Capital Space supports staff during the pandemic

Daily updates from our Managing Director

Peter Boam, the Managing Director at Capital Space, identified right from the start of the pandemic that daily contact and transparency with staff was going to be crucial to easing their anxieties during this period. Nicky Gibbs, the Business Support Coordinator at Capital Space Business Centre Croydon explained how Peter’s openness with his staff members helped her remain positive despite many lows: “It’s been helpful getting the daily updates to know our business has not been affected too badly, so that has been a huge relief”. Nicky also added that she was proud of how Capital Space had acted as a company during the pandemic: “I feel we really do care about our customers and it is not just a job and that is what makes Capital Space ‘special’ and different to many others”.

Business Support Coordinator at Waterhouse Business Centre, Mandy Armstrong, shared a similar story: “It was a sad day the day we were told we could not work from the centre any longer! I was extremely anxious as to whether I would even have a job to come back to. Thankfully, Sharon and Peter kept us informed on a daily basis.”

Promoting job security

We identified that many of our staff were nervous about whether they would have jobs after the pandemic. This was how Sharon Dodson, the Centre Manager at Waterhouse Business Centre in Chelmsford, felt : “I didn’t know how we at Capital Space would cope – were our jobs safe? Would centres have to close?” From the offset, Capital Space has set out to ensure that our staff have jobs to come back to; we are proud that we have maintained our 90% occupancy during the pandemic, which has helped us to retain posts. Centre Manager at Milton Keynes Business Centre, Matt Roberts, described the reasons for this ambitious target: ‘Firstly, because I have huge confidence in our site, the service we offer and I truly believe that nobody does this better than us. Secondly, because when you stop moving forwards, you move backwards, and this is something I refuse to do.” True to his word, Matt’s hard work has paid off and he has maintained full occupancy in the Milton Keynes Business Centre during the pandemic, an achievement to be truly proud of!

Other divisions within our centres have also seen an increased workload, keeping them occupied during the crisis. This was the case for Mark Halsey, a facilities handyperson in our Croydon Business Centre: “I have been here in Croydon every workday since lockdown started. These unprecedented times have meant extra work involving COVID-19 implementations, which has added to the workload.”

Our determination to maintain our occupancy rates combined with our proactive response to make our business centres Covid-19 secure has contributed to the job security of our employees. Tina Edwin, our Marketing Manager within Central Support, revealed: ‘Lockdown has made me feel proud to be part of a company that has striven to keep businesses and livelihoods afloat’.

Alleviating anxieties about returning to work

It was obvious to us from the start that some employees might be nervous about returning to work as restrictions were lifted. Sue Billings, the former Centre Manager at Churchill Square Business Centre in Kings Hill, described the precautions the team was taking to ensure the safety of both staff and customers: “The management team at Churchill Square has worked tirelessly since the government introduced the measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19. Our reception has always been open, albeit with reduced staff, and our facilities handymen and external contractors continued to maintain the buildings and operating systems to ensure standards and services have been maintained.”

Given all the safety measures we are implementing to ensure the safety of our staff (and customers), they seem very excited to return to work, with many of them missing the social aspect that comes with office life: “I am a very sociable person and have missed seeing people, not quite the same as a chat on the phone”, said Beverly Evans, the Business Support Coordinator at Capital Space Business Centre in Croydon.

We are pleased that our proactive measures to comply with the latest government guidelines on ensuring a COVID-safe workplace will enable our staff to start returning to work. We are also proud of our efforts to support staff during this difficult time and it is extremely rewarding to see we have been of some help to them.