“Mobility” is an overarching term that describes the ability of employees, enabled by information technology, to perform their work in areas other than an assigned office or workstation. GSA has been reporting since the late 1990s that federal agencies could do more to reduce their space needs and achieve savings by recognizing that many of their employees are able to perform their work either outside the office or in smaller workspaces. GSA has noted that mobility can improve employees’ work- life balance, such as by giving employees greater control over their schedule, and can reduce employees’ commuting time. GSA has also noted that federal agencies have not yet widely embraced mobility, but trends in the private sector, workforce demographics, and technology suggest that agencies could do so in the future. Organizing the workplace around mobility can reduce the size and number of dedicated individual workspaces and accommodate the same number of employees in less total physical space. For example, when agencies provide the necessary technologies, employees may perform their work in areas other than an assigned office or workstation. 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. Figure 1 illustrates one possible way an agency could reduce its per-employee footprint by redesigning space to reflect mobility. Officials at the five agencies we reviewed told us they are exploring or taking actions to reduce their space needs and achieve space efficiencies. These actions depend, in part, on a mobile workforce and include increasing telework participation, introducing hoteling, and reducing the size of individual workspaces. 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. For example, under USPTO’s Patent Hoteling Program, more than 4,000 full-time employees—or about 36 percent of its workforce—telework 4 to 5 days per week. These full-time teleworking employees do not have a personal workspace in the office; instead, they use an automated system to reserve a workspace for times when they need to be in the office. According to USPTO officials, most of their employees are patent examiners who perform solitary, independent work, which makes them good candidates for teleworking. USPTO officials told us their Patent Hoteling Program has enabled USPTO to accommodate new hires without having to increase its space needs. 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. However, while we reviewed documentation provided by USPTO regarding its estimated cost savings, we could not verify USPTO’s estimates as some key assumptions—such as rental costs per square feet—were not supported. In designing its headquarters renovation, GSA officials told us they made extensive use of open, collaborative work environments; eliminated private offices for most employees, including senior-level employees; established a target ratio of one workstation for every two employees; and implemented a hoteling program for all employees. GSA also eliminated cubicles in favor of a workbench configuration of space, as shown in figure 2. GSA estimates that its renovation, scheduled to be complete before the end of 2013, will allow it to eliminate the need for additional leased space at four locations in the Washington D.C. area, resulting in projected savings of approximately $25 million in annual lease payments, and about a 38 percent reduction in needed office space. However, this estimate does not include the costs of GSA’s renovation, which has not been completed. The IRS implemented new space standards in October 2012 that reflect changes in the mobility of its workforce and is applying these new standards as part of its space-planning efforts. Under the IRS’s new space standards, employees who work out of the office an average of 80 hours or more per month no longer have a dedicated workstation and must hotel with other employees who are also out of the office an average of 80 hours or more per month. 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. Officials told us they believe that the increased use of telework could allow the department to reduce its real estate needs. In addition, officials of the Forest Service, an agency within USDA, told us that the Forest Service plans to increase telework participation, utilize hoteling, and decrease the size of individual workstations as part of its headquarters renovation. The renovated space, which formerly provided space for 420 employees, is expected to provide workspace for approximately 760 employees. Forest Service officials said the agency estimates saving at least $5 million in annual rent as a result of these efforts. However, this estimate does not include the costs for its headquarters renovation, which has not yet been completed. ATF officials told us they are developing a workstation-sharing policy for those employees who telework 3 or more days per week. According to ATF officials, this policy, which they expect to have in place in October 2013, will help ATF reduce the amount of space it needs to lease in the future. Officials at each of the five agencies we reviewed told us that they expect their efforts will result in space reductions and cost savings over time. However, it is too early to determine the specific cost savings that might be realized for actions agencies like GSA and the Forest Service are taking, given that they are in progress. 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. These reports have highlighted the variety of actions that agencies can take to achieve space efficiencies and help ensure that workspaces adequately support their agencies’ missions. GSA’s research on how public and private sector organizations use office space shows that office space in general, and federal office space specifically, is often underutilized as employees work elsewhere. For example, in 2006, GSA reported that its surveys of federal workspaces indicate that employees are typically seated at their desks less than one-third of the average work day because they are often working elsewhere—collaborating with team members, working off-site, or in meetings—the rest of the time. 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. While federal agencies are ultimately responsible for addressing their changing space needs, they can also seek assistance from GSA. An official at the Forest Service’s headquarters told us the Forest Service worked with GSA to measure utilization of its leased office space in the Washington D.C. area. According to the official, working with GSA helped provide the Forest Service with information on how its space was being used, and helped the Forest Service determine that it could reduce its office space needs by 25 percent. In late 2011, GSA established a Workplace Program Management Office designed to help agencies explore and implement mobility initiatives. GSA helps agencies explore mobility as part of a broader approach to space planning as well as engaging workplace strategists in developing solutions focused on mission, people, and space opportunities. 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. According to GSA officials, these programs also offer additional benefits, such as increased employee satisfaction. GSA officials stressed that customized programs work better because each agency has a unique mission and culture. GSA officials describe the Client Portfolio Planning program as one that will help an agency find ways to increase energy efficiency and mobility, potentially allowing an agency to reduce its need for office space. GSA collects information about the client agency’s space use and needs through various instruments, including employee surveys. GSA subsequently works with the agency to identify potential opportunities and develops recommendations. According to GSA officials, having a client agency actively participate in this process is a key factor to achieving success in implementing GSA recommendations. 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. GSA officials told us that they work with three new agencies each year and currently have nine departments or agencies participating in this program. Unlike the Client Portfolio Planning program, GSA’s National Engagements for Workplace Services program is designed to help agencies examine their operations and identify new ways of working that leverage technology and furniture solutions.