When two floors close down, do we have to work from home then?

Alna Borough has set one of its goals to be one of the most sustainable boroughs in Oslo. This summer, the department director's leadership group, led by Department Director Monica Newman and Rakel Teresa Donato, the borough’s chief safety officer, decided to close two floors of the borough building during the common summer holiday. The initiative aimed to address several aspects, including the UN’s climate goals, savings related to cleaning, and increased employee mobility.

The background for this ambitious initiative is the use of sensors and data from BLDNG.ai. The data provides a solid foundation for making decisions about space utilization and employee presence. The data showed that during the summer holiday, there was room to close two floors to test what benefits this could provide – in addition to being a strong initiative towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 8, 12, and 13: decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. Furthermore, the closure allows employees to collaborate more across departments, as some teams are required to make greater use of the activity-based workspace concept in the borough house.

What was the result of the closure? The conclusion is clear: Alna Borough plans to make concrete assessments to close or reduce the area in its borough house during all holidays (and times with lower occupancy).

'Whether employees appreciated the initiative is perhaps mixed (some disruptions accompany any change, which is expected, but clear and good communication in advance is the key to success), but I am sure that the more we practice this and make it part of our strategic choice and culture, awareness will increase. What is without a doubt is that all employees appreciated the clean premises and were well aware of both the financial savings and their contribution to a more sustainable society,' says Monica Newman.

Furthermore, there are greater savings related to cleaning, energy, and operations. During the period, the borough managed to complete major cleaning without hired substitutes or overtime, as the cleaning could be done during regular working hours. Energy consumption dropped, as electricity, lighting, and climate control systems were turned off on two floors. Additionally, operational costs were significantly reduced. The total savings over the four-week period amounted to 350,000 NOK, and that doesn’t even account for the climate budget.

So no, you don’t have to work from home when two floors close during the holidays, but you might get to know new colleagues – and most importantly, contribute to significantly reduced costs and a better climate report.