Telecoms giant BT has started to move staff into its vast new offices in Bristol city centre. The first of 2,500 workers have begun moving into the multi-million pound Assembly building, part of the growing Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone next to Temple Meads Station.
Three years in the making, the 190,000 sq ft building brings all BT’s South West teams under one roof for the first time, and features flexible workspaces, shower and changing facilities for staff, a café and a restaurant.
Last year, BT announced plans to create a further 170 jobs at the site. The company is looking to bolster its in-house digital workforce in Bristol and will bring the majority of new staff in by April 2024.
The West of England’s metro mayor Dan Norris will visit the new office on Wednesday (January 25), where he will hear the company’s plans for the additional 170 roles which will be added over the next 15 months.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said BT would aim to recruit locally, with a particular focus on apprentices and graduates, and women returning to work with roles in areas like artificial intelligence and software engineering.
Mr Norris said the “truly world-class” Assembly Bristol would be key in attracting and retaining talent.
He added: “It’s great to see BT’s new offices opening in the heart of Bristol. This will bring jobs and growth to the local area and is a vital part of the ongoing transformation of Temple Quarter - one of the most exciting regeneration projects in Europe.
“Nick [Speed, BT’s head of the nations and regions] and the team have built a new, modern workspace and this demonstrates how firms can combine tech and smart ways of working to really benefit their number one asset - their workforce. This will be key in tapping into the talent we know we have in abundance in the West of England, as well as attracting the brightest and best from across the length of the country to make our amazing region even better”.
Construction of the office started in early 2019, on a formerly derelict site off Temple Way.
The announcement comes as communications regulator Ofcom opens an investigation into BT’s compliance with its obligation to provide customers with clear and simple contract information before they sign up to a new deal.
Telecoms providers have been required to give customers contract information and a short – usually one-page – summary of the main contract terms before signing up since June last year.
However, in October UK regulator Ofcom opened an investigation into EE – which is part of the BT group – after it suspected it may have failed to comply with the requirements.
Ofcom said on Monday (January 23): “We have since received information giving us reason to suspect that Plusnet – another BT subsidiary – may also have failed to comply with these requirements.
“As a result, our investigation will now consider if BT has breached Ofcom’s rules because of suspected breaches by each of these subsidiaries. We will gather further information and provide updates as our investigation progresses.”
The summary required of providers must include key information about the price, length of the contract and the terms and conditions if a customer decides to end their contract early.
Ofcom said the rules were an important way of helping people shop around with confidence and make informed choices about the right deal for them.
A BT Consumer spokesman said: “We want our customers to be fully informed and we make sales information upfront, clear and transparent. We are fully engaged with Ofcom during the course of this investigation.”
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