Employer Profile

The flexible work location program tops the list of perks at this Santa Clara, Calif.-based computer giant. Through the OpenWork Program, nearly 19,000 employees, or 56% of Sun's global workforce, work in a place other than a designated office -- at home, say, or in a coffee shop near a customer's office. The program takes advantage of the company's own technology to make the workforce mobile. Employees like the flexibility, and the program helps save commuting dollars and reduces Sun's carbon footprint. An internal study found that employees saved more than $1,700 per year on gasoline and wear and tear on their vehicles. Working from home two and a half days a week, employees reduce energy used for work by the equivalent of 5,400 kilowatt-hours per year. The IT team is also focused on green initiatives: By consolidating two data centers into one new facility in California, 202,000 square feet of space were compressed into just 72,000 square feet -- and power consumption was reduced by 50%. Sun's Employee Sustainability Council provides feedback on programs and builds a community interested in helping to foster ecological initiatives throughout the company.