Trustpower

Project overview

In 2011, Trustpower said to their organisation, “Hey, we’ve been really successful for the last 20 years – what are we going to be for the next 20?” Through that introspection and reflection, they created a new vision, strategies, their ‘DNA’ and a story about what Trustpower was going to be in 2031. Their new workplace strategy was co-created through a process run with activity based working experts Veldhoen + Company and called: 'Synergy New Ways of Working'.

Karen Boyte, Trustpower’s Project Synergy Executive, explains that they came up with their aspirations for the organisation’s new three-storey Tauranga headquarters based upon their new workplace strategy. “The building is about connection and collaboration, energising and fun. And these aims are also parts of our leadership charter as well,” she says.

Solution

In their new building, designed by architects Warren & Mahoney, Trustpower’s 500+ staff are able to interact better and can easily catch up with their team members. They can even encounter the ‘free-ranging’ CEO, who doesn’t have a fixed desk or assigned office, to share thoughts and ideas. Non-assigned seating allows employees to choose the most suitable workspace without having to worry about a noisy neighbourhood, paper dependency or unavailable meeting rooms. A change initiative called ‘Paper Intelligence’ saw thousands of documents digitised and many processes converted to a digital platform. This initiative allowed staff greater freedom to roam and collaborate on projects, and it reduced the need for so much storage.

Vidak supplied the majority of soft fit-out furniture for this project including workstations, meeting tables, task and meeting chairs, lockers, meeting pods, mobile whiteboards, individual and collaborative seating, and workstation screening and accessories. Trustpower chose 100% electric sit-to-stand workstations with integrated software to support the health and wellbeing of its employees in the workplace.

Trustpower’s very rapid growth meant they had to take on an extra floor. To make this more of a challenge, it had to be delivered prior to the three floors already programmed. This called for a very quick planning session with the Vidak team to lock down the furniture design. It also demanded a major re-shuffle of programme timing and resource planning. Karen was blown away with the result. “It was just absolutely amazing. That sort of thing you just can’t find every day.”