IN July 2022, UK law firm TLT became one of the first occupants of Scotland’s first net zero office building, Cadworks. Located in the heart of Glasgow, Cadworks has been lauded for its impressive sustainability credentials, its focus on employee wellbeing, and its ambitions to support the local community. As a concept office, Cadworks provides the perfect opportunity to help shape TLT’s working environment across the country. As well as supporting TLT’s net zero targets, the move to Cadworks plays a central part in supporting the firm’s fully flexible working approach, ‘TLT World’.
Partner and head of TLT in Scotland John Paul Sheridan, outlines why TLT chose Cadworks as the firm’s new home in Scotland and how the first few months in the new building have been received by the team:
An environment that promotes productivity and employee wellbeing
“Employee wellbeing has been widely discussed since the pandemic. It’s a concept that has quickly risen up the corporate agenda in the last couple of years – a trend which the legal industry has not been exempt from. Wellbeing initiatives, sustainability programmes, and corporate social responsibility projects offered by law firms are increasingly being scrutinised by existing and potential clients, as well as young professionals looking for their first jobs in the legal industry. It has become vital that law firms get these initiatives right.
Creating a working environment that supports our people to develop and excel at work is rooted within TLT’s strategic vision for 2025. Our move to Cadworks represents an important step towards achieving our commitment to providing the best working space possible for our people that supports flexible working and enables a culture that is inclusive of different working styles.
Thanks to the building’s design, technology and facilities, Cadworks provides the perfect space to help support the firm in achieving these commitments. Our office space was designed from scratch following consultation with our people. We have invested in technology upgrades including next generation technology-led hybrid meetings to support home-to-office interactions, making it easier for employees to connect seamlessly with colleagues regionally, nationally and internationally.
We have already found that there’s been a significant uptake in our people wanting to come into the office given all it has to offer. In the last two months, we have averaged at 60-70% occupancy in our office, up from 30-35% pre-pandemic. In line with our ‘TLT World’ ethos of flexibility, we want people to make an informed choice about where, when and how they work – so it’s encouraging to see people voting with their feet and coming in to the space to work because they want to.
Sustainability
Organisations are focusing on sustainability more than ever before. Companies everywhere are increasingly considering how they can meet their business needs without compromising on economic, environmental and social welfare. This trend is intrinsically linked to the increase in businesses occupying ‘green buildings’, which will play a central part in achieving sustainability targets whilst also prioritising employee mental health and wellbeing. Sustainability has completely changed the way in which we think about our offices and how we use them. It’s important employers take onboard this change and look at ways in which they can provide a more sustainable office environment for employees.
Sustainability is one of our core values at TLT. When looking for a new office space in Scotland, it was important to us that we found an environment that mirrors our own strategic vision and our business priorities. Cadworks was recently recognised at the British Council for Offices (BCO) Regional Awards for being the most sustainable and innovative building in Scotland. The building’s many environmentally-friendly facilities – such as easy bike access ramps and electrical car charging points – will help encourage employees to play their part in reducing their carbon footprint. In response to the building only boasting parking spaces for electric vehicles, we’re finding that very few people are driving into the office, with colleagues favouring travelling to work by public transport, or on foot or by bike. This is a welcome change, which will play a very significant part in supporting the firm reduce its overall carbon emissions, whilst also contributing to employee health and wellbeing.
We are extremely proud to be one of the occupiers of Scotland’s first net zero buildings and whilst we’ve only been in the space for a few months, we’ve already received some extremely positive feedback from colleagues. One employee took to social media to comment “I am genuinely blown away by the quality of the workspace. The attention to detail, the tables from recycled suits, the smell (!) and just the feeling you get is second to none.”
