We’ve invested time over recent months to refresh the foundations of our business and give ourselves a platform for growth. Early on in this process we knew we needed to find a new work environment. So we set out to find a space that reflected our company values and supported us as we moved forward, reconfiguring our team structure and bringing new team members in — we needed a space to take us into the future.

We’ve finally said goodbye to the space we’ve called home for seven years…and moved 15 steps down to our brand new office space! Yes, really, 15 steps down the corridor.

A brief office history 

We won’t bore you with the minute details, but our evolution of office spaces has seriously piqued with our new one. Our previous office played a huge role in the business since our MD James took over, and before that, we were located in Rodney Street — which was our base for 25 years.

Our Rodney Street office was split level, so collaboration wasn’t free-flowing. Up and down the stairs to talk with colleagues — not great. And our most recent space, although much better suited to our needs, simply doesn’t fulfil the modern hybrid working criteria. 

Our needs changed

As we grew and the team expanded, we realised we’d become more sophisticated as a business. There wasn’t any private meeting space in our old office, just a bookshelf to separate areas — short story, it didn’t work for anyone — employees, clients, whoever. There was no confidential space for clients; you couldn’t take personal phone calls easily or have a chat with employees without unintentional earwigging.

It was doable with a team of four, but a team of 10? No way. The number of video calls we’ve had over the past two years caused distractions. People in the same room were on the same call on different laptops, and the sound quality was poor; the experience was jarring.

With Covid, we’ve become accustomed to sitting on a couch or a bed to work from. People want to make their own choice — that’s why most staff members now choose to work from home one to two days a week. But when they’re in the office, we need to offer a better environment. 

So, what’s the new space like?

We’ve got collaborative spaces, different types of seating, and a proper functioning kitchen with a high desk area. We wanted to create a space close to the home environment. An environment where employees felt comfortable and relaxed and had a say over how they worked — whether that was from the kitchen, in a noise reduction seating booth, on a couch or at their desk.

We’ve got a brand new 100% confidential meeting room, all kitted out in the best video conferencing software. We can easily facilitate remote meetings without all crouching around one laptop screen.

We wanted to create a space that encouraged collaborative approaches. Employees can sit and chat, plug their laptops into one of the many TVs at their disposal and quickly illustrate a point or present an idea. 

Our employees can now use any space for socialising, meetings, eating — it’s completely flexible. The changes we’ve made will help us deliver a better service and a better employee experience.

Check out our image gallery below. 

We’re still in the Cotton Exchange, which is perfect. We love the building, and it’s a great location for staff and clients — it’s central to the business district. Don’t hesitate to pop in for a coffee — we want to show off our new kitchen!

Get in touch to discuss your project. 

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