The Leader - May/June 2008 - (Page 36)

M ul t i - G e n e ra tion a l Wor k For ce DesiGn: p ri ce W ate rHo us e co o p e rs o p e ns a ne W He aDQ uarte rs in ire l anD “Every time you go around a corner, you get a peek of some different colors, something new. People need color – especially in our Irish climate where at least fifty percent of the days are dull – you need color to enliven the space.” Liam Mullally, Mullally Leonard Partnership Online surveys of all PwC people on issues such as transportation, the restaurant, fitness center An intranet site with regularly updated information and a Q&A forum Regular meetings with a focus group of representatives from each department, who in turn circulated information via email and in person to everyone in their groups Individual and team interviews at all levels of the organization Short video presentations by O’Connor, so the organization’s chief executive could speak with everybody A printed reference guide that replicated the intranet site, published shortly before the move to the new building A show area set up on site nine months before the move “Showcases” with all suppliers for the project, from furniture and technology to the new cashless vending system, two months before the move n n n n n n n n It was a multi-year communications effort. “Two years before the opening of the building, we brought together our first group of 40 to 50 people, one or two from every business unit,” says Creedon. This group served as information providers, relaying information from project leaders to individual departments, and raising issues and asking questions raised by their constituents. “We covered everything in our meetings, from catering issues and the restaurant to IT, benefits, the client hospitality suite, everything,” says Creedon. “These people were ambassadors for the project. They went back to their teams and shared the information. Anyone could ask questions. We didn’t want anyone surprised by what they saw in the new building.” For O’Connor, the project started out as a vision nearly a decade ago for a new workplace that would energize the organization and provide a competitive advantage. “I wanted a state of the art building, something people could be proud of, where people would look forward to coming into in the morning, a place that was way out in front of competitors. I think we’ve achieved that. The feedback we’ve gotten from our own people and from clients has been fantastic. And, like every business, we have a few partners who have been around a while and were a bit cynical about some of this before we moved into the new building,” says O’Connor. “Now they’re saying things like, ‘I look forward to coming to work in this building.’ ‘It’s so much better than what we used to have, so much better than what we expected.’ And they were the cynics!” Soon they’ll have another group to show around. In addition to new hires, each year PwC welcomes a large group of new recruits. In 2007, that’s 250 new college graduates joining the firm. They’ll work in a building which the company can rightfully claim to be “a building by our people, for our people.” aBout tHe autHors John E. Hughes is a Senior Applied Research Consultant for Steelcase Inc. He earned his bachelor of science in statistics and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of California. Hughes established the Workplace Strategies Consulting group and remains part of Steelcase Applied Research & Consulting. Bruce Simoneaux is an Applied Research Consultant (ARC) for Steelcase Inc. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University and a registered architect with a Masters in Management and Specialty in Organizational Development from Aquinas College. For more information on this topic, go to CoreNet Global’s Knowledge Center Online. Staying On: Employee Retention by Design http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/ kcoAsset?assetInode=2702549 Design as a Business Strategy http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/ kcoAsset?assetInode=2444532 tH e le aDe r 36 MaY / j u n e 2008 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=2702549 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=2702549 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=2444532 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=2444532

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - May/June 2008

The Leader - May/June 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Green Real Estate Work Without Boundries Building Flexibility Into the Business Strategy Multi-Generational Work-Force Design Work Force Longevity Analysis Wells Fargo's David Nelson Pennsylvania's Michael Rossman Globalization 2.0 Site Selection Consultant Directory The New York Report: A Core of Traditional and State-of-the-Art Opportunities Discovery Forum Findings Industry Tracker Young Leader Career Development Effective Leadership Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead In Our Next Issue Calendar of Seminars Index of Advertisers Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - May/June 2008

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