The Hub - Issue 6

THE ISSUE 6

The latest news from our national
business centre network

In this Issue
‹ Occupier Q&A 10:10 Games
‹ Employment contracts and

culture post Covid
‹ The journey to Net Zero
‹ Meet the team: Tony Reynolds
‹ New business centres

announced

TOLAhocvecreoarUst2iKso0ns

To book your space, please contact the local centre or visit
www.pureoffices.co.uk/locations

1 [email protected] 13 [email protected]

2 [email protected] 14 Gloucester 312
[email protected]

3 [email protected] 15 [email protected]

4 [email protected] 16 [email protected]

5 [email protected] 17 [email protected]

6 [email protected] 18 [email protected] 4
65
7 Warrington 18 [email protected] 7
[email protected]
8
8 Nottingham 20 [email protected]
[email protected] 10129 11

9 [email protected] 21 [email protected] 14 13 15 16

10 [email protected] 22 [email protected] 17

11 Warwick 23 [email protected] 20 18 19
[email protected] 21 22

12 [email protected] 23

Net Zero target Sustainable Offices Cycle storage and showers to
All electricity from sustainable support sustainable commutes
sources Solar at many locations with EV chargers due at all
more to follow locations by the end of 2022
Low energy lighting at all
locations Meeting Rooms

Serviced Offices Virtual Offices

WTHeElcHomUBe to

A warm welcome to the latest edition of The Hub, the lifestyle magazine for occupiers and
guests at our Pure Offices business centres around the UK.

I would like to extend a particular welcome to the occupiers at our newest Pure Offices locations, Birmingham (on the
Longbridge Technology Park) and Glasgow (on Hillington Park). We’re delighted to announce this expansion across
two key regions. Birmingham will join our established centres at Oldbury, Warwick and Leamington Spa serving the
increasingly popular West Midlands market and Glasgow will be our third centre in Scotland. Both locations are already
proving to be incredibly popular with a number of occupiers already in situ and more hoping to confirm their office space
in the weeks ahead. If you’d like to know more about either centre, you’ll find further details in this issue.

Also in this edition of The Hub we’ve got our usual selection of features for you. We always like to hear
about occupier’s businesses and the article on 10:10 Games, based at Pure Offices at Warrington, is no
exception. They started during the pandemic and are already growing rapidly, they’re a brilliant example
of the entrepreneurial spirit here in the UK and also how being located in a Pure Offices business centre
can support their growth.

Also in this issue, HR Consultant, Dianne Lambdin, gives us her views on the changes in employment
contracts in a post Covid world as well as some advice on how you can handle requests for ongoing
flexible working. And finally, some of you will already have taken part in the first of our Green Days which
are being held at all UK locations this spring. I am really pleased to report positive progress towards
our Net Zero commitment by 2035. You’ll find an update on the latest initiatives in here but the
Green Days provide a great opportunity for you to get involved and do your bit too, as well as
understanding what Net Zero looks like at your centre.

I hope you enjoy The Hub and please do not hesitate to drop us a note if you’d like to
feature in the next issue.

Nick Turner
Managing Director – Pure Offices

Refer a friend

Refer a friend and receive £100
if they take an office with us. Email
[email protected]
for further information.

*T’s & C’s apply

Net Zero
Update

Our journey
to Net Zero
At Pure Offices, we’ve embarked on a Net Zero journey to become carbon
neutral, with a view to being ahead of the game by achieving this well before 1
the UK target of 2050. We have already taken a number of steps to reduce our
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and we’re raring to do more. In an effort to
drive down our emissions even further, we are looking to expand our investment
in green energy solutions, such as solar panels, implementing them on most of
the remaining properties in the portfolio. Below are more details on some of the
initiatives we have implemented to date with a plan to do much more over the
coming months.

