George Brown College is redefining how our work environments work for our employees. We’ve launched an exciting space outfitted with new technology and areas designed to support a hybrid model, foster collaboration and support employee well-being.
Welcoming employees to campus in new ways benefits the college by contributing to innovations in hybrid learning, research and workforce development. It also benefits the greater community. As a key player in Toronto’s economy, our employees, faculty and students breathe life into local businesses and surrounding neighbourhoods.
We celebrated the launch of the Future of Work (FoW) pilot space at 230 Richmond St. E. at St. James Campus on October 3. George Brown President Dr. Gervan Fearon hosted Toronto Mayor John Tory, Ontario Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Rocco Rossi, Toronto Region Board of Trade President & CEO Jan De Silva, and GBC Board of Governors Chair Kevin Constante (all pictured) for a tour and to meet employees.
“George Brown College is playing a critical role in the recovery of our city, post-pandemic. We want to see staff and students back downtown in the core and around our city. This new building will help bring people back downtown while at the same time embracing a flexible and hybrid work model that is being adopted by some companies in our city,” Tory said. “We're proud to work with George Brown and organizations across our city to embrace innovation and new ideas and make sure we have a strong economic recovery."
Transforming how we use campus environments
We created the FoW pilot space based on feedback from the college employees. Recognizing that a hybrid model can only succeed when spaces are specifically designed to support it, we’ve launched a purpose-built environment to support employees coming to campus at least two days a week for collaborative work, meetings, professional development and team-building activities.
“The college has pivoted throughout the pandemic, and we are now putting into practice what we learned from this period. We saw an opportunity through the pilot to support the diverse needs and working styles of our employees, 80 per cent of whom had told us that they wanted to continue with options to work from home at least some of the time,” Fearon said.
GBC is also the first college in the Greater Toronto Area to partner with New Wave Workspace, an online reservation system that allows employees to book desks and meeting rooms.
“Our Future of Work pilot office has collaboration spaces that range from teleconference-ready lounge areas to multi-modal meeting rooms; flexible sit-stand workstations equipped with external monitors and laptop docking stations; wellbeing spaces for quiet reflection or social activities; sound-proofed pods for calls; executive lockers; and more,” Leslie Quinlan, Senior Vice-President, People Enablement and Experience, George Brown College, said.
FoW Pilot: By the Numbers
219
Employees who will work out of 230 Richmond St. E.
141
Bookable desks, including electric height-adjustable desks for sit/stand options
12
Open collaboration spaces
More
8 meeting rooms, 6 quiet/call rooms, 2 boardrooms, 1 touchdown/event room, 1 training room, 1 wellness room, 1 cloakroom, and 1 lunchroom
