Many of you may have been to the nest recently and seen our transformation, which we are very proud of and love! For those of you who haven’t, towards the end of last year we were lucky enough to be able to expand our workspace, making our office 50% bigger. Part of the reason we were able to do this was due to receiving a grant from the New Anglia Small Grant Scheme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
At Indigo Swan we have an unflinching commitment to finding a better way, and we’re always looking for clever ways to innovate and make our company even better. We saw an opportunity to improve the environment we work in to further promote collaboration, creativity and well being at work. Each swan had the opportunity to put forward their suggestions, and these helped form our requirements.
As part of the transformation we’ve introduced an amazing new breakout area, or as we like to call it ‘the lounge’, where the coffee table is always full of interesting reading material. Current literature includes Eat That Frog (21 great ways to stop procrastinating), New Scientist magazine, Mindfulness for Everyday Living and Radical Condor by Kim Scott. We wanted to create a space where the swans could relax during their lunch break and re charge when needed.
We’ve also added a new quiet study area, for when the swans need to get in the zone, which features our ‘Swan Wall of Art’. Each swan is given a budget to purchase a unique piece of art that represents something important to them. This allows them to express their individuality, share it openly and freely with their colleagues, enhance their sense of belonging and build a visual community reinforcing how much we value them.
As the nest grows, there was a need to incorporate an additional space for meetings, which with the help of the grant we have been able to do. A space to not only sit down with clients but for our own internal meetings where we can discuss performance, progress and plans!
The grant has not only helped us to improve the working environment for our swans, we have been able to create new employment opportunities in the local area and obtain a new and improved phone system.
If your business is hoping to grow, launch new products or services or improve productivity, the New Anglia Small Grant Scheme may be able to support you. If you would like to find out more, visit their website.
