Telecoms provider Virgin Media O2 has relocated its Manchester headquarters from Wythenshawe to a new city centre location. The company reports that the move to the new site is already assisting in the recruitment of staff.
Greater Manchester serves as the customer care hub for the firm, managing calls from across the country. As the lease on the Wythenshawe site was due to end early next year, the company chose to find a new base.
1,100 staff moved into the Island development on John Dalton Street, situated off Deansgate. The firm stated that the move has resulted in twice the volume of job applications compared to its previous site, including for evening shifts.
The Island building, which features red brick cladding, was developed by HBD, part of Henry Boot plc, and the Greater Manchester Pensions Fund. Virgin Media O2 occupies approximately half of the building. The response to the move has been positive, thanks to the site being designed for hybrid working, which is a practice the firm intends to maintain following the relocation being completed. Employees in the customer hub will continue to work three days remotely and two days in the office.
Rob Orr, chief operating officer at Virgin Media O2, commented: “This is part of a series of things that we’ve done over the last several years to really stamp our presence in Manchester as one of the key cities in the UK. Throughout this whole programme, we’ve talked about creating a customer hub and being in the heart of Manchester and being able to attract really fresh talent as we think about how customer services will change over the coming three, four, five years, with technology like AI. It’s really key for us to have a building that will attract employees. It’s part of our employee proposition, to help us attract talent, and also to give our employees a home that they can be proud of in the North West.”
Regarding AI, Mr Orr stated it was not a threat to customer service teams but represented an opportunity for upskilling. He concluded: “Many companies talk about taking out costs with AI, but I think about it very differently. I think about how we can use that technology to fundamentally change the way organisations like ourselves talk to customers.”
Image source: Virgin Media O2
