Workspaces Reimagined For Oregon's Hybrid Workforce

Agency Space Design and Utilization

In early 2023, Governor Kotek tasked DAS to review the reopening recommendations issued in June 2021 - to evaluate the current remote policy, impact on space and the statewide office footprint and safety in general. Office Utilization and Parking Survey Results

The State of Oregon’s widespread adoption of remote and hybrid working has resulted in a paradigm shift in how state agencies utilize office space. In August of 2023, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) conducted an enterprise-wide survey of state agencies and their current office utilization practices. Results revealed the following:

At present, 45% of state employees are designated as remote workers, meaning they are typically in the office 0-2 days per week, on average. Just over half of the State’s workforce reports to the office on a full-time basis, or 3+ days per week.
51% of all agencies report utilizing less than 50% of their dedicated office space, with most reporting less than 25%.
Only 31% of agencies are utilizing their office space at pre-pandemic levels.

State agencies lease approximately 6.4 million square feet of office space and spend approximately $128 million in office rent annually. To date, remote work has led to the reduction of 253,000 square feet of office space statewide, yielding more than $7.8 million savings per biennia. With the permanence of remote work, DAS believes we can reduce our overall office footprint by at least 30% by 2027, shedding $76.8 million from the biennial budget.

While statewide reduction of office space is necessary, agencies must also rethink the purpose of the office. Remote working raises a series of issues including seat-sharing, a shifting focus towards collaboration, a heightened need for workplace culture, and employee prioritization of wellness and sustainability issues. In what ways can agencies re-think their office space so that all employees benefit?

The tools and resources are intended to support agencies while they rethink current and future space planning. The guidelines provide a resource of the critical qualitative aspects of the new office workspace necessary to support new ways of working and should serve as a starting point for agencies as they work with design teams. The Space Planning Calculator will help agencies estimate space needs. Since these workspace practices will be new to most state agencies, they will need to be validated through implementation and updated regularly to incorporate lessons learned.

The new policy reflects focus groups with managers and talks with union officials. Employees are urged to direct their questions to their supervisors and human resources office.

Governor's Message (placeholder)

Space Design and Utilization Policy 107-011-100 (Coming soon)

Office Utilization and Design Guidelines (Coming soon)

Siting Policy 107-011-115 (Coming soon)