BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2021) Belgium may save up to 37 million Euros ($43.7 million) a year by 2028 with a portion of Federal government staff working remotely, Le Soir newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing a study.
Money will be saved chiefly due to the decreased area of rented offices and thus lower electricity costs. The number of physical workplaces may be reduced by 42%, with employees working two days a week remotely, according to the study commissioned by state secretary for budget Eva De Bleeker, public administration minister Petra De Sutter, and digitalization secretary Mathieu Michel.
Such a transformation in work will require a one-time investment in modernizing office equipment, but will pay off in a couple of years due to the reduction in rental office contracts.
Savings were calculated only for governmental structures in Brussels, as other regions did not participate in the study, the newspaper noted.
Mandatory telework in Belgium was abandoned in June, with employees allowed to return to offices for 2-3 days per week with less than 20% of staff present in the office at the same time.
