With plans to build a new Mail Centre, Royal Mail wanted to use the opportunity to create a workplace that was more people-focused. The question was, what could they do differently to improve the working atmosphere and boost staff morale?
Sound advice
Thanks to our work environment recommendations from the signage audit, Royal Mail approached us to be involved in this major project. Working alongside architectural firm Chadwicks, our brief was to suggest ways to improve the working environment in the new Mail Centre, that were on brand and within budget.
For us, the architectural strategy was about looking from the inside out. We felt that what really mattered – the thing that was really going to get the postmen and women on board – was making sure every individual felt secure, had their own personal space and was looked after by the company. Fundamentally, this meant giving everyone their own locker.
Back to basics
As simple as it sounds, by meeting the employees’ immediate needs, other changes would be easier to implement further down the line as staff would feel the company was ‘on its side’ and had their best interests at heart.
From here, we devised zones for the key social or welfare areas. Unlike the current Mail Centres, we recommended placing the actual factory space to one side, and bringing the focus onto the non-work areas, such as the canteen, the learning and training rooms and the social areas. By doing so, we were able to actually reduce the current space allocation and therefore the cost of welfare areas in new builds – a genuine win-win for staff and management.
Bringing in the brand
We felt to bring these areas on brand, they had to be well laid out, light and spacious – not dingy, dark and oppressive. And instead of trying to work against the social groups and cliques prevalent throughout the company, this zoning approach worked with this strong micro-community spirit and encouraged this segregation – a factor the majority of staff supported
Industry or sector
Logistics
Country
UK
Challenge
Staff engagement through workplace design
Services
Brand application
Workplace branding
Links
Royal Mail
Downloads
Customer experience factsheet.