CHAPTER 10 Case Studies From Around the World TELUS The Real Estate project team, in collaboration with Human Resources Canada and IT, will be focusing their efforts on team members affected by real estate consolidations. A detailed communication plan will be shared at each project kickoff meeting. This plan details all communication TELUS is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, materials and features an internal website, which highlights key pro- with $10.1 billion (Canadian dollars) of annual revenue and 12.4 grams that showcase strategic advantages to delivering value to TELUS million customer connections, including 7.1 million wireless subscrib- team members and Business Units in an holistic manner through cost ers, 3.7 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet efficiencies, productivity improvements and brand awareness. This subscribers and more than 400,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since new way of working will foster social networking, stimulate ideas and 2000 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide encourage collaboration. It supports the company’s corporate social range of communications products and services, including data, Internet responsibility objectives by responding to environmental, community protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. and workplace well-being issues. And it is an innovative response to a workforce that is increasingly more mobile, environmentally conscious At the end of 2010, the company employed approximately 34,800 and concerned with work-life balance. TELUS team members (33,900 FTE) across a wide range of operational “Work Styles” is about enabling mobility and flexibility, allowing team functions domestically and certain functions internationally. members to work when and where they are most effective while achiev- ing their personal work-life balance goals. The Challenge With a clear definition of each work style, the project team assesses team members’ status and the technology currently available to them, to determine the level of changes required to reach the targeted adoption of 30 percent Resident, 40 percent Mobile and 30 percent At Home. An internal self-reporting survey done in 2007 with 20,000 responses showed that 61 percent of team members considered themselves resi- • Resident: Works at an assigned desk in a TELUS location 90 per- dent workers, 33 percent were mobile and 6 percent identified them- cent or more of the workweek selves as working from home. • Mobile: Consistently works in a variety of locations, which may or However an occupancy study done the same year showed that current may not include working from home real estate spaces and assets were underutilized: • At Home: Works from home on an established schedule for 90 • Average 35 percent occupancy everyday percent or more of the workweek • 40 to 50 percent of the seats were not occupied during the course Following discussions between the Leaders and their team members, a of the day, of which 20 to 30 percent were out of the office all day work style selection is made for each team member and recorded in the team member profile. Rules of engagement are also established with the • 10 to 20 percent unassigned and vacant every day entire team. To support the “Work Styles Program,” additional non- The project team found there was a huge discrepancy between the bookable touchdown workstations are provided on each floor to allow “perception” and “reality.” Therefore TELUS had an opportunity to for short-term use. maximize its current assets through change management and real estate Guidelines, protocols, process and support tools are provided on an efficiency. Project locations include Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary, Ed- internal website for team members. An instrumental support tool was monton, Toronto, Montreal, Ville St-Laurent and Quebec City. to incorporate a reservation system that is accessible by team member’s computer and PDA. This allows the mobile and at home worker the ability to reserve their workstation in advance. Additional technologies The Solution are also provided; laptop, PDA, softphone, Live Meeting, instant mes- saging, TelePresence, etc. TELUS developed a “Work Styles Program” to address this challenge. A five-year plan was approved to implement the TELUS “Work Styles Program,” which is designed to consolidate the current portfolio and Impact to Business Strategy maximize the assets in terms of operation and capital investment. This five-year plan is supported with an official corporate policy and In order to attract and retain the best talent in the global telecommuni- incentive program for team members. Eligibility for “Work Styles” cations industry, TELUS has had to adapt to the new reality. TELUS enablement benefits is dependent on leaders entering the “Works Styles Leaders have to learn to manage in the new flexible environment while Program.” These incentives include terms of reimbursement for some maintaining the team spirit that makes TELUS a great place to work, as team member expenses if they adopt a mobile or an at-home work well as successfully achieve the performance and corporate goals the style. The program has set targets of 30 percent resident, 40 percent company sets every year. The “Work Styles Program” puts new ways to mobile and 30 percent at home, and is being implemented on a projects work together, sets expectations, supports new rules of engagement and basis in the major administration buildings across TELUS with lessons considers new ways to evaluate performance. learned shared along the way. The TELUS “Works Styles Program” is flexible and designed to evolve with TELUS’s corporate strategy, busi- ness operational requirements, real estate and legal obligations and IT infrastructure conditions. Call centers have specific needs and ameni- ties unique from administrative type spaces within TELUS. Due to the nature of their activities they have their own program called the “At Home Agent.” 217 2011 IFMA FOUNDATION Results Profit Forecasted real estate footprint reduction by 30 percent by 2014. People Project Team TELUS increased engagement and satisfaction scores as well as recruit- ment and retention. TELUS was noted as one of the top 100 employers in Canada. FM Project Manager................TELUS Work Styles & Real Estate teams Architect/Interior Designer...........................................................Multiple Contractor.....................................................................................Multiple Planet Furniture Manufacturer(s)...........................................................Steelcase • Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG); resulting in 3,000 kilograms Furniture Dealer(s).......................................................Steelcase’s dealers reductions in GHG emissions per employee per year Furniture Installer(s).....................................................Steelcase’s dealers Consultant(s)................................................................................Multiple • Reduced commute time; saved 160 hours per employee per year Other.............................................................................................Multiple • Global 100 most sustainable companies in the world Location of Project.....................................Canada, Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, • Recipient of BC Hydro Power Smart Award Montreal, Ville St-Laurent, Quebec City 218 CHAPTER 10 Case Studies From Around the World 219.