Office Refurbishment Project Feature - South Staffordshire Water

Paramount to the success of this refurbishment was the management of staff relocation because staff remained in occupation throughout this 11 week project. Both Overbury and South Staffordshire Water were keen to minimise any disruption to staff and worked closely together to ensure that this was achieved.
Carrying out a project of this size – a headquarters in Walsall covering 20,000 sq ft – whilst occupied poses many challenges. So what’s the best approach to carrying out a refurbishment in occupation?

In short – define your strategy and communicate, communicate, communicate.

Detailed analysis of space utilisation throughout the building highlighted areas operating under capacity, indicating where staff in areas earmarked for refurbishment could be located in order to begin the process of a phased strategy. Carrying out works such as moving staff furniture to these under capacity areas ensured business continuity and minimal disruption to those affected by the move.

However, a strategy of this nature, regardless of how meticulously it is planned, can fail if staff aren’t engaged in the plans from conception and throughout the works. By inspiring staff and providing them with the vision that management helped in motivating the workforce to share the same enthusiasm for the project and its outcome.

At Overbury, we like to keep things perfect, simple and engaging – why not try creating a video diary of the project, of a gallery of the progress displayed in a break out area. Activities like these will keep everyone informed and working towards a common goal.

This project was carried out by the Overbury Central team, based in Birmingham, who provided a turnkey service including full design and build as well as furniture solutions. Overbury is the leading provider of design and build fit out and refurbishment projects in the Midlands and Northern England. Click here to see photos of the completed project at South Staffordshire Water.

Do you have questions about refurbishing an occupied office? Contact us! Email enquiries@overbury.com or call 0207 307 9000.