100% LED Lighting

Nearly all of our centres have LED lighting with the recent acquisitions at Birmingham
and Glasgow due to be upgraded in Summer 2022. LED lighting emits high quality light
and it’s one of the most energy-efficient technologies available. LEDs are designed
to last up to 20 times longer than traditional light bulbs, such as incandescent and
halogen bulbs. That’s because they’re up to 80% more energy efficient. To put it into
context, fluorescent lights, which are often used in offices, convert 95% of the energy
they create into heat. (Just 5% produces light.) LED lights do the opposite, converting
95% of energy into light and 5% into heat. In other words, LEDs require less power than
traditional forms of lighting. The fluorescent tube lighting used in offices also contains
toxic chemicals and elements, like mercury. When the disused lights are disposed of,
their toxins can contaminate the environment.

LED lights don’t contain any toxic materials, making them less harmful to the
environment and easier to dispose of.

100% Renewable Energy 2

For most commercial properties like office
buildings, electricity accounts for at least
half of the carbon emissions generated.

We’re proud to say we’re REGO guaranteed,
with all our energy coming from renewable
sources.

REGO stands for Renewable Energy
Guarantees of Origin, the scheme is designed
to provide transparency to customers about
how much electricity comes from renewable
sources.

Solar Panels 3

Many of our centres already have solar panels and almost all will
throughout 2022. Solar energy is incredibly environmentally friendly
as it doesn’t release any greenhouse gases. It captures the sun’s
energy and turns it into electricity to power buildings. When sunlight
hits a solar panel, PV cells inside the panel absorb it. Electrical
charges are created and these react to an electrical field inside the
cell that makes electricity flow. Since we commissioned our
existing solar panels in 2014, we’ve already significantly reduced our
carbon footprint.

Our Success so far…

Since we commissioned our existing solar panels in 2014, we’ve
already significantly reduced our carbon footprint & generated
an incredible 5,817,022 KWH of energy! This amount of energy is
equivalent to:

„ Boiling 53,367,174 kettles
„ Planting 12,687 trees
„ Powering 1,519 UK households for a year

Which equals 2,322 tons of Carbon saved!

Next Steps

We can’t wait to share the next steps of
our journey with you, and look forward to
supporting all our occupiers, partners, and
suppliers to become Net Zero businesses!

tMheeeTteam

Meet The Team – Tony Reynolds
Maintenance Operative at Pure Offices

In this edition, we’re shining the employee spotlight on Tony Reynolds, Pure Offices’
Multi-site Maintenance Operative.

Pure Offices: What does a typical work day look They’re used to seeing me around now and will come
like for you? out of their way and chat to me. It really is like one big
It goes from one end of the spectrum to the other! I do happy family and I thoroughly enjoy my time here.
a variety of things, from painting and refurbishing the
centres to the six-monthly fire door inspections. Pure Pure Offices: How do you try to ensure you’re
Offices sent me on a course which I passed, so now I working in a sustainable way?
check most of the sites in the south. I recycle and upcycle things as much as possible. If
an occupier is getting rid of furniture at the end of their
I also move furniture, patch holes in walls, recarpeting contract, we’ll offer it around to other occupiers first to
offices and replacing taps in the kitchenettes. I see if they can make use of it. If not, we’ll contact the
sometimes come across a task that I haven’t done scrap store and they’ll upcycle it at their end.
before, and teach myself as I go along.
Pure Offices: Have you got a favourite Pure Offices
Pure Offices: Are you in charge of getting the centre?
offices ready for new occupiers? They’re all different! I’ll always have a soft spot for
When a company moves out of an office, it’s up to me Swindon because it’s where I’m based and where I cut
to get the room back to how it was when they moved my teeth. If it wasn’t for me working there in the early
in. If the office is empty for a few weeks I will help the days, I wouldn’t have been offered a job.
team set up a show office to help demonstrate how the
space could be used. Pure Offices: Is there anything you like to do
outside of work to unwind?
Pure Offices: Have you always worked in the I started walking about seven months ago and try
serviced office sector? to get out as much as I can. My wife and I like to go
I left school early and went to work for my family’s away for long weekends – in fact, we recently got
cleaning business. I was there for about 30 years and back from a trip to the Norfolk Broads. We’ll go down
Pure Offices was one of our customers. My parents to Bournemouth and walk along the beach, or Weston
decided to sell the company but I continued working whenever the weather’s good.
for it, and eventually it closed down.
Pure Offices: What are some other interesting facts
The centre manager at Swindon at the time, said: about you?
“What am I going to do? I’ll have no handyman!” I I’m a member of the British Institution of Cleaning
told her I’d be willing to start my own business and Sciences (MBICs). I also trained as an industrial
carry on working for Pure Offices, and that’s how I abseiler. Abseiling was part of my previous job.
became self-employed. I was working for some other We used to do pest control, window cleaning, bird
companies as well, but my heart was with Pure. I proofing, lightning conductor installations, netting on
became an employee in December 2019. the side of motorways – and a lot of high level cleaning
and maintenance!
Pure Offices: What’s Pure Offices like as an
employer?
Since joining, I’ve never looked back. They’ve always
treated me fairly. I also get on well with the occupiers.



