Following the first meeting of the New Ways of Working (NWOW) planning group, we would like to share an update with you all. We will communicate regularly as the project progresses and after each meeting of the planning group.
Several modifications to the original plan have been introduced in response to suggestions and further adjustments are being evaluated based on comments raised at the first NWOW planning group meeting.
There will be a six-month pilot scheme which will run from September, with the exact start date to be confirmed. It will be carefully monitored to evaluate its feasibility and to address any potential concerns that arise.
Blizard Centre Village zoning concept [PDF 403KB]
All desks allocated to a specific centre will be grouped in the same area, named ‘the Centre village’. These villages will consist of desks allocated to centres based on the team size, on an overall average 6:10 ratio of total staff FTE in the building at any one time, based on centre need. These villages will act as a home base for centre staff and PGR students. We understand that staff would like some degree of desk personalisation. We will develop building user protocols to provide further guidance.
Shared offices will be allocated to staff by Centre Leads.
There will be bookable overflow desks between each village, which will provide flexibility for short term use or for hybrid staff.
There will also be a variety of bookable rooms for individual or team use, such as small group meetings.
We are also reviewing specific technology requirements such as NHS IT system connections, and availability of workstations for temporary visitors such as work experience students.
Centre managers will control overall desk allocation with individual staff able to book their specific desk on the days they will be in the office. Meeting rooms will be bookable by individual staff rather than through Reception. Allocated shared offices will not be bookable.
We will agree how far in advance bookings can be made within the limitations of the booking system. We will also be considering the possibility of block booking, keeping in mind the need to release a booking if it is no longer needed for the remainder or part of the overall booking.
Overhead cabinets will be retained for shared storage. We are undertaking a review of all other storage needs. We are exploring options around access to secure storage rooms.
All staff and PGR students will be allocated a locker. Lockers will also be available for short-term, onsite students and similar colleagues.
Some adjustments will be made to social and informal areas including new furniture to meet a variety of needs. Social and break-out space will not be reduced as a result of this project.
We are also reviewing the acoustic quality and privacy in all enclosed meeting rooms and offices, including Spikey. We are exploring options around how we can better utilise Spikey. Other environmental issues such as lighting will be addressed outside of this project.
You will be able to book a desk within your centre village (potentially the same desk) any time you come to the Blizard Institute.
No major structural modifications to the current desks will be introduced. Certain desks will be allocated for specific requirements or needs. There will be a number of reasons to have an allocated desk which will not be disclosed, to protect confidentiality of colleagues using them.
If you have any questions or specific EDI concerns around this project, please contact Tania Maffucci (t.maffucci@qmul.ac.uk).
During the pilot we will be collecting staff feedback on aspects such as social space, informal space and the ease of use of the booking system. We will monitor desk, storage, and meeting room utilisation. A project board will be established to agree the measures on which the success of the pilot will be based, and to consider options based on feedback.
If you have any questions around this project, please contact Natalie McCloskey (n.mccloskey@qmul.ac.uk), Mary Collins (mary.collins@qmul.ac.uk) or Tania Maffucci (t.maffucci@qmul.ac.uk).
We will provide further updates shortly.
Kind regards,Mary