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Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company says having employees work at home in response to the COVID-19 crisis is going so well that it plans to shut down at least five of its traditional brick-and-mortar offices by Nov. 1.
The employees and other workers associated with those offices will shift to working permanently at home, Nationwide announced Thursday.
(Related: Humana Trying to Help Brokers Cope With Social Distancing)
The Columbus, Ohio-based mutual insurer said that it will keep four main brick-and-mortar offices in place, and that it will also keep some other, smaller brick-and-mortar offices open.
One of the brick-and-mortar offices that that's on track to survive is an annuity distribution facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
Nationwide now has 30,000 employees and other types of workers in the United States, according to the company's website.
The company has about 30 office locations with a head count over 100.
The 4 Main Offices
Nationwide will be continue to operate large, traditional brick-and-mortar offices in these four places:
- Central Ohio, including downtown Columbus and Grandview Yard
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- San Antonio, Texas
The Offices Slated to Close
Nationwide said it will close the brick-and-mortar offices in these locations:
- Gainesville, Florida
- Harleysville, Pennsylvania
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Wausau, Wisconsin
- Richmond, Virginia
The Exceptions
Nationwide is planning to keep the annuity distribution center in Kentucky open because the center is on a list of exceptions from the work-from-home strategy shift.
Other exceptions include Nationwide Pet's business operations in Brea, California, and a Nationwide office in New York City that handles management liability and specialty business.
"Exceptions may also include smaller offices and locations that are required by state plans or business need to have an office location to service members," Nationwide said.
