FMJ.CO.UK M&G WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS CASE STUDY
JULY 2022 25
solutions for the management of workplaces,
energy and BMS. They came up with the M&G
MyWorkplace app, aimed at employees, visitors
and contractors, that o ers a range of features
to help streamline the workplace experience;
whether booking desks, lockers, showers or
parking spaces, familiarising yourself with the
layout of a particular M&G building or raising a
request to the onsite facilities team.
The range of features on the app, explains
M&G Business Support Manager Jonathan
Gingell, has been a boon to his team, whose aim
is “to give people the best experience from the
moment they enter the door”.
In order to test its veracity, a pilot was
conducted in the M&G o ices in Edinburgh with
a small number of users, which says Gingell:
“People were very receptive to and we were
surprised by how easy people found it to use. It
is very much a ‘get up and go’ app.
“In September 2021 a wider launch took place.
With people being out for so long they want to
know in advance when they’re coming in so it
gave us a good shop window, so people knew
the exact environment they were coming into
and what COVID measures were in place.”
MAKING CHANGES
Alongside the virtual solution, during
the pandemic, M&G monitored global
work patterns and carried out remote
viability assessments amongst all the
managers within the business to help
determine how they and their teams
wanted to work going forward.
Says O’Reilly: “With that
information we looked at the
workplaces we were providing and the
mix of collaboration and focused space
and in some buildings, made alterations
based on demand. The London HQ for
example has gone through quite a lot of change
to adjust to how the di erent teams want to
work. For example, you’ve got investment
teams and you’ve got tech teams for whom
collaboration means very di erent things, so
we need to create environments that deal with
both.”
“The lockdown gave us a chance to reset,”
adds Gingell. “During that period o we were
able to design in more collaborative areas
within di erent buildings and lay it out nice and
clearly within the app. This made it easier to get
people to come back into the building and buy
into it, which helped them adapt to how they
were going to use the space again.”
The app has also been invaluable in helping
to support hybrid working patterns, for instance
linking to sensors which show how di erent
areas of the buildings are being used which can
inform the services team on how frequently
washrooms are cleaned.
Says O’Reilly: “One of the issues people find is
that they come to the o ice and the people they
want to meet aren’t there, so the app enables
them to coordinate that so they can come in
at the same time, sit in the same place and
see who else is there and meet up. In this
way they stay connected and make the best
use of being in the workplace.”
The app is also designed to make
the transition from the home
space to the work space
as easy as possible,
says Gingell. “We’re
competing with
an o ice space
where you wake
up and head
to your own
kitchen so our
space needs to
be as seamless
as it can be, and
the app gives us
the scope to manage
that. For instance, the
app knows how many times
people are using the kitchenette and
for us, being able to look at the data and see
we’re sending someone out every fortieth
visit to fix the machine, we can determine
to arrange to service it more regularly. The
result is an experience in the o ice where
there is always co ee, the washrooms are
spotless, and you’re not having to take any
side steps in your daily journey to do your
job, so it just feels e ortless.”
Another huge advantage for users is that in
such a large o ice as the M&G HQ in central
London, the app allows users to find people.
You simply put in their name on the app
and it will show you the floor plan and lead
you to their space. It can also advise users
on what’s going on in the building so they
can plan their visits, whether it’s a Pilates
session, a special menu, or simply who is
planning to be in on certain days so they can
meet up with a range of colleagues.
Says O’Reilly: “Because the app is an
extension of a form of technology we’re all
using every day, people feel comfortable
with it. Our challenge has been to stop being
property people so instead of a lot of words
with the app there is just lots of functionality
you can use quickly and easily. It’s quite a
mindset change for us, for as soon as we
The result is an experience
in the o‡ ce where there is
always co‰ ee, the washrooms are
spotless, and you’re not having to
take any side steps in your daily
journey to do your job, so it just
feels e‰ ortless.”