New
offices

New Pure Offices

We’re excited to announce the acquisition of two new Pure Offices Business Centres
in Birmingham and Glasgow, bringing the total to 23 across the UK. The new centres are
strategically placed with great transport links to major motorways, railways and airports.
So, whether you’re looking for additional space in Birmingham or Glasgow, you’re an
existing Pure Offices client looking to branch out with a conveniently located satellite
office or you just need some meeting space, contact the Centre Managers today for more
information or to book a viewing.

Longbridge Innovation
Centre in Birmingham

The centre adds to three existing and successful centres in
the West Midlands – Oldbury, Warwick & Leamington Spa
„ 30,000 sq.ft of space
„ Over 75 offices
„ Easy access to M5 & M42
„ Excellent public transport

Such is the draw of this location, the building is already over
90% let and home to more than 60 businesses, from start-ups
through to global corporates.
Call 0121 222 5555 or email [email protected]

Hillington Park,
Glasgow

Pure Offices Hillington Park, Glasgow is our
third centre in Scotland and our first
in Glasgow.

„ Over 20,000sq.ft and over 20 customers
„ Easy access to the M8
„ Excellent public transport
„ Close to Glasgow airport

Call 0141 585 6300 or email
[email protected]

Employment
Contracts and
Culture Post
Covid

The Great
Covid Shift

What was expected to be a short term relocation home during the pandemic is
increasingly looking like it’s created a shift in how and where we work.

Initially, from an HR perspective, the response was limited to What are some of the implications of having staff working
that of compliance with national legislation. But now that the from home, where they used to be in the office?
majority of covid related regulations have been removed, HR Working remotely and dealing with the personal impact of
teams are finding themselves having to consider the longer Covid has been difficult, to varying degrees, for employees
term implications. Whilst Flexible working was a ‘thing’ before and their managers. Anecdotal evidence in some businesses
covid, conflicting business intentions, personal wishes and suggest there has been a separation of performance and
a sharper focus on employee wellbeing are creating some accountability with some managers lacking the skills or
challenges in formalising policy. motivation to manage their remote teams, especially where
poor performance has needed to be addressed. Relationships
Dianne Lambdin, an HR consultant with 30 years’ experience and communication between teams and colleagues have
of managing and advising organisations, including the NHS, also suffered in some instances. On the positive side, many
on their HR policy, talks us through what’s changed in terms of businesses have introduced new (or upskilled on existing)
employment contracts and culture as a result of covid. social intranet tools, group messaging and chat tools, task

