Government Property Agency gets the best workplace certificate in the UK

The Government Property Agency (GPA) has achieved Leesman+ certification for its Birmingham office, which has been ranked as the best employee workplace experience in the UK’s public sector.

Leesman+ is a globally recognised certification that is awarded to top-tier workplaces following rigorous surveying, analysis, and testing.

It provides a precedent to organisations across the world for employee-focused workplace experiences.

Leesman+ certified buildings create an elevated benchmark and provide valuable insights into the quality of features, services, and infrastructure that matter the most to the people who use the building.

The GPA’s Birmingham Hub underwent independent surveying of both building-based civil servants and those who visit more flexibly from other offices, using Leesman standardised questions.

The results were analysed and weighted against the number of responses to ensure data confidence.

This allowed an assessment to ensure the building met strict Leesman+ criteria, which resulted in an impressive score of 76 out of 100.

Leesman has surveyed more than 7,300 buildings to date for Leesman+ certification, with over 1 million employee survey responses from 109 countries.

Only 202 buildings have successfully achieved the certification, placing the GPA’s Birmingham building on Stephenson Street in the top 2% of global workplaces.

Dominic Brankin, Workplace Services Director at the GPA, expressed pride in providing a top-rated workplace experience for civil servants.

He added that the GPA remains focused on creating great places to work for its clients and customers.

Tim Oldman, Founder and CEO of Leesman, commended the GPA’s tireless efforts in putting public sector employees at the heart of their workplace design strategy.

He added that the success of the GPA’s Birmingham Hub demonstrates that user-centric, evidence-based approaches deliver an outstanding return on investment.

The GPA’s Birmingham Hub was refurbished from disused retail space to create modern, digitally-connected, and inclusive workspaces to support 1,700 people from across 20 government bodies.

It welcomed its first occupants through a phased induction from July 2021 and was officially opened in July 2022. The building is also saving more than £2 million per year through estate rationalisation.