OREANDA-NEWS. Matt Wells: On workplace excellence and transforming Manchester:

Earlier today I spoke to employees from our Manchester location to share details of some exciting changes we are making to how we work each day here.

Office environments have changed significantly over the last century as management theory and technology has evolved. From office floors looking like factories in the early 1900s, through to the sea of the dreaded office cubicles. Today we are in the digital age. Rapid advancements in technology and continued globalisation are accelerating changes in how we work even further. 

For example, cross-border teams are increasingly the norm with team members based, or clients in, different parts of the world, not just one location. This means different time zones and the need for meetings or calls at different times of day – not just in the traditional hours of nine to five.

There are many studies which show employees are more productive and engaged when they are able to balance the demands of work with other aspects of their lives too. Improvements in physical and mental health are also associated with workplace flexibility – areas of great importance to 21st century employers.

Each of these business culture changes are driving the need for a more collaborative and flexible working environment.

I think what businesses really need is an office playbook, not a rigid handbook with just one way of approaching things; a playbook which provides an adaptable framework addressing the different ways how, where and when employees can work. This could include flexitime, working from home or from different offices, and so on, based on each employee’s unique situation.

This brings me back to my discussion with our Manchester employees today.

In 2015, BNY Mellon created a new global programme called Workplace Excellence which has one goal, to transform our workplaces into efficient, collaborative spaces and provide more flexibility and workplace options in the future.

These changes in 2017 will allow us to locate all staff in one building at One Piccadilly Gardens. 

I think it is important that businesses listen to their people and create a working environment which recognises the changing world we all live in. This is why we are making these changes – and I’m looking forward to working with our employees in implementing them.