George Brown College launches downtown Toronto future of work pilot project

Ontario Construction News staff writer

George Brown College has launched a “future of work” pilot project –  a purpose built space outfitted with new technology and areas designed to support a hybrid work 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,” president Gervan Fearon said in a statement. “As a key player in Toronto’s economy, our employees, faculty and students breathe life into local businesses and surrounding neighbourhoods.”

The Future of Work (FoW) pilot space is at 230 Richmond St. E., the St. James Campus.

“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,” Mayor John 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.”

The purpose-built environment supports 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.

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