At the outset of the coronavirus crisis, many major companies closed their offices and asked their employees to work remotely while sheltering in place, with an expectation of returning once the crisis had passed. But insurer Nationwide says it won’t reopen all of its offices when things get back to normal; the company will close most of its small offices by November, requiring some 4,000 employees in those offices to work from home permanently, according to Columbus Business First.
Nationwide had about 5,000 employees working remotely before the coronavirus spread to the U.S., but under the new plan, a total of 30% of its 28,000 employees will be working in home offices, the publication reported.
The firm will keep its Columbus, Ohio, headquarters, as well as larger regional offices in Scottsdale, Ariz.; San Antonio; and Des Moines, Iowa. It will shutter offices in Gainesville, Fla.; Harleysville, Pa.; Raleigh, N.C.; Wausau, Wis.; and Richmond, Va.
"I think this is the future," CEO Kirt Walker told the publication. "We are learning as we go, but I can see us being 50% work-from-home someday."