Reimagining Our Workspace

A New Approach for a New Way of Working

United Is Embracing Hybrid Work Solutions

There’s no doubt the pandemic completely changed the way companies work, and United is no exception. While our headquarters in Brampton is a wonderful space, we are repurposing it to meet our new requirements. It’s time for a change.

Changing the Way We Work

In March 2020, United was in a unique position: We were in the process of developing a new technology platform that would enable remote work. By fast-tracking the rollout, our head office staff was able to work from home in a matter of days. In fact, we were ahead of the curve, already working remotely for a week before the province initiated its stay-at-home order.

At that time, we were fully focused on what was best for our team members’ health and safety, and their families’ health and safety too, and it was the right decision.

Our head office teams embraced remote work and we thrived as a company. It was clear that we could do our jobs from anywhere — so as the world began to open up and companies asked employees to come back to the office, we had a decision to make.

Putting Our Employees First with Hybrid Work

A fully remote office wasn’t right for United. But as many companies were making top-down decisions about returning to the office, United took a different approach: We asked our employees what would be best for them.

While we were working from home, priorities and life circumstances changed for many people. A good number of our team had purchased a home a little further away from our HQ, which would require lengthy commutes. And we recognized that the more days we asked people to come into the office, the less time they would have for their families and personal lives. Our respect for their time and needs was important.

Through a survey of our head office staff, we proposed several hybrid working options, and we had lots of great feedback. We chose a model that would work best for the majority of people: Everyone would work from the office one day per week, with the schedule split across two days so only half of our staff is in at any given time. Our leadership team is sometimes in the office both days, and we stay connected through regular team meetings and one-on-ones.

A Winning Workplace Model

This innovative approach has been a resounding success and has had a lot of positive benefits for United and our employees.
  • Our team culture and employee engagement are stronger than ever, with the office now being a place for people to connect on a social level, as well as professionally.
  • Team members appreciate the flexibility and ownership of their time on days they work from home.
  • We have embraced our technology platforms and are continually working to innovate in this area.
  • Staff save money on gas with only one day of commuting per week.
  • The carbon footprint of our team members commuting into the office is 80% lower than it would be if they had to come into the office every day.

This model is fully in line with our corporate values. As a company, we’ve had the courage to embrace a new way of working, and we respect our employees’ time, needs and wishes. We’re fostering loyalty in our employees. Our innovative approach is putting people first. And we’ve done it all with professionalism and honesty.

Unsurprisingly, with such big changes in how we’re working, our space needs have changed dramatically as well.

Spaces For the Way We Work

Repurposing a company’s space is a monumental task. As our company is growing exponentially, we are focused on creating a bigger warehouse space, training locations to support our “People” growth strategy, and spaces for our teams (employees, partners and customers) to come together to build relationships.
Meanwhile, our head office employees are already preparing for this change. We’ve digitized past documentation and have implemented digital record keeping, allowing us to let go of things we simply don’t need. As an added bonus, reducing our dependence on paper is going to further reduce United’s carbon footprint.
These changes are all part of a major shift in perspective at United. From embracing technology and leading the way in industry education to creating a new way of working, this is exactly what we need to continue innovating and growing like never before.