Swings, a Segway track and a sports bar – just three of the more unusual facilities provided for employees at the stunning new West Midlands office of business advisory and accountancy firm PKF Cooper Parry.
The company unveiled its state of the art HQ at Blythe Valley Park when it welcomed property experts and agents through its doors at an event hosted by the British Council for Offices (BCO).
The accountancy firm welcomed guests to a tour of its Solihull offices which boast eye-catching features including a Segway and cycling track, a sports bar and individually themed meeting rooms. Swings, an open plan meeting space and subsidised cafe are just some of the other features available to its workforce.
It was designed to break the mould and go against the traditional design and lay out of an accountancy firm office, as well as promoting well-being, agile working and boosting productivity through the enjoyment of being at the workplace.
Around 40 guests attended the event, organised by the BCO NextGen Midlands and East Anglia committee.
NextGen committee member Theo Holmes, of CRBE, said: “It is an office which is breaking the mould in the accountancy world. With the many breathtaking spaces, colours and designs it is an amazing workspace, welcoming for multi-generation workers and at the cutting edge of office design, and modern ways of thinking and operating, such as agile working.”
IM Properties acquired the 260-acre park for around £125 million, and its development director Lewis Payne gave a presentation on the Blythe Valley Masterplan and what the future holds for the park.
Sarah Layzell, senior HR business partner at PKF Cooper Parry, discussed why Blythe Valley Park was the firm’s preferred choice and the positive impact the new office has had on employee engagement and well-being. Claire Ratcliffe, head of design at Paragon Interiors, gave a talk on the design brief and the benefits it provides.
Sarah said: “The average person spends a large proportion of their life at work, most within an office environment, eight hours a day, five days a week. If the office is drab and dreary and generally not a nice place to be it will have a detrimental affect on their work, health and overall wellbeing.
“As an employer we want our people to not only enjoy coming to work, but to be healthy and happy outside the office too. After all, a happy workforce is a productive workforce.”