management, CRMs and other communication solutions that Consideration needs to be given as to whether the Company
enable them to keep in touch and keep on top of their work and and employees can meet any policy requirements long term,
customer needs. such as health and safety or data security procedures, and if
the employee has a suitable space in which to work at home.
It should be remembered that remote management is not new Also, whether the necessary equipment or technology is
to all businesses, some were working successfully across available to work in a continuously hybrid or fully remote way
multiple sites both in the UK and abroad pre-Covid. The after the pandemic.
key is good management training and staff involvement –
encouraging engagement and accountability. Employers have Was Covid just the catalyst for change that was coming
health and safety responsibilities to all employees, irrespective anyway?
of where they are located. These responsibilities should not Who knows? Perhaps not to the scale and reach that we
be under-estimated and, on the face of it, can appear more witnessed in such a short period. Ask me again in five-to-
onerous than health and safety in the office. Homeworkers ten years and let’s see whether the changes were indeed
are entitled to the same level of support from the Company as permanent.
those based in the office.
Given the meta environment caused by covid, what
Hybrid work can support health and wellbeing, helping grounds does either side have (employer/employee) around
employees to manage their caring responsibilities, reduce long calling people back to the office from a flexible working
and stressful commutes and have more time for activities that culture?
enhance their lives. Individuals who work flexibly can have Hybrid working and other employment practices do not sit in
more control over their working lives, which in turn supports isolation, therefore, businesses need to review their corporate
their personal wellbeing can enhance their home life. Strategies strategy and how/where hybrid/remote working fits in. Ideally,
need to be employed to ensure hybrid work supports health, businesses will consult their employees on any changes and,
safety and wellbeing rather than detracts from it. hopefully, come to an agreement that suits all concerned.
Remember that hybrid working is just one form of flexible
What advice would you give to a client coming to you now working.
thinking of changing their contracts of employment to
‘enshrine’ flexible working? If the decision is for employees to return to working in the
Businesses have had to adapt multiple times over the last two office, then the business is entitled to instigate its new policy.
years, with few anticipating such a long-term effect on working However, employees who would like to continue hybrid/
arrangements. Many introduced hybrid working policies in remote working may make a statutory flexible working request
2021 as the first lockdown was eased, but with further Covid (provided they have 26 weeks continuous service); or request
restrictions coming after that date, and employees becoming reasonable adjustments to their working arrangements if they
used to their temporary working arrangements; they are now have a disability.
having to consider formalising hybrid or fully remote working
procedures which were intended to be of a temporary nature. Depending on the approach taken to full implementation,
My advice to those fomalising their policy would be: managers may be required to manage requests for hybrid
working (as with other flexible working requests). They should
1. Confirm arrangements through your flexible working be trained and supported in doing so, with clear guidance on
procedures and employment contracts that reflect relevant employment law.
employees’ working arrangements
How should employers manage the cultural shift?
2. Ensure you have robust health and safety risk assessments It is now generally accepted, both in business and in people’s
for people working at home either full or part-time. personal lives, that we need to think about how we live and
work with Covid. For some this means getting back to normal,
3. Provide training to managers on how to manage hybrid for others it is about finding a new way of working that meets
teams effectively and support employees. Managers the needs of the Company and its employees.
need to be skilled in performance management, remote
communication, collaboration and relationship building. The business strategy and objectives are imperative; and
employment policies and procedures should be designed
4. Review HR processes and procedures across the whole to support them, albeit ensuring legal compliance and
employment lifecycle to ensure they support hybrid incorporating good employment practices where possible.
working in practice, whilst also enabling inclusion and Hybrid and other types of flexible working should be reviewed
wellbeing. in the context of the wider business strategy and objectives.

5. Undertake ongoing review and feedback with employees Without a doubt, businesses, and by that I mean the top
and managers to understand whether hybrid working is team, need to involve everyone in the discussion and then
delivering the anticipated benefits to employees and the communicate the vision of how they plan to move forward and,
Company. importantly, the reasons why to ensure employees understand
and are on-board with the Company’s strategy.
Are companies changing their employment contracts to
reflect the wish for more people to work from home?
If so, how?
It’s not just about changing a contract but ensuring that all
terms and conditions that are impacted by homeworking are
updated. If hybrid working, fully remote, or other forms of
flexible working are to continue on a permanent basis, this will
need to be formalised in employment contracts.

Q&AOccupier
The UK games industry is enjoying a boom and so we were excited when 10:10 Games chose
Pure Offices in Warrington for their base. We caught up with Paul Flanagan, Studio Director at
10:10 Games to learn more about the business and their plans.

