The Brief
The Coronavirus pandemic pushed more of the nation’s workforce into their homes, and into isolation. Telephone and Zoom calls became the new standard for interaction. Today, isolation has now been lifted and workers are being encouraged to return to the office. Some are excited to go back to work, but may be apprehensive about how safe it is. Others may not want to return to work at all, as they are content with this change in lifestyle. Either way, Flutter wanted to cultivate an office culture, and create a workspace, where people feel comfortable, entertained, content, and willing, to return to the office whether on a full-time or hybrid basis.
Opened in August 2021, the Flutter offices are located in Wellington Place, Leeds, and include seven floors of unique open plan desk space, with a recreational space on the top floor boasting an outdoor balcony and a gaming station. Their open plan contemporary office space operates as a hub for a tech and digital company that has grown quickly to become a market leader in the betting and gaming world. Flutter developed this incredible space over a two-year period, in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, which created further considerations for the design and facilities.
The new Flutter offices in Leeds are buzzing with young professionals working hard to thrill, excite, and entertain their customers. As we slowly move further from the dread of the Pandemic, Flutter has begun to use a hybrid approach to their working situation. Team members work from home when they need quiet and concentration, but come into the office when they need to engage with other team members, creating an environment where members of the team can be happier and more effective in the work place.
In addition to creating an attractive, practical workspace to inspire dynamic individuals and teams, the space needs to ensure the workforce feel safe and welcome back to an office environment after a sustained period of home working. To encourage people to come into more, Flutter decided to further enhance this already incredible space, with premier, top of the line refreshment and vending equipment to deliver the best possible goods and services to their employees, whilst maintaining a safe, comfortable environment.
Rob Sweeney
UK Regional Workspace Manager at Flutter Entertainment Plc
“Flutter is fully endorsing hybrid working. We want people to feel safe and secure in their working environment, and we don’t want to take people away from the advantages of working from home. However, if we can create a space where people want to come into work, then we can encourage that effective, valuable, face-to-face engagement that nobody can have on any online chat.”
The Proposal
As well as the seventh floors’ recreational space, the offices contain five main workplace break areas, and a central coffee area. These are the hub of the workspace on each floor providing space for a break from deskwork, a chance to get refreshments and have those all-important informal social interactions with colleagues. After a year of Zoom, this in-person contact is something many employees have missed, and something all office spaces need to provide in order to leverage the advantages of coming into the office compared to home working.
Office Vending Machines
The smart vending equipment is absolutely premium, for example, the sleek modern machines include features such as;
- temperature control
- contactless options creating a low contact environment for Covid safety.
- touchscreen to display information and make purchases
- remote access so Livewell can analyse and monitor the products purchased more effectively and efficiently enabling us to manage and maintain the products and equipment
Vending Products
Automated self-serve vending machines contain a range of popular branded products, as well as a variety of healthier options. These machines provide a high standard of refreshment, with a large selection of modern choices. The Hydration and Snack Stations sit neatly in alcoves and provide quick and easy acres to refreshments with a contactless payment system to suit the accelerated post-covid switch away from cash. The Hydration Station contains a variety of drink options to satisfy anybody’s thirst. The Snack Stations provide a multitude of snack options to satisfy that midday craving.
Coffee Machines
The coffee machines Livewell installed are just as impressive as the vending equipment. The machines Livewell provided Flutter include;
- top end, fresh milk and fresh beans
- milk injection technology to create premium results
- a full menu of coffee shop quality coffees and hot chocolate drinks, including cold frappé options, and Galaxy Hot Chocolate
These clean, easy-to-use machines are perfect for providing a range of coffee choices for young professionals. In addition, the ‘distance selection’ menu selection allows staff to place their cup and make their choice without the need to touch the machine at any point – great for those concerned about touch points.
Aaron Prout
MD, Livewell Vending
“At Livewell, we carefully source the top end machines, and augment them with the latest technologies that enable us to work smarter and more efficiently. Satisfaction is our priority, so we always try to provide the highest quality and widest range of products possible, giving people popular brands to choose from, and healthier options to keep people happy. We even created our own Livewell Medium Roast Coffee so we know we can provide the best hot drinks possible.”
Implementation
All-in-all Livewell provided Flutter with eleven different premium and/or bespoke vending machines, and 6 exceptional top-of-the-line coffee machines. The vending machines contain a range of popular branded products for everybody to enjoy, as well as a variety of healthier options. The machines provided were a combination of the Coffee Station, Snack Station, Hydration Station, and a combination machine on floor seven tailored to the specific needs of that breakout space.
Flutter had specific ideas about what they wanted for their space, and Livewell were happy to deliver. Livewell provided bespoke vending models specifically designed to accommodate the alcove spaces in the building, sourcing slimmer yet equally effective models, proving Livewell’s dedication to their clients, and the lengths they will take to provide a service that excels. These particular machines are embedded within the office space which is convenient, looks great, and is stylistically perfect for Flutter’s sleek new offies.
Outcome
Within these breakout spaces, Livewell Vending have provided a range of food and drink options throughout this space to enrichen the work environment and refresh and sustain the lively, energetic workforce that populate the space. While Flutter continues to develop their hybrid working style, they are bringing people back to work using the contemporary workspace and by providing refreshment services to the staff that work there.
Flutter is at the forefront of developing the post-modern office space and hybridised working style, catapulting from the Coronavirus pandemic. They know that isolation has changed not only how people do their work, but how they think about their work. People are happy with the time and the space that working from home provides them. However, the workspace still has value, providing a space for face-to-face interactions that build the company, as well as build the individuals within it, to meet and develop upon ideas and each other in a way that a Microsoft Teams meeting could never do. For Flutter, this is the new normal. A hybridised working style, supplemented by a premium office space, with top-tier refreshment services to optimise performance and boost morale.
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