The Government Property Agency (GPA) has achieved Leesman+ certification with a score that places its Birmingham office as the best employee workplace experience in the UK’s public sector.
Leesman+ is a globally recognised certification that is awarded to top-tier workplaces following rigorous surveying, analysis and testing. It provides a precedent to organisations across the world for employee-focused workplace experiences. Leesman+ certified buildings create an elevated benchmark, and provide valuable insights into the quality of features, services and infrastructure that matter the most to the people who use the building.
Both building-based civil servants, and those who visit more flexibly from other offices, were independently surveyed using Leesman standardised questions. The results were analysed and weighted against the number of responses to ensure data confidence. This allowed an assessment to ensure the building met strict Leesman+ criteria. The outcome provided the Hub with an impressive score of 76 (out of 100). This places it in the top spot in the UK’s public sector for workplace experience – and the second public sector building globally in history to achieve this.
Leesman has surveyed more than 7,300 buildings to date for Leesman+ certification, with over 1 million employee survey responses from 109 countries. Only 202 buildings have successfully achieved the certification, placing the GPA’s Birmingham building on Stephenson Street in the top 2% of global workplaces.
Dominic Brankin, Workplace Services Director at the GPA, said: “The GPA is incredibly proud to learn we are providing a truly top-rated workplace experience for civil servants. We are all navigating our way through new ways of working that have evolved at alarming speeds. But we always work hard to maintain focus on our clients and customers to ensure we create great places to work. Our Leesman+ certification is proof we are delivering on what we promise.”
Tim Oldman, Founder and CEO of Leesman, said: “Stephenson Street’s fantastic Leesman Index workplace experience rating score is testament to the GPA’s tireless effort to put public sector employees at the heart of their workplace design strategy. And shows that functionally outstanding, contemporary workplaces are certainly not the preserve of the private sector, demonstrating that user-centric, evidence-based approaches deliver an outstanding return on investment.”
The GPA’s Birmingham Hub, was refurbished from disused retail space to create modern, digitally-connected and inclusive workspaces to support 1,700 people from across 20 government bodies. It welcomed its first occupants through a phased induction from July 2021, and was officially opened in July 2022. And is saving more than £2 million per year through estate rationalisation.
Media enquiries: contact the Communications Team at the GPA on comms@gpa.gov.uk
Find out more about the Government Property Agency here
