Case Studies

tangoanalytics.com 1 + U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: TRANSFORMING EMPLOYEE MOBILITY Workplace boundaries are changing. Today's employees are on the go, creating a new focus on reducing infrastructure costs. Even the nation's capital is getting on board. Since 2013, the U.S. government has mandated that federal agencies maintain their existing leased square footage (called the "Freeze the Footprint" policy) and, where possible, take steps to reduce it to save on rent (one of the biggest expenses at any organization), building materials, energy usage, operational expenses and other costs. Permission for employees to telework is also now part of U.S. law, signed into action with the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. PROBLEM Prior to the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) first phase of employee mobility transformation in its Office of Administration, the department had limited collaborative space. Only managers enjoyed windows, seats were assigned, and paper was everywhere. With nearly 14,000 square feet and 83 individual workstations on two floors—over 200 feet of "usable space" per person—it was tough to envision how it could meet the Department of Homeland Security's internal mandate to reduce "usable space" per person to comply with "Freeze the Footprint" and the Telework Enhancement Act. Because of these shifts and directives, the CBP, an agency housed within the Department of Homeland Security, had to figure out how to reduce its footprint—with the same number of workers occupying less space, while also allowing employees to work at home seamlessly. INTRODUCTION As a result of a recent pilot hoteling program using the latest cloud-based software, telework policies, mobile workplace processes, and collaborative workspaces, the CBP has already saved millions of dollars in rent and other costs, while boosting productivity and efficiency among employees. How could wasted desks, cubicles, and offices be eliminated and telework encouraged (particularly on days when weather-related incidents closed the office), without the department devolving into crowded, unscheduled chaos? And how could the work environment be adapted to a more mobile work style, where teleworking is not just the norm, but where the entire workspace is depersonalized so employees can work anywhere within that space?

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