BT adds Glasgow and Dundee to list of 30 core UK office sites

Glasgow and Dundee will form key locations for hundreds of BT workers as the group gives more details on plans to slash its UK office network to just 30.

Alexander Bain House in Glasgow currently houses around 1,000 workers. Picture: Jeff Holmes.

The telecoms giant said its main Glasgow Clydeside office will undergo a multi-million-pound refurbishment – with the modernisation to benefit hundreds of staff. It added that hundreds more from across the group, which includes UK digital network business Openreach, are set to move into the building over the next few years.

BT also noted that it is a founding partner and one of the first tenants of Glasgow’s International Financial Services District. The office, known as Alexander Bain House, currently houses around 1,000 workers.

Regarding Dundee, where the group has 1,200 staff, BT plans to “review its property options,” which could involve looking for a new home – and it will work with partners, including Dundee City Council, to review possibilities.

Glasgow and Dundee are the latest key locations to be unveiled in the UK as part of BT’s Better Workplace Programme – which it said is the largest workplace “improvement and consolidation” scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The two join the Scottish capital on the list and the programme is due to complete in 2024.

The five-year programme will reduce BT’s footprint of more than 300 locations to around 30, including corporate offices, contact centres and specialist sites. The reduction was initially announced last summer – with Edinburgh at the time the only confirmed key location north of the Border.

Jane Wood, BT group director for Scotland, said: “This is a real sign of BT’s continued commitment to Scotland. Although many of us have been working from home successfully over the past few months, we also know that modern office environments are vital.

"I’m so pleased we are able to announce this investment and expansion at a time when it’s more important than ever to demonstrate our confidence in Scotland’s ability to make a sustainable recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Graeme Paton, BT’s MD, property and facility services, said: “Our new and refurbished office locations in Scotland will bring our people together in impressive and modern environments, transforming the way we work.”

The Better Workplace Programme is also expected to see some changes for Openreach’s workforce. An Openreach spokesperson told The Scotsman that it expects the majority of the small number of staff affected to take up alternative roles in the firm or the wider BT Group, although voluntary redundancies are possible.

“Openreach has a huge and longstanding presence in Scotland. We already employ more than 3,200 people here and we expect that workforce to grow over the coming years.”

SCOTSMAN.COM

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