The Manchester office of national law firm, Shoosmiths has been recognised as one of the best workplaces in the North of England at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) regional property sector awards
Shoosmiths' Manchester office at the XYZ building, in Spinningfields, was named winner of the Best Fit Out of a Workplace for its agile working environment. Judges praised Shoosmiths for the variety, quality and flexibility the company offers its employees.
The prestigious BCO awards recognise the highest quality developments and set the standard for excellence in the regional and national office sector.
Shoosmiths transferred its 225-strong team to Allied London's XYZ building in 2017, following consultation with employees and with the help and expertise of Warrington-based interior design and fit-out business Claremont.
The workspaces include a working garden, a library, a 'factory' room, a multi-zonal project room, singular and group booths and telecon rooms and encourages the use of such areas in addition to the traditional desk. The building, which incorporates eleven different work settings within its fit-out, was described by the judges as providing a seamless working environment that allows people to choose a workspace best suited to the task they are carrying out, enhancing collaboration and creativity.
Shoosmiths has also invested in a purpose-designed IT system with 'turbo wifi' which allows employees to roam the building while staying fully connected. Teams use Wi-Fi-only laptops and cloud phones, along with wireless casting that enables them to project from laptops onto large screens throughout the office.
Vaqas Farooq, head of Shoosmiths Manchester, said: "We're incredibly proud to have been recognised for the quality of our office space at XYZ and its positive impact on employee and client experience.
"We're rapidly approaching our first year at XYZ, which has completely transformed how our teams can work together and reap the benefits of an open working environment. We know that agile working holds many benefits for employees in terms of wellbeing, promoting greater interaction and exposure to a variety of colleagues.
"Shoosmiths prides itself on leading the way for the quality of services we offer and our office space has been designed to make us ultra-responsive and collaborative, ensuring that our teams can work together efficiently to get the best results for our clients."
Ann Clarke, joint managing director of Claremont said: "Shoosmiths' new workspace really embodies collaboration and creativity at every turn and challenges the very notion of what you'd expect a legal firm's office to be. This is by far one of the most challenging, rewarding and creative briefs the Claremont team has worked on to date and we are thrilled that our collective efforts have been recognised with such a highly coveted award."