Case Study: Institute of Physics Publishing - Developing a new Workplace Experience Team

In October 2022 IOP Publishing took occupation of a very attractive, well designed and equipped office over 1.5 floors at the Distillery in central Bristol. The design of this was based on workplace consultancy and engagement we carried out in 2021, together with Interaction, Strategic Workplace Design and Build Experts who created the fantastic new office.

The challenge.

IOPP have a very dedicated and long tenure employee group and some members of their Facilities and Reception team had been with the organization for 25 years. They needed an updated approach to a very different type of office and new ways of working which focused heavily on workplace experience rather than telephone calls, mail and assigned desks. Unfortunately this resulted in redundancies due to significant changes in job role.

What we did.

We designed the new workplace experience team, defining the team structure, roles and governance. We then built job descriptions and supported the consultation, evaluation and recruitment process, including onboarding new team members. We upskilled the Facilities Manager to take on the role of Head of Workplace Experience. This included creating personal development plans and offering strategic support and leadership mentoring. Our training covered areas such as leadership skills, stakeholder and relationship management, workplace engagement and communications, and workplace technology and data analysis. We continue to consult on an advisory basis, in the role of External Chief Workplace Officer.

The result.

IOPP offer an exemplary workplace experience optimising:

• Employee experience & wellbeing

• Team productivity

• Knowledge transfer

• Organisational culture

• Workplace utilisation

"Workwell PCS understood the brief and provided the solution by reimagining our approach to workplace management. From concept to full implementation, they worked with and guided us to establish our new Workplace Experience team until they were fully embedded and successfully operational. We now have a team dedicated to enhancing employee engagement and optimising the working environment to best support the organisation with collaborative working, well-being, social engagement, all of which ultimately enhances our ability to attract and retain top talent.  2023 was a year of huge change for us, and I am extremely thankful to Workwell PCS for making it happen, it has been an absolute pleasure working closely with them.”

Toby Beech, Head of Workplace Experience, Institute of Physics Publishing