A desire to future proof the Building and Maintenance Division (BMD), and make it more responsive to customers needs, led senior managers to invite the Association of Public Sector Excellence to undertake a review.

During the process employees were asked for their views on what could be improved to make their jobs easier and improve customer satisfaction. The outcomes of the consultation laid down the foundations on which a more modern and efficient BMD division could be built.

Robert Fotheringham, Senior Property Co-ordinator, and Project Manager of the Council of the Future Redesign of BMD Services project, said: “The review gave us a handle on where we needed to improve, from offering more stability to our workforce to becoming a more responsive and customer focused service.

“By getting everyone around the table, from senior managers to frontline staff, we provided our workforce with an opportunity to shape how they worked. It also let people get to know each other and build trust.

“When staff started to see their suggestions being taken forward, and that the review wasn’t just a smokescreen, they realised we were listening to them and that we genuinely wanted to make their jobs easier and our customers happier.

“A lot of change has happened within BMD, but we’ve taken great efforts to keep staff involved at all stages by providing regular updates at team meetings and establishing an open door policy. That has helped staff understand why we are doing things and that the changes make sense. I believe that focus on face-to-face communication has been a major factor in the success of the redesign of the division.

“Now, we have a highly-skilled workforce that is working within a more efficient and digitally enhanced division – and we are already seeing the results. Customer satisfaction levels are on the rise and that is because as we are providing a more responsive and flexible service designed to meet their needs.”