FOR a growing business, flexibility is key. It needs to be able to expand quickly, efficiently, and with no break in its service to clients.

Sourcing the right accommodation is fundamental to concentrating on the day-to-day and planning for the future.

That has been the experience of We Are Brass Tacks, a company which provides specialist internal communications in health and safety.

Although the company moved into the Storage Vault Work Space building in McDowall Street, Paisley, last August, it is already expanding its capacity and moving to a larger space within the complex at the end of April.

It is this continuity of service that appeals to We Are Brass Tacks Managing Director Dee McNaught.

“For a good part of our first year we were based in what was a small but perfectly formed out near the East End of Glasgow,” she says. “It was fit for purpose for a start-up, but it wasn’t client facing and offered no room for growth.

“Also, living in Renfrewshire it added around three hours to my day, having to battle through the Glasgow traffic. As a working mum, I was missing important times with my children.”

The Paisley Storage Vault Work Space office accommodation offered much more than just a shorter commute, however. It offered a way to communicate with clients more effectively.

We Are Brass Tacks deals with large, complex companies, usually with more than 500+ employees in multiple locations. It specialises not only in internal communication, but also sustainability and learning and development. There are two sides to the business. The consultancy looks at strategy and cultural change, while the delivery arm can provide the most effective channels for delivery of internal communications, something that can vary widely from business to business.

Dee McNaught identified the gap in the market when she was employed in a previous communications role. When the company went into liquidation, Dee took one client with her to her new business and then followed to We Are Brass Tacks, which continued to help them in shaping an improved safety culture.

“It’s an area that can be neglected, but these are communications with consequence,” adds Dee. “Health and safety is important – if the communication is effective then employees will get home safely. The business is centred around making communications stick, so that they affect change and resonate.”

As Dee says, whether the company has three or 3000 employees, safety is a leveller – an accident doesn’t care who it happens to. “No matter who we work with, everyone is on an even footing.”

Having accommodation that includes access to break-out rooms and meeting rooms where they can sit down with clients or have ideas sessions away from the desk environment is hugely beneficial.

“With the kind of companies we deal with, being so close to the airport is another benefit. Getting the chance to sit down with the upper layers of management, who can be more difficult to penetrate is vital. Those working on the ground for the most part understand that if they don’t follow the rules they will get hurt, but when that productivity versus safety balance comes in to play and the workforce are asked to do things faster for example, short cuts can happen, and people can get hurt.

“That’s why we work closely with all levels of an organisation. When clients can come to you, there is a greater chance of setting the tone. Having to be on the move, carrying and setting up equipment in unfamiliar locations can often lead to presentations that would be much more effective if done in house.”

Also, having a reception also helps in the day-to-day running. Dee describes those who work at Storage Vault Work Space in Paisley as “brilliant, there isn’t a problem they can’t fix. We have found a location that makes everything so much easier for us.”

https://www.storagevault.com/offices/