"Art works" says survey as Leavesden Park welcomes new images

Research has shown that art in the workplace not only looks good but can also have a positive impact on people and organisations, as Leavesden Park is discovering with a collection of photos featuring its own and Watford’s industrial heritage.

The photos have been sourced and supplied by London-based art consultants Works in Print, which has undertaken research into just what impact art can have on workplaces. The company, in conjunction with academic and consultant Dr Jenny Thomas, looked at how people felt about art in different areas of a workplace, including public spaces, meeting rooms and the main office. What they found was that rather than having subjective ideas about the types of art they favoured those questioned tended to be in agreement about what art suited which area, based on the role it played rather than their own preference. “People felt that artwork in a meeting space should not be too distracting but should offer something interesting to look at if people wanted a brief mental break from what was being discussed,” explains Works in Print Director Patrick McCrae. In addition, when presented with a selection of images 75% of people selected an image of autumnal trees bathed in sunshine as the one that best promoted wellbeing.

The one area where people were less certain was art for the main office. “People found it difficult to decide whether the artwork should be interesting to offer people a mental break from their work, aspirational, inspire creativity or be calming to allow people to focus on their work,” adds Patrick. The main office was also the least likely part of a workplace to feature art. “This leads us to question whether there is a lack of art in the main office because people do not know what artwork to install to have a positive impact,” suggests Patrick.

The images chosen for the public areas of Leavesden Park were chosen to highlight the park’s heritage. Many years before it became famous as the site of the Harry Potter Studios, the site housed the Leavesden Airfield which was one of the key manufacturing facilities servicing the RAF during WWII. Images featuring the airfield, including the famous two-seater bomber Mosquito, which was built and flown out of the airfield and became one of the most remarkable planes of WWII, are included in the collection, along with others featuring Watford’s famous train line created by Brunel in the late nineteenth century.

The images were sourced by Works in Print from archives including Mirrorpix and the National Rail Museum.

Says Roz Bird, Leavesden Park’s Head of Business Development: “Discussions with occupiers identified a need for a business lounge at Leavesden Park. The new photography was introduced as part of that project, and it has been well received. The photos are mounted on noise attenuation panels to soak up sound and create a more intimate and inspirational environment.”

Leavesden Park provides a leading destination for businesses in the region with stylish offices, set with fully landscaped grounds, providing a professional environment in which to work and do business. Companies benefit from a high quality, air-conditioned office and amenities including a café, 24 hour security, a free local bus service, secure on-site parking, a social committee, free meeting facilities, opportunities for business networking and the support of an on-site team. Watford gives excellent accessibility to London and the entire country by road or rail and Heathrow and Luton international airports are in close proximity. In addition, flexible and competitive lease terms mean that many more companies can move to a better office than they’d dreamed of sooner than they’d hoped.

Offices are available to let from 300 sq ft. For more information call 01923 894400 or visit www.leavesdenpark.co.uk.

Two new franchisees for Rosemary Bookkeeping

Leavesden Park’s Rosemary Bookkeeping has welcomed additions to its franchise network in Guildford and Nottingham.
Richard Swansea, pictured top right, in Guildford has worked as a financial journalist in Hong Kong and London, as an editor and supervisor of research reports at leading investment banks  and speaks French and Chinese. It was Rosemary’s strong management team that gave him the confidence to invest in this franchise.
 “I came across Rosemary at the British Franchise Exhibition in Manchester, in June 2013. I chose Rosemary in preference to other bookkeeping franchises because of the breadth of its management team; this gave me confidence that my relationship with the team would not be influenced by issues of personality.”
Mark Webster, pictured bottom right, in Nottingham specialised in IT for over 20 years and has been a house husband taking care of his three children.  Now that his children have reached the teenage years, Mark decided to rejoin the workforce.  Desiring a flexible work/life balance Mark explored various franchises and Rosemary fitted his skill base in project solving and attention to detail.

“I’d always thought a franchise would be the right choice for me and having been to a few of the franchise fairs I ended up on a number of mailing lists. Nothing had really clicked into place, Pizza parlours, pet grooming, house/oven cleaning, courier services etc. never really appealed. Until the day that piece of “junk” mail dropped into my inbox regarding Rosemary Bookkeeping. Everything about it just seemed to fit and I immediately enrolled on one of their Discovery Days. The Discovery Day just confirmed what I had hoped for, a highly professional and ambitious team providing an interesting and exciting business opportunity with a reassuring level of support and so I decided to join the team.”

“I am excited about this being my business, I make the decisions but I have the support of Rosemary in the background with all their wealth of experience. I’ve tasted success in previous projects but rewards seem to have gone to others, this time I’m looking forward to reaping those rewards.”

