How TELUS is approaching the changing workplace

• What will the future of work look like?

• How will we build agility within our workforce? 

• How many people need access to our offices?

• What is the point of our office space going forward?

While many organizations around the world began asking these questions at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, TELUS had a running start. We began the process of evolving our long running Work Styles® program in 2019 — recognizing that workplace needs had changed since the program launched in 2006. Little did we know how timely this decision would be.

Our Real Estate team has nearly 15 years of experience creating and running work spaces that support mobile work. This provided us with an excellent foundation to reconnect with our team members to understand how they relate to our work spaces, and contribute to imagining them for the future. Our latest evolution involved partnering with global architecture firm, Gensler, to help us brainstorm how our spaces could influence team member engagement, demonstrate innovation and positively impact their overall well-being. In 2019, we undertook a comprehensive engagement program that included workshops, interviews and surveys with team members, leaders and subject matter experts. These engagements revealed that our team members and leaders desired spaces that reflect their pride in our world-renowned culture that makes us one of Canada’s top employers.

While more of us are enjoying the benefits of mobile working, human connection remains a cornerstone of our culture and informs the design of our office buildings, which will continue to play an important role in bringing people together to make amazing things happen.

With these insights in mind, our offices will be transformed into a wider variety of work spaces that reflect our culture and promote collaboration, innovation and well-being while reflecting the reality that not all workdays are the same. We're moving away from assigned work spaces, and giving team members the flexibility to choose where and how they work based on their needs, while promoting human connection. Our new offices will offer a mix of coworking spaces, collaboration rooms, wellness stations, independent work stations and a whole lot more.

While more of us are enjoying the benefits of mobile working, human connection remains a cornerstone of our culture and informs the design of our office buildings, which will continue to play an important role in bringing people together to make amazing things happen. In the upcoming years, our team will start experiencing the next phase of our Work Styles program when they return to our offices, and its evolution will continue as we adjust to meet the changing needs of our team members and communities.

For more information on how TELUS can support your organization, please reach out to reach out to [email protected]