It is fair to say 2020 was a tough year for businesses in all corners of the globe, and 2021 shows no signs of being any less challenging.
But while many firms struggled to adapt to the COVID-19 restrictive climate, Spectrum Business Park in Seaham has emerged stronger for it. Developer Paul Wellstead explains why… “Flexible and home working have become a way of life for some time, as businesses were forced to change the way they operate to ensure they remain operational during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Office occupation as we know it had to adapt – no longer could businesses have packed floor spaces, with their full contingency on site. Instead agile working is what it’s all about. And that has forced many companies to look at their existing set up – with some real game changing results. Two great examples of this can be found at Spectrum Business Park, within the buildings occupied by Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) and believe housing.
GAS has undergone a £3m investment project on site, which has quadrupled its current space and allowed them to create hundreds more jobs. The fit out of the company’s expanded space at Spectrum 6, and the move into full occupation of Spectrum 7, is super high end – demonstrating not only a commitment to creating a stimulating and relaxed office space for the workforce, but also creating a space which complies with Government guidelines around social distancing.
It’s the type of office space that will attract talent – GAS have really thought about the space they occupy to create an environment that allows for both office and home working, with networking space available for team sessions that require multiple attendees, whilst still observing social distancing.
The same can be said for believe housing, which recently invested in additional space at Spectrum 4 to bring all their regional offices together under one roof.
The organisation’s facilities are seriously groundbreaking, challenging perceptions of what office space should look like. The attention to detail in every corner of the building is superb – believe has created an environment that perfectly brings together flexible working with facilities that will certainly motivate their staff when they’re working on site.
Agile working is here to stay and Spectrum Business Park is very much leading the way in showcasing how employers can adapt to create a better, efficient, and more relaxed working environment for their workforce. We will look back on COVID as the shock to the system that propelled how companies engage and value their staff to the next level. The “Office: Evolved” will be central to this employee focused renaissance, meaning the days of simple rows of desks are well and truly over.