“If you are thinking about starting a business from scratch it is a big undertaking but with the team at Rosemary Bookkeeping helping you, you can avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that others have made. Why make it hard for yourself when you can tap into a world of experience.”

The Rosemary Bookkeeping™ franchise responds to the increasing need in the UK for an affordable, professional bookkeeping service that supports both the client and the accountant. Mark and Richard will be working in harmony with their clients’ accountants, providing them with exactly what they need in the format they want saving his clients’ time and money.

The franchise is based on a business concept that has been established and refined since 2002, providing a unique bookkeeping system within a fully supported franchise package. Mark and Richard will be able to obtain great flexibility and the potential for a superb work-life balance.

The franchise is backed by four successful entrepreneur business women, Claire Watson-Bardot, Joanna Dennis, Sarah Cook and Lisa Curteis who have over 60 years of business and bookkeeping experience between them. As an Associate Member of the bfa, Rosemary Bookkeeping has a proven ability to sustain a franchise network successfully.

Rosemary Bookkeeping has recently opened up more territory opportunities in the Midlands, North of England and South East. For more information please call 0845 8620072 or visit the website

Leavesden Park welcomes Watford MP

 Leavesden Park played host to Watford MP Richard Harrington in June, who came along to answer questions from the local business community in a lunch time event organised by business forum biz4Biz.

“It is vital that business leaders have the opportunity to direct their questions to a sitting MP and it was great that Richard Harrington MP took the time to attend the meeting held at the MEPC, Leavesden where we cater for a huge variety of successful companies,” said Leavesden Park Head of Business Development Roz Bird.

This event was chaired by biz4Biz Co-Founder and Chairman, Adrian Hawkins with fellow Directors Simon George and Tim Baugh attending. Questions on Britain’s relationship with Europe and about the current Skills shortage were directed to Richard Harrington, MP for Watford, who took time to provide an update on each subject. Richard Harrington said that “It was great to see such a collection of local business people and really enjoyed the frank discussions we had, good to know my 26 years of business experience came in useful for once!”

In addition to supporting the professional, biz4Biz provides a coherent voice for businesses in Hertfordshire and aim to influence and shape policymaking and encourage investment in Hertfordshire by engaging with local and central government, relevant public sector bodies and local organisations to promote the county of Hertfordshire as a great place to live and do business.

Sitel named global leader in the social media services

Nelson Hall’s latest research report “Targeting Social Media Services” has named Leavesden Park's Sitel as a leading provider of global social media services with a 9.5% market share.
Sitel was also named as a leader in providing “customer experience enhancement” through social media.  An area which, the report reveals, has grown significantly over the last 12 months and is beginning to develop as the dominant sector within the market.  Sitel is also credited with offering a wide range of social services such as social media monitoring, interaction, sales programmes, analytics and reporting and multichannel integration.

The report states demand for outsourced social media services is being driven by organisations which need to monitor and respond to posts on social channels.

Mike Cook from Nelson Hall comments; “Sitel is delivering a suite of offerings and platforms that give it a competitive advantage within the social media market. They are offering social media as a valuable add-on to current CMS contracts and market social media to companies which have a diverse geographic mix.  One key benefit is their capability to standardise otherwise separate customer engagement operations across language barriers, and have a single point of management, which helps coordinate management of new product launches, sales campaigns and customer services issues.”

Joe Doyle, Vice President Global Marketing, comments; “We are delighted to be leading the way with our global social media services and have our efforts recognised by Nelson Hall. We are seeing great results in enhancing customer experience and optimising revenues for our clients.  As the report states these are predicted to be the fastest growing social media services segments over the next 5 years.”

Sitel UK wins place on Government Procurement Services Framework

Leavesden Park based Sitel UK, experts in outsourced customer contact solutions, has been awarded a place on a new Government framework established to govern the procurement of contact centre services by government and public sector bodies.

Sitel UK, a wholly owned affiliate of Sitel Worldwide Corporation, employs over 2100 people in its nationwide network of contact centres, and is a trusted partner for many of today’s leading brands and Government Departments including DWP, as a supplier under the Framework agreement, and providing the Equality Advisory and Support Service on behalf of the Government Equality Office.

The Creative Solutions Execution and Related Services Framework agreement, introduced by the Government Procurement Service (GPS), has been developed to allow central government departments, along with the wider public sector agencies, including local authorities and health trusts, to procure contact centre services on a national basis.

One of only four contact centre providers that have been awarded a Framework Agreement, Sitel UK, has been rigorously vetted by GPS to allow public sector organisations to buy with confidence and reduce the time and cost  associated with procurement of contact centre services.

