BT released new images of its Doncaster Contact Centre currently undergoing a multi-million-pound refurbishment - as it announced the project will complete early next year.
The centre in Wilmington Drive has undergone a major revamp to modernise it and create a fantastic workplace for more than 1,000 colleagues – nearly double the number of colleagues based there currently (around 600).
The first phase of works, which started at the end of last year, are now complete and it’s already demonstrating what BT’s vision of the future will look like. The modern office environment will feature everything from full height windows providing natural light, café and restaurant facilities, flexible workspaces, collaboration areas, as well as plants. It will also include relax and refuel areas and a games area with table tennis, pool and games consoles.
The refurbishment is taking place in two stages, allowing contact centre workers to continue operating in another section of the building whilst work takes place. BT is ensuring social distancing rules apply inside the contact centre as well as following Public Health England’s latest guidelines on Covid-19 to ensure people are kept safe.
When the refurbishment is complete, the state-of-the art building will be one of the first of BT’s future-fit offices in the UK to open as part of its ‘Better Workplace Programme’ - the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
BT says the investment will help transform the way it works, create efficiencies and enable it to better serve its customers. The new office is also a sign of the company’s commitment to Yorkshire and providing the best facilities and services for colleagues to thrive.The building itself will include multifaith and parenting rooms, and even a ‘bike doctor’ to encourage as many colleagues as possible to travel into work by sustainable transport.
Nick Lane, managing director for consumer customer services at BT, said: “The refurbishment of our Doncaster Contact Centre has been progressing well, with the first phase now complete.
“Throughout the refurbishment, some of our colleagues have chosen to remain on site while others have worked from home. Everyone has done a fantastic job ensuring our customers have been able to stay connected with family and friends during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are fully committed to Doncaster and the wider Yorkshire region and we cannot wait for our colleagues based there to be among the first in the UK to benefit from one of our new future fit workplaces.
“Although it’s the same building, the capacity will be significantly increased thanks to this refurbishment. We plan to recruit further roles next year, providing new job opportunities in Doncaster.”
BT’s Doncaster contact centre first opened in 1997 and the company says the refurbishment will safeguard its long-term future.
Damian Allen, CEO Doncaster Council, said: “I’m delighted to see the progress that has been made on the refurbishment of BT’s Doncaster Contact Centre and it is undoubtedly a great vote of confidence that the company is planning to increase the number of staff they have based here.
“The centre makes a vital contribution to our local economy and community in Doncaster and I look forward to seeing the new centre when it is completed next year.”
Under the five year ‘Better Workplace Programme’, first announced in 2018, BT will consolidate its UK footprint of more than 300 locations to around 30. The company has already announced several other locations including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. It will also move from its current headquarters in London at St Paul’s to a new 320,000 square foot, 18-storey building near Aldgate East Station called One Braham next year.
Liz Needleman, BT Group regional lead for the North of England, said: “Doncaster is an important town for BT and a strategically important site for us in the region.
“When it comes to doing the best thing for our customers and colleagues, the buildings we work in play a huge part in how we feel about being here. We are bringing our people together in a brilliant space that will transform the way we work.
“This is a bold and ambitious programme for BT and we are committed to this major investment for Doncaster even in these challenging times.”
Teams based at the Doncaster Contact Centre will benefit from full fibre broadband as well as EE 5G mobile connectivity in the area. BT’s ambition is to increase efficiency and productivity, improving its ability to do the best for its customers. The Better Workplace Programme will deliver a combination of moves like this, into new offices, as well as the refurbishment of some existing BT buildings
BT Group plays an important role in the Yorkshire and The Humber economy and is responsible for generating £1 in every £190 produced in the region, according to an independent report. It also generated more than £1.2 billion to the Yorkshire and The Humber economy in “Gross Value Added” GVA, during the 2017/18 financial year. BT Group employs more than 6,400 people across the region.
Source: https://newsroom.bt.com/bts-refurbished-doncaster-office-due-to-open-in-spring/