Lincoln Financial Group has decided to keep hundreds of its employees working remotely even after COVID-19 fears are gone, writes Jeff Blumenthal for Philadelphia Business Journal.

The life insurance and retirement investment company is selling 210,000 square feet of office space in Concord, New Hampshire it will no longer need.

It’s too early to tell if this is a one-time action or a new working arrangement that will be embraced by other Fortune 500 companies.

A company spokesman said the decision was made after seeing the long-term success of the remote work in Concord, along with employee feedback stating they prefer a flexible or remote-work environment.

“We are still determining the appropriate model for the rest of the company in the long-term,” he said.

Lincoln Financial has 12,000 employees in 15 locations nationwide. Its headquarters is in Radnor.

The company and its employees do still see value in keeping an office space to promote collaboration and a positive culture.

The rest of the company is tentatively scheduled to return to the office April 5 but that date is fluid, depending on the spread of the virus and vaccine distribution.

Going forward, any of the company’s plans could mean fewer employees in the office than before COVID.