The GPS is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office.  Its role is to provide procurement savings for the government and the UK public sector, including health, local government, devolved administrations, education and not-for-profit organisations.


Joe Doyle, Marketing Director of Sitel UK comments;   “It is important that that the Government has contact centres that are able to support a large number of sensitive and varied transactions at all times.  We have considerable expertise and experience to offer from being a world leader in customer care outsourcing, working with Government departments and some of today’s leading brands.  We are delighted to have been selected to join this framework and look forward to drawing on this expertise to deliver high-quality contact centre solutions.”

Business Excellence Awards website goes live

The website for the Business Excellence Awards, of which Leavesden Park is a sponsor, is now live.
Businesses across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, North and North West London are invited to enter the Awards, which include Large, Medium and Small Businesses of the year, an award for International Trade &Export and Success through People, for companies maximising staff engagement to deliver business performance.  Two further awards, Entrepreneur of the Year and Business of the Year, will be selected from the finalists of the other five categories.
The awards were launched at Leavesden Park last month and fellow sponsor HSBC will be hosting an event on 25 April for companies to meet sponsors and judges and find out more about the awards. This takes place at HSBC’s offices, First Floor, Sunningdale, The Belfry Business Park, Colonial Way, Watford WD24 4LG from 6 to 7pm. To book a place contact Fern Evans fern.evans@hsbc.com 08455 844187.
The Awards are being supported by the Watford Observer and, along with Leavesden Park HSBC, are being sponsored by BDO, , SA Law and Alliotts, who will also form members of the judging panel.
There are a series of events being held throughout the region over the coming months where businesses can find out more about the Awards, culminating in a spectacular gala dinner for the finalists on 27 September at Shendish Manor which will be hosted by Michael Portillo.
To find out more or to enter visit the website .

Sitel to create up to 200 jobs

Offices To Let Watford

Leavesden Park company Sitel UK has announced the expansion of two of its UK contact centre sites following a number of new contract wins.
Sitel UK, experts in outsourced customer contact solutions, has announced the expansion of two of its contact centre sites in Leavesden Park (Watford) and Stratford upon Avon following a number of new contract wins.

One recent new campaign providing multi-channel customer service will require 80 staff, with the total of new business wins expected to create up to 200 jobs.

Sitel UK, part of the SITEL Worldwide Corporation, employ 2100 people in its nationwide network of contact centres.  Joe Doyle, Marketing Director of Sitel UK, says; “We are seeing significant growth from businesses across all sectors as they look to differentiate themselves through customer service excellence and innovation.  It’s no longer just about cost savings and operational efficiencies.”

Sitel UK, a trusted partner for many of today’s leading brands and Government Departments, was last year appointed to the DWP framework and provides leading technical support and multi-lingual solutions that in some cases cater for up to 12 different languages.

Ovum’s recent forecast (CRM Outsourcing Forecast: EMEA), projected that the rate of annual growth in UK contact centre outsourcing will significantly outpace that of France, Germany, and Spain. It states that, in addition, UK enterprises are much more willing than their counterparts in continental Europe to outsource work to third-parties. Thus, for CRM outsourcers, the UK appears to be among the most attractive markets in Europe.

Three new franchise partners for Rosemary Bookkeeping

Leavesden Park based Rosemary Bookkeeping has announced three new franchise partners – in Redditch, Chelmsford and Sutton Coldfield - who are offering free initial bookkeeping health checks to small businesses.
Fiona O’Mahony in Redditch, Chereen McCarthy in Chelmsford and Jon Lewis in Sutton Coldfield  hope to bring an altogether friendly and new bookkeeping experience to clients, by utilising the unique Rosemary System® and taking the hassle away from the business owner of doing the bookkeeping.  They will also work in harmony with the business owner’s accountant and provide them with exactly what they need, in the format they want, saving everyone time and money!

With Fiona’s two children in full-time education she decided that now was the right time to become her own boss. Having spent most of her career in the financial sector and being a qualified Accounting Technician she decided that she would utilise her skills and experience to start a bookkeeping business to provide an invaluable service to local business owners.

Fiona is looking forward to growing her Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise “I enjoy bookkeeping work and know what is involved in meeting deadlines and ‘getting the job done! I am able to produce businesses’ accounts in an intelligently, detailed and understandable format using the unique Rosemary System®.”

Chereen has a Degree in Business with Human Resources and Marketing, and used this to pursue a career in Investment Banking, gaining 12 years of valuable business experience.  She is now really looking forward to running her own Franchise Business and using her experience in the financial sector to help local businesses run smoothly. “I believe I can offer a great service to local small businesses by taking the stress out of their bookkeeping in a friendly but professional way”.

