Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Chief Executive Richard Adkerson says he has a fine office at the mining company’s Phoenix headquarters, looking out across the city. He just isn’t sure he wants to return to it.
Covid-19 has left companies around the world looking at when, and in what numbers, they will return to headquarters. Freeport-McMoRan is pondering whether it even needs one.
Businesses including JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Netflix Inc. have pushed to get employees back into the office, with some executives saying workers aren’t as productive at home. Others, including Apple Inc. and BlackRock Inc., say they plan to go back, but in a limited way, after success with remote working.
At Freeport-McMoRan, a global copper miner, some senior executives are exploring going a step further and ditching their downtown Phoenix headquarters. They say that remote working has worked well so far, and employees are saving time by not commuting. Staff can meet when needed at an existing, open-plan satellite office on the outskirts of the city, they say.
“We are showing we can get the work done remotely…we are questioning ourselves—do we really need the headquarters?” Mr. Adkerson said. “People went into the office as a matter of routine.”
