PM Link with its sister companies Construction Professionals Pte Ltd (CPPL) and CPG Facilities Management, marked their move into a new office with a ceremony. Guest-of-Honour Ar. Khew Sin Khoon, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, CPG Corporation (3rd from left) officiated the opening ceremony.
On 21 July 2022, PM Link moved to its brand new office in 1 North Coast, a nine-storey light industrial building in Woodlands North Coast precinct, an entirely new development in the north of Singapore. This precinct offers a campus-like environment with upcoming facilities such as a food court, cafes and restaurants, and a convenience store.
PM Link’s new office marks a new era of modernity and sustainability. It is purpose-built for a hybrid and collaborative work environment. It has modern technologies for unified collaborations, spaces for workshops or discussions, and a nursing room for new mothers. Created as a clean and welcoming co-working space, the new office offers a comfortable work area with different types of desks including height-adjustable desks, plush sofa seats, and individual lockers to store personal belongings.
CASE STUDY: In this article, we go behind the scenes to share with everyone how we created this new purpose-built work environment, the steps we took, and pictures of the new office. We are proud to be working in a modern, inclusive, and vibrant environment!
A. Situation
PM Link has been undergoing a company-wide transformation known as “Reimagine 2.0”. Through this endeavour, the company aims to progress with digitalisation to achieve several business goals including operational efficiencies and higher quality standards. One important approach to attaining the goals was through the proficient use of technology.
For the new office at 1 North Coast, PM Link’s management decided to create a contemporary work environment with opportunities for staff to use the latest technologies in their everyday work. In this way, the staff will gain confidence, greater digital literacy, and competency through the use of technologies while the company would benefit from higher operational efficiencies and productivity.
B. Approach
PM Link’s management strategy was to have their staff lead the creation and development of the new work environment in 1 North Coast. This added a new dimension to the process which typically would already involve multiple stakeholders such as designers, and contractors.
PM Link appointed a core team of their young, dynamic and experienced project managers to develop and manage the project plan that incorporated staff engagement at various stages of the process.
Overall, the PM team managed the entire 3-step process for the new office in this way:
1. Ground-up Staff Engagement
This team of PM Link’s project managers served as members of a working committee to spearhead staff engagements throughout the entire new office journey.
Staff were forthcoming with fresh ideas, suggestions, and recommendations throughout the journey. As every idea was passionately presented, the working committee needed to ensure a high level of objectivity in the idea-gathering and evaluation process.
As such, the working committee gathered information in two forms: Qualitative, involving workshops and team meetings, and quantitative, through a survey. With a clear set of data, the working team could analyse and present objective information to all staff for discussions, and to the management for decision-making.
2. Evaluation and Selection
Once PM Link’s staff and management had agreed on the shortlist of ideas, suggestions and recommendations, the working committee moved to facilitate the evaluation process. The aim was to finalise on the selections that would shape a warmer, more engaging, and more inclusive workplace.
Among these, were new technologies for more effective hybrid meetings, height-adjustable desks for staff, and a clean and private nursing room for mothers.
Even though the management and staff had agreed on the selections, the working committee needed to delve deeper by ensuring that the new technologies would be well accepted and used by PM Link staff.
As such, PM Link worked with selected technology vendors for the evaluation process and eventually selected a new collaboration system that has an anti-glare presentation display that also doubles up as a high-precision writing instrument, an acoustic sound system with a powerful microphone, and a wide-angle camera that could frame the speaker automatically.
With the new system, PM Link staff could easily sit together for hybrid meetings, share their project plans or diagrams, chart their work on screen and speak naturally almost as if they were in a face-to-face meeting.
3. Deployment
Throughout the process, the team of PM Link project managers responsible for the new office worked with the key stakeholders at PM Link, its sister companies, and its corporate head office, CPG Corporation, to define the goals, develop and manage the project plan for the new office, and to monitor the progress of the project. Where necessary, the project managers flagged and resolved issues that could impact the new office project.
One of the issues was the delay in the completion of the new office building, 1 North Coast. This meant that there was just a short timeframe for PM Link to complete office renovation, furnish the office, and move into the new office.
It was a tight deadline, but PM Link was able to complete its move on time and within budget.
3. Positive outcomes
When the staff moved into the new office, they were greeted by a modern mobile office with a choice of standard work desks or height-adjustable desks (also known as ‘standing desks’), lockers for their personal items, and an open and comfortable reception known as the collaboration area for face-to-face discussions over coffee. And, of course, there was the unified collaboration system they had selected, which they now use very often, in the new meeting rooms.
Today, the management and staff are happy with the new office environment. With frequent use of digital solutions, PM Link staff are increasingly becoming more proficient in technology for work and are receptive to using new digital tools to improve efficiency or productivity.
The new office enables staff to “Reimagine” their future together. It offers them a robust foundation to co-create, shape, and drive toward the future with digital solutions for practical, everyday work and a positive atmosphere for teamwork, open conversations, and creative ideas.
(From left to right): Er. Yeang Hoong Goon, Director of PM Link and Construction Professionals (CPPL); Mr. Tan Cheng Chuah, Managing Director of PM Link and CPPL; Mr. Oliver Quek, Director of CPG Facilities Management (FM) and PM Link; Ar. Khew Sin Khoon, President and GCEO of CPG Corporation; Mr. Seng Joo How, Director of CPG FM; and Mr. Alan Goh, CEO of CPG FM.
PM Link Celebrates its “Journey to the North”
On 19 September 2022, PM Link officially opened its new office with two other CPG subsidiaries, Construction Professionals Pte Ltd (CPPL) and CPG Facilities Management (CPG FM).
Amidst the festivities and fun-filled activities with staff, partners and customers, Mr. Tan Cheng Chuah, Managing Director of PM Link and CPPL said that this journey from the old office to the north part of Singapore involved the CPG family.
Cheng Chuah said: “As one family, we established a relocation committee comprising CPG FM, PM Link, CPPL, and VIA+ Design Studio. Throughout this journey, the CPG family and our contractor partner, WK Builder, learned to deepen collaboration with each other, overcome obstacles, and address difficult situations with respect and professionalism.”
“More importantly, we learned that together, our synergy propels us to greater achievements. We are very proud to present our Modern, Green, and Vibrant workplace to everyone today. We truly believe that if we continue to build on this synergistic momentum, we can achieve even more successful outcomes in the future!”
Cheng Chuah thanked the Guest-of-Honour, Ar. Khew Sin Khoon, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of CPG Corporation, the other CPG subsidiaries, WK Builder, and all who have helped to make this journey possible.
Staff from various CPG subsidiaries at the official office opening on 19 September 2022.
Keen to be part of the dynamic PM Link team? Write to us via our Careers page today if you are interested in shaping the future of Singapore's built environment with us.
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