Bolstering the increasingly diverse shared office space environment we enjoy at Formation Works Armagh, the most recent addition to the fold is Connected Health. As one of the leading home care providers across the island of Ireland, Connected Health provides effective and efficient high quality healthcare services in the home and in the community. We caught up with Julie Cordner, Director of People for this well established and growing organisation, to find out how they have been settling into the new surroundings at FW Armagh.
Let’s start by introducing Connected Health.
Connected Health was established in 2013, so we are celebrating our 10th birthday in 2023. We provide Homecare services, enabling people to remain independent at home by providing a care service. We operate across Ireland, with 16 Offices and over 1,800 members of the Connected Health family. We employ local people to help local people.
How important is an attractive office space for your organisation?
Creating a positive work environment in our offices is a top priority. As Director of People, part of my remit is to ensure all our staff are happy and comfortable in their working environment, and I recognise what a huge part an office space can play in that. We want our people to enjoy coming to work every day and an attractive office space is one of the things that can help make that happen for us.
How did you come across Formation Works? Have you always had a base in Armagh or is this a new location for you?
We found Formation Works online. We wanted a space in the Armagh region as we were acquiring an existing business and wanted to create a new base in the area. Searching for office space in Armagh, we never imagined we would come across something of this calibre, so we were delighted to find Formation Works.
What was it about Formation Works Armagh that appealed to you?
In practical terms, our priority was in finding an office space that could provide the desk space we need but also offer parking. Formation Works ticked all those boxes for us. The parking in particular was a huge advantage as we wanted to make sure we had a secure space for our pool cars as well as our staff and the ample spaces here mean we have plenty of room for all our vehicles.
How well does the building cater for your needs?
The building caters for our needs perfectly. We currently occupy two offices; the first for our Coordination Team and Connected Academy Training team and then a further space for storage of PPE and Client records. The Communal Kitchen space is fantastic to give the team a well-deserved break from their desks and the location is ideal for an outdoor walk at lunchtime!
How easy or otherwise was the process of moving into Formation Works Armagh?
It has been a really straightforward process. The Team in Formation Works have been so helpful and accommodating and we were really impressed with the way they tailored the space to meet our needs, including the provision of the desks, chairs and storage solutions. We wanted to be able to move in here and get up to speed really quickly after the acquisition of the business in Armagh and this space allowed us to do that. We literally could plug in our laptops and start working on our first day here and that means a lot in a busy organisation!
How have you found the experience to date?
It has been a very positive move and we are enjoying the social aspect of the space and getting to meet the other tenants. In any new environment it can take a while to settle in but here we have felt very settled from Day 1 and we’re very fortunate to be surrounded by helpful, motivated people.
If someone was considering a move into a Formation Works property, what would your advice be?
Don’t hesitate, talk to them. If it’s at all possible, this team will make it happen!