered two customized programs known  as Client Portfolio Planning and National Engagements for Workplace  Services. In part, these programs are designed to help agencies explore  mobility and achieve space efficiencies and also determine the type of  workplace configuration that best supports the accomplishment of the  agency’s mission. If an agency chooses to  act upon GSA’s recommendations, it could take years to realize savings  due to factors such as the timing of leases, the cost of reconfiguration,  and negotiation with employee organizations. According to GSA, the  information obtained by participating in this program can help guide an  agency’s space-planning efforts and mobility initiatives and provide a  business case for making changes. Accurate Data and Organizational Support Were Viewed as Important to Achieving Space Efficiencies in an Environment of Increased Workforce Mobility

Our discussions with officials from the five selected agencies and five  private sector organizations identified two factors as particularly important  to achieving space efficiencies in an environment of increased workforce  mobility: acquiring information about how office space is currently used  and gaining management and employee support. By measuring how existing space is being used,  organizations are better positioned to determine how much space they  really need. Officials from all of the agencies  and the private sector organizations we contacted described redesigning  space to reflect mobility as a significant change. To implement changes, agencies we reviewed, as well as private sector  organizations we contacted, have taken a number of actions to gain  support. Representatives from the private sector told us  their organizations took similar steps. In their opinion,  organizations that have tried to impose such change are less likely to  succeed. ATF and OMB did not have comments on the report. Appendix I: Comments from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

	GAO Contact

David J.
Why GAO Did This Study

New technologies and the adoption of alternative work arrangements have increasingly enabled employees to perform some aspects of their work outside of the traditional office environment. As requested, GAO examined how aspects of mobility have affected agencies' space needs. This report identifies (1) actions selected agencies have taken as a result of increased workforce mobility to reduce their space needs; (2) the assistance GSA provides federal agencies that are exploring reducing their space needs, at least partly in response to increased workforce mobility; and (3) factors selected agencies and private sector organizations viewed as important to achieving space efficiencies in an environment of increased workforce mobility. GAO focused its review on five agencies: GSA, the Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Commerce's USPTO, and the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Altogether, these five agencies reported holding or leasing more than 400-million square feet of office space in fiscal year 2011. GAO reviewed agency-specific guidance and other documents related to space planning and conducted interviews with key officials from the selected agencies. GAO also interviewed representatives from five private sector organizations to obtain their perspectives on how the private sector plans for its future space needs.

What GAO Found

The five selected agencies GAO reviewed are either exploring or taking actions such as increasing "telework" participation and implementing a "hoteling" program--which means that employees give up their individual, permanent space and use shared, nonpermanent workspaces when they are in the office-- to reduce their space needs. For example, as part of its headquarters renovation, the General Services Administration (GSA) is making use of open, collaborative work environments and implementing a hoteling program for all employees. In addition, the Department of Agriculture set agency-wide goals for increasing the number of its employees with approved telework agreements as well as its overall telework participation rates for fiscal year 2013. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has taken steps to reduce its space needs as a result of increased workforce mobility for more than a decade, and there are indications that USPTO has avoided real estate costs as a result of its efforts. However, GAO was unable to obtain sufficient information to determine the accuracy and validity of USPTO's estimated cost savings. Beyond USPTO, the agencies GAO reviewed have not yet realized space reductions or cost savings because their efforts are too new. In addition, officials at the selected agencies pointed out that increasing telework participation or implementing a hoteling program may not be appropriate in all instances, such as for employees who work with sensitive or classified documents or who interact with members of the public.
GSA offers general guidance as well as customized programs to help guide agencies' space-planning efforts in an environment of increased workforce mobility. In this guidance, GSA has shown that agencies can achieve space efficiencies by reconfiguring the layout of existing workstations and implementing various alternative work arrangements. While agencies may take steps on their own to address their changing space needs, GSA has offered two customized programs since 2011 to assist agencies. These programs are designed to help agencies explore mobility and achieve space efficiencies; however, GSA's client agencies determine whether to act on GSA's recommendations, and it may take years to realize savings due to factors such as the timing of leases and the cost of reconfiguration.
GAO's discussions with officials from the selected agencies and private sector organizations identified two factors--acquiring information about the current utilization of office space, and gaining the support of management and employees--that were frequently viewed as important for an organization to achieve space efficiencies in an environment of increased workforce mobility. By measuring how existing space is being used, organizations are better positioned to determine their future space needs. Similarly, by taking steps to obtain the support of leadership and employees, organizations can help facilitate the acceptance of mobility initiatives. Officials described the loss of dedicated workspace resulting from increased mobility as a significant change in the workplace and indicated that organizations that try to impose such changes are less likely to succeed than those that build organizational support.

What GAO Recommends

GAO makes no recommendations in this report. USPTO commented on the estimated cost savings of its hoteling programs, as discussed in this report.