Paris
Vertex
360 Workplace case study
Birmingham
Money Advice Trust
The Brief
360 Workplace and Area have partnered with Money Advice Trust - the national charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline helping people across the UK manage their money wisely - to modernise their real estate portfolio, creating a new agile workplace environment for their two offices based in Birmingham and London. Money Advice Trust wanted to develop an evidence based brief to support their decision-making process.
Our team was tasked with developing a plan that would enable the charity to implement remote working seamlessly while optimising their office premises to support a hybrid working model. When Money Advice Trust approached us for a workplace consultancy programme, they had a crucial goal in mind: to redesign their current workspaces in Birmingham and London, creating an innovative and adaptable environment that would support their contact centre staff and the rest of the organisation. Wellbeing was a key part of the brief and ensuring that the new space provided areas to rest and relax.
About:
Workplace Strategy, Change Management
Where:
London & Birmingham
Size:
17,000 sq ft
What We Did
Our team collaborated with Money Advice Trust to carry out a thorough workplace consultancy programme, aimed at identifying the specific needs and requirements of their two offices. The Birmingham office is a vast space covering an area of 15,000 sq ft, designed to accommodate approximately 260 people. In contrast, the London office is much smaller, spanning 2,000 sq ft, intended for approximately 25 individuals. Our programme involved an in-depth analysis of each office’s design, layout, and occupancy, as well as assessing the charity’s operational needs and the preferences of their staff. One of the key drivers for the project was talent attraction. In a post pandemic world, where the competition for top talent has become even more intense, staff now place a greater emphasis on flexible working arrangements and their overall wellbeing.
We conducted various workshops, consultations with each department, staff surveys, and leadership visioning sessions. Our process sought to understand staff perceptions and expectations regarding the workplace design, and what they considered to be important factors in creating a productive and engaging future workplace environment. Through these sessions, we identified the organisation’s long-term vision and goals, and how the workplace design could align with their strategic objectives.
The Outcome
As part of our consultation process with Money Advice Trust, we identified several key areas that required attention to enhance the functionality and comfort of their workplaces. Our analysis revealed the requirement for a dedicated training suite that would provide a conducive learning and development environment for their team. We also recognised the need for support spaces where staff could take a break from the contact centre environment and recharge, thereby promoting their wellbeing and boosting productivity.
Furthermore, we identified issues with high noise levels in the contact centre area, which could lead to distractions and affect staff performance. As such, we recommended acoustic treatments to overcome this, creating a more comfortable working environment for staff working nearby.
We worked closely with Area to ensure that the data and insights gathered during the consultation process were accurately translated into the design brief that would guide the transformation process. Our collective goal was to create an environment that would not only be conducive to productivity but also foster a sense of comfort and care for the Trust’s staff across both sites. The design brief was informed by the specific needs and requirements of the charity and aimed to promote a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusivity in the workplace.
The end result was a workplace environment that prioritised staff wellbeing, featured open-plan spaces for collaboration, provided areas for relaxation, and incorporated new technology to facilitate productivity. The transformation of the Money Advice Trust’s Birmingham and London workplaces was a testament to the success of our workplace strategy process and our ability to deliver modern, innovative, and staff-centric workspaces.