Having worked in the military for the majority of his working career, the organisation and diligence skills Jon Lewis developed in this time will be put to good use when dealing with the bookkeeping needs for his clients. Jon says: “I am here so that you don’t have to concentrate valuable time & effort on your books, time and effort that for you could be better invested in your core business elements”.

Unlike other bookkeepers, Rosemary Bookkeeping only charge for each transaction processed and not for the time spent.  Starting at only 21p a transaction, outsourcing your bookkeeping isn’t as expensive as you may think.  They also provide a detailed analysis with every invoice so you always know what you are paying for and just to be really helpful, they even standardise the paperwork to ensure you and your accountant receive it in the same way.  If you hate preparing your VAT return and could be making more money if you were not doing your books then Fiona can help you.

Demand for an efficient bookkeeping service for small businesses is as high as ever as Rosemary Bookkeeping, explains:  “By law, all businesses in the UK are required to keep records of their transactions which later are used by an accountant to file for tax.  Managing these transactions through bookkeeping is often the biggest headache to the small business owner and a task that is left at the bottom of the pile.”

A Happy New Year for New Arrivals at Leavesden Park

A positive end to 2012 for Leavesden Park is being followed by very happy new year, with two new companies moving in and much interest being shown in the available office suites.

New companies to move to the park are Jelly Software and PTD Group. The team of four at Jelly Software, which specialises in business software packages, has moved to Building 6 at the business park. The company chose Leavesden Park because of its location close to good road and rail links and also the standard of the offices.

“Building 6 is modern, clean, bright and well maintained and the help that the team gave us before we moved in was invaluable,” said Director Leah Nash. “The cafe is perfect for informal meetings (and the coffee is great) and the free, regular bus service from Watford Junction enables us to attract new employees from a wider geographical area.” The company is hoping to grow its team at the park. “The suite could take six to eight people so we have room to grow without moving and, when we need to expand in the future, there’s the option of moving to a larger office with minimal disruption to our business.”

PTD Group offers a consulting and advisory service for its parent company, a technology conglomerate based in Beijing, and hopes to expand to a team of 12 to 15 at Leavesden Park by the end of the year. It will be working with clients including ARUP, Network Rail, ABB, Continental Corporation, BT, Warner Bros and Aramco. PTD Group says it chose Leavesden Park because of its great location and superb facilities. Says the company’s Adam Kramer: “Visitors from the UK or overseas can reach us very easily, there are so many nice attractions in Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas and the environment and atmosphere is exceptionally good for business. In addition, everyone who works here is really friendly and professional. We aim to grow a successful business at Leavesden Park and help to provide support for the local community.”

Says Roz Bird, Head of Business Development at Leavesden Park: “We’re delighted to welcome Jelly Software and PTD Group to Leavesden Park. Both are great examples of fast growing companies that can take advantage of the facilities usually only available to larger companies, such as the café and on-site management team, and also have the opportunity to expand within the park as their businesses grow.”

Office suites of between 300 and 5000 sq ft are currently available to let at Leavesden Park, which is based in Watford, close to six motorway junctions and Watford Junction station. It offers a diverse range of high quality office suites, a dedicated and customer focused on-site management team and amenities including a café.

10 is the Magic Number As Arriva Reveal New Buses at Leavesden Park

Leavesden Park will be the setting for Arriva to unveil 10 brand new buses for service 10 in Watford on Friday 1 March. The investment in new buses is part of an exciting project with Arriva and Hertfordshire County Council working together to offer improved bus services in the Watford area. The launch of the new buses and a new improved timetable for service 10 is the first step in a partnership that will improve passenger experiences.

Service 10 is key local service; it plays a vital role in linking huge residential areas of the town with employment areas, health services including the hospital, leisure opportunities and also acts as a commuter service with excellent links to Watford Junction station.

The new buses are fully-accessible and have more-comfortable seats and environmentally-friendly engines which meet the latest stringent regulations on exhaust emissions. The new service will now operate up to every 10 minutes during the day and a weekly ticket is only £10. For more infrequent users there is also a 10 trip ticket for just £10.

With the cost of fuel still on the increase, these improvements offer a real alternative to the car for trips into the busy town centre of Watford for work, shopping or just a great day out.

Arriva’s Managing Director, Paul Adcock, said “I’m delighted that we are investing in our network in Watford. This key partnership with Herts County Council is a great way of bus companies and local authorities working together to create a more positive experience for the customer. With their colourful design, and great value tickets and a frequent service, the improvements and investment should really encourage people to try the bus and see the difference.”

Councillor Stuart Pile, Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Arriva to improve service 10 for the residents of Watford. This project is just one of many that the county council is currently investing in as part of the BigHertsBigIdeas scheme; a package of projects aimed at supporting local economic growth and reducing carbon emissions