Exxon considers leasing part of 385-acre Houston campus

ExxonMobil might be looking for roommates at its expansive Houston campus soon.

The Texas-based oil and gas company recently found that it uses less than half of the available space at its 385-acre campus just outside of Houston, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a presentation given to employees. Exxon said it’s now considering options for the unused space, in an effort to cut structural costs.

If a workspace rejiggering plan is successful, the company could close or lease up to five of the campus’ 14 office buildings.

The campus, which can accommodate more than 10,000 workers, has never been used at its full capacity, the newspaper reports. And the company has lost more than 10,000 employees since the beginning of the pandemic. Because of the oil-market crash in 2020, Exxon had to cut its workforce by 15 percent, about 1,900 jobs, most of them in the Houston area.

Exxon’s employees currently work all across the Spring campus, with no hybrid or remote staff. The company plans to consolidate workers into “collaboration neighborhoods,” said Casey Norton, an Exxon spokesperson. Instead of assigning people to specific desks or offices, employees could choose from various workstation styles in their “neighborhood.”

Earlier this year, the company said it would be moving its headquarters and staff from Irving to the Spring campus.

While Exxon hasn’t made a decision about the future of the campus yet, the company hired a broker to gauge outside interest in the space. Exxon is gathering feedback from employees to decide the best course, Norton said.

“We want to do this right and will work with department leaders before we make any decisions on the path forward,” Norton told the newspaper.

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— Victoria Pruitt