FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
The Government Property Agency’s (GPA) Birmingham office has achieved Leesman+ certification with a score that places it as the best employee workplace experience in the UK’s public sector.
Leesman+ is a globally recognised certification that is awarded to top-tier workplaces following rigorous surveying, analysis and testing. It provides a precedent to organisations across the world for employee-focused workplace experiences. Leesman+ certified buildings create an elevated benchmark, and provide valuable insights into the quality of features, services and infrastructure that matter the most to the people who use the building.
Both building-based civil servants, and those who visit more flexibly from other offices, were independently surveyed using Leesman standardised questions. The results were analysed and weighted against the number of responses to ensure data confidence. This allowed an assessment to ensure the building met strict Leesman+ criteria. The outcome provided the Hub with an impressive score of 76 (out of 100). This places it in the top spot in the UK’s public sector for workplace experience – and the second public sector building globally in history to achieve this.
Dominic Brankin, Workplace Services Director at the GPA, said: “The GPA is incredibly proud to learn we are providing a truly top-rated workplace experience for civil servants. We are all navigating our way through new ways of working that have evolved at alarming speeds. But we always work hard to maintain focus on our clients and customers to ensure we create great places to work. Our Leesman+ certification is proof we are delivering on what we promise.”
Tim Oldman, Founder and CEO of Leesman, said: “Stephenson Street’s fantastic Leesman Index workplace experience rating score is testament to the GPA’s tireless effort to put public sector employees at the heart of their workplace design strategy. And shows that functionally outstanding, contemporary workplaces are certainly not the preserve of the private sector, demonstrating that user-centric, evidence-based approaches deliver an outstanding return on investment.”
Leesman has surveyed more than 7,300 buildings to date for Leesman+ certification, with over one million employee survey responses from 109 countries. Only 202 buildings have successfully achieved the certification, placing the GPA’s Birmingham building on Stephenson Street in the top two per cent of global workplaces.
The GPA’s Birmingham Hub, was refurbished from disused retail space to create modern, digitally-connected and inclusive workspaces to support 1,700 people from across 20 government bodies. It welcomed its first occupants through a phased induction from July 2021, and was officially opened in July 2022. It is saving more than £2 million per year through estate rationalisation.
With the current economic crisis resulting in higher prices and more of a squeeze on resources, FMs need to ensure that they have robust building and maintenance services in place to control costs and reduce the need for emergency repairs. When it comes to drainage and plumbing there are also the challenges of dealing with extreme weather, from droughts to flooding, the need to meet stringent regulations and to avoid causing environmental damage.
UK drainage specialist, Metro Rod, has launched a survey which explores the main areas of interest for FMs in maintaining drainage and plumbing, including how they currently assess their supply chains to ensure they’re working with partners that meet the highest possible standards and provide value for money.
The results will be published online so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
To take part click here.
