As a company, we’ve already got the year off to a great start – we’ve moved to a new office, welcomed Rupert as Fasthosts Managing Director, released some great new product features and celebrated it all with some of our local press and special guests.
Following this, I caught up with Rupert to get his thoughts on our recent changes, as well as his plans for interacting with the local community and how he feels the move has impacted both employees and our position in Gloucester.
Q: We’ve recently made the exciting move from the Docks to our new office at the Forum. What was the reason behind staying in Gloucester?
Rupert:
A number of alternative sites in different areas were considered, but ultimately we chose to stay in Gloucester. An office in Gloucester works best for our colleagues when it comes to commuting, and it’s also where our heart is. Gloucester is part of the Fasthosts DNA – we’ve always been here, so moving to the centre of the city felt like the natural move. And it seemed like the stars aligned with the Forum being built while we were looking for a new base.
The decision has been a good one for us and for Gloucester, as we continue to support investments in the city.
Q: And speaking on that, how do you think the move has impacted or will impact Gloucester?
Rupert:
I think it’s a really important signal that businesses are ready to invest in Gloucester. There’s a risk that a big office development can become a white elephant if businesses don’t take up residency early on. And a major concern post-pandemic was that people wouldn’t want to come back into the office to work. So the fact that we’re the first business to move to the Forum can give confidence to the city council and any other interested parties that this can work and is a good place to set up home.
The news coverage, including our welcome party in January, has really highlighted how great this decision has been for us. It’s an outstanding space and we’re delighted with it.
Q: You’ve mentioned the concern with employees not wanting to work in the office after the pandemic. Have you noticed an increase in people coming in rather than working remotely since the move?
Rupert:
We don’t really have any hard data to prove this, but there’s undoubtedly a feelgood factor with colleagues enjoying the new space. It’s a huge improvement on our previous sites and great to have the whole Fasthosts team under one roof. We’re coming together more often, utilising the particular junction points like the coffee stations and top floor lounge, which is essential for positive collaboration. It’s created a more positive work community, as you see people who wouldn’t normally interact coming together to exchange ideas.
Q: Looking to the wider community, do you have any plans to interact with local businesses?
Rupert:
Yes. This is something that we’re looking to do more of in the future.
There’s three particular groups that we’re looking to focus on, starting with our customers. We want to spend more time meeting them face to face and understanding their needs, and motives. We plan to set up focus groups every quarter with customers at the Forum, so we can gain key insights into Fasthosts and how we can improve.
Our second target group is students and those at the early stages in their careers in tech. We’d like to reach out to universities and open our doors to invite them to come and see and feel what it’s like to work in this industry. We’re hoping to foster a close relationship with them, as these are the young people who will become our customers or colleagues in the future. Getting our brand in front of them at a formative stage, when they’re gaming or starting a side-hustle business, is key to setting up a long term brand relationship with this emerging segment.
The final group we’re looking to focus on is local businesses in Gloucester. We feel as one of the larger businesses in the city that we have an obligation to support the local business community and help others get a step up. We want to lend our expertise and advice and play our part as one of the cornerstones in Gloucester.
Q: Employees are offered a volunteer day each year. Will you be encouraging them to take this in Gloucester?
Rupert:
That would be ideal and we’d be very supportive of that. We’ll also be taking steps to hold a CSR event in the middle of the year to help out local organisations and support Gloucester charities.
Q: Do you have any final thoughts or things you’d like to add about our local commitments, the Forum or Fasthosts in general?
Rupert:
Now that our brand is in the centre of town we’re able to get our name out there more – particularly with our PR event in January. Our hope is that people start to see us as a great place to work and we can therefore attract the brightest minds and best talent to work with us in the future.
