As so many companies did at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, insurance firm Allstate sent tens of thousands of workers home over one weekend. Unlike many other companies, it told the employees to stay home – permanently.
The company’s approach to remote and hybrid work: ask employees what they wanted, and give it to them.
The company either didn’t renew leases or sold off office space, including its 232-acre, two-million-square-foot Chicago headquarters in November 2021. It donated the office furniture to charities, then invested in technology — especially virtual meeting spaces to help employees operate efficiently and inclusively.