https://www.dallasnews.com/business/business/2017/05/18/ibm-remote-workers-head-back-office-leave
As more and more employers follow the trend of offering workers more flexibility about where they do their jobs, one corporate giant is putting a halt to remote working.
The Wall Street Journal reports today that IBM has told the thousands of workers who work from other locations, they must come back to a regional office or leave the company.
The new policy is a shift for a company that had been a pioneer of remote working. But now the company says working in-person at offices improves collaboration and efficiency.
IBM employees were told they would have to make a decision this week, the Journal said. But there had been reports months ago that the change was in the works. In Texas, IBM has large offices in Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio. The company says it gave workers 30 days to decide whether they want to move to a company office or leave. In some cases, the offices are hundreds of miles from where they currently work. Workers can also apply for one of the 3,000 jobs the company currently has open.
Co-working spaces have been sprouting up around Dallas recently as options for workers who want the cubicle feel but don't work out of a company office. If more companies follow IBM's lead, it could put a dent in some of that demand.
The Journal spoke to University of Texas professor Jennifer Glass, who said that companies had expected to achieve cost savings by allowing remote work because they did not have to pay for real estate and other expenses related to maintaining physical spaces. But the reality is, it wasn't that much cheaper.
Are you a local IBM worker who has to return to the office? Email me at agarrett@dallasnews.com