Tell us a bit about the business. You’re a relatively new Universities and Colleges to bring in fresh new talent within our
start up aren’t you? junior team that we are really excited about.
Yep, we started the business on 1st July 2021 however there’s
lots of experience in the team, and many have already worked The business was started in 2021 by industry veterans
together for quite a few years previously. wasn’t it? That’s a bold move given what was taking place
(pandemic). How was it as a process?
What’s the UK like as a games developer? Is there a strong Yes, the core leadership team have between 15 and 30 years
talent pool for games developers? industry experience. Thankfully, we were on the way out of the
The UK is a great place for games development, and it’s pandemic by the time we started up however we still had to
fantastic that the Northwest is getting back to where it was a take precautions and make sure we observed the rules. I think
few years ago. Lots of small and large companies forming a by the time we got into a studio people couldn’t wait to get
great talent pool and there’s also now a large number of game back together and start collaborating again! Also, I think during
related University courses all over the UK, which is fantastic lockdown a lot of people played games, so it’s an industry that
as it produces a wide range of aspiring developers for Junior boomed rather than suffered.
roles. It shows how the industry is expanding and proves it’s
being positively recognised across the country? Your USP, apart from the games you produce, is the
business culture – why put that at the heart of it all and
Looks like you’ve experienced rapid growth in employee what defines the 10:10 culture?
numbers, how have you found recruiting in the last year? Right now, we’re creating that culture and will continue to work
We have a lot of experience in the industry, so we already had on it. The industry has seen quite a lot of change over the last
a good idea of the calibre we wanted to recruit in order to form 10 years and also in respect to flexible working throughout
our core team and then we advertised externally to find a group the pandemic. It’s been great to start a new studio and be
of really talented people to add to our growing team. We have able to put those changes, such as no core hours and hybrid
also been involved with lots of outreach opportunities with local working at the forefront of our culture in order to try and create
a fantastic working environment.

What can we expect to see from 10:10 in the next 10 years? Quickfire round
Hopefully a new franchise of games people love playing.
So why did you choose Pure Offices? Best game ever produced (in your opinion)
Red Dead Redemption 1 or 2
We looked at a few offices but as soon as we walked into Pure
Warrington, we knew this was where we wanted to set up our You can only have one vintage console, which?
company. It had just been renovated and everything was so Commodore 64, Gameboy, N64, Sega Mega Drive,
clean and new and the view over the lake was fantastic. Sophie PS1
(the building manager) was so welcoming and allowed us use Commodore 64. I loved it!
of the common area ahead of us moving in. Pure overall have
really supported us on our journey with 10:10 and we love being Favourite genre of game?
here. Pure also have their own social activities (Halloween, I like a mix to be fair, so I can’t really say a genre.
Christmas, Valentines etc) which adds to the culture of the
studio itself. Sonic or Mario?
Mario.
Tell us about the space and how you use it?
Luckily for us, Pure had plans to renovate the top floor around Minecraft or Fortnite?
9 months after we initially took up residence. One of the big LEGO Games
attractions of starting up here was the possibility to move
into a larger space once we got past the initial setting up of You’re stuck in a game forever – which game?
the company and hiring of the core team. This worked out Red Dead Redemption
fantastically well and we were able to have a big say in how the
space we moved into was created and to tailor it to our needs. Best family game?
Mario Kart
You started up during the pandemic so you’ve probably not
seen the cultural shift in office/home working as 10:10, but Blind date: Jill Valentine or Lara Croft?
as individuals you’ll be aware of it. How has that impacted Lara Croft
your choice of offices and recruitment process?
At previous employment, a number of us had already been Most badass baddie of all time?
working from home for some time so we had already worked out Trevor Philips from GTA5 or John Marston from Red
best practices and new ways of communicating so when the Dead Redemption.
time came to go back into an office environment, and with the
benefit of being able to ‘start again’, we were able to take those You can have any vehicle from any game, which?
learnings and combine them with the cultural shift to a more Light Cycle from TRON
flexible working environment to create a great work/life balance
and office atmosphere. To be honest, I think we were all ready Game you just can’t stop playing?
to get back together and start seeing people in the flesh again! GTA5/Red Dead Redemption

Worst game of all time?
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Such a disappointment.

Premier Manager – Your best result with the worst
team
Stockport County to the Premier League

Best console of all time?
PlayStation 2

What was your first console?
PlayStation (although I first owned a ZX81!)

Size of your gaming screen at home in inches?
75”

Have you got any plans to expand?
We just have! We originally took out 4 office spaces, opening
them all up to create an open plan space totalling around
2200 square feet and we love it here so much, we’ve just
moved upstairs to another newly refurbished open plan area
of around 5000 square feet – pretty much half the top floor!
Pure did an amazing job creating the perfect space for us and
were looking forward to being here for quite some time.

Pure
News

Pure Offices Supports Memorial
Garden Dedicated To The Warrior
Six In Warrington

Marshall Gardens, a once disused piece of land in Warrington, memorial is the result of years of hard work led by Daniel’s
is now home to a living memorial garden for six British soldiers mum, Lisa Billing.
who died while serving in Afghanistan.
“It marks Daniel’s 10 year anniversary since he died in
10 years ago on 6 March 2012, a roadside bomb exploded Afghanistan, we’ve had a couple of stalls along the way,
under the vehicle that carried Daniel Wade from Warrington, especially with Covid – it should have been opened for his 30th
Nigel Coupe from St Anne’s and four of their colleagues. birthday but we changed it to his 10th anniversary so it’s very
special,” she said.
Pure Offices, was among those who attended the memorial’s
opening ceremony to remember the soldiers and plant trees in The memorial garden also includes six benches, which Pure
their memory. Offices was honoured to provide funding for. One of the
benches carries Daniel’s name, giving his family and the
New trees have been planted to regenerate the park, while six people of Warrington a quiet and peaceful place to reflect and
already-growing trees stand in remembrance to each of The remember.
Warrior Six who lost their lives.

Situated by the River Mersey, Marshall Gardens sits opposite
the Cenotaph monument in the centre of Warrington. The

Marshall Gardens is open to the public seven days a week. The
address is New Media Centre, Old Road, Warrington WA4 1AT
and is a short walk from our Warrington centre.

Centre Manager Kate Stenger
raises £2,960 for Oxford Hospitals
Charity

Kate Stenger from our Warwick Centre raised sponsorship
totalling a fantastic £1,630 in aide of Oxford Hospitals Charity
by walking 1 mile every hour for 25 hours. The money will help
fund a special room for bereaved parents who have lost their
baby, allowing them to remain with them away from the main
hospital ward to say goodbye.

In addition to everyone’s generosity, Pure Offices matched the
donations as part of its match funding pledge. This, in addition
to gift aid, resulted in a grand total £2,960 for the charity.

Well done Kate and thank you to all who donated to a special
cause.

You can support the Oxford Children’s Hospital by making a
donation today. Tel: 01865 743 444 Email: [email protected]

Green Days at Pure Offices

As you know we’re keen to reduce the impact our JOIN US FOR
centres have on the planet and so we’ve set an
ambitious target for Net Zero by 2030, well before the GREEN
UK’s target of 2050. It’s a huge task but the journey DAY
has begun. We know that to hit our goals, we need the
support of our occupiers and that’s why we are excited Please join us for our next Green Day, where we encourage everyone in the building to do
to be introducing Green Days at all of our UK centres. something for the environment / form a new habit to save the planet!

There will be 2 Green Days per year in each centre, EVERY INITIATIVE/HABIT CHANGE = FREE TREAT
starting this Spring. On these designated days, we’ll
be encouraging our occupiers to make a sustainable Some ideas are:
change that benefits the environment. It could be
walking to work rather than driving, going paperless, Make a sustainable commute Go digital & paperless for the day
turning off the office lights, recycling waste, the list is Change the printer settings Power down equipment at the end of the day
endless.
Organise a litter pick Use natural light where possible
So, here’s how it works. For every sustainable change Start using a refillable mug/bottle Look at your recycling strategy
someone makes, we will give them a treat to say thank
you. If it’s a genius idea, we may well steal it and share
across our social media as a way of encouraging others
to do the

same. Whilst it may be a small change for each
person, with more than 20 business centres across the
UK, home to more than 1,000 businesses we have a
collective power to make a real difference.

Your local centre will have posters and banners up
to remind you so please keep an eye out and start
planning!

WtcooomjoumilndutynhoietuyP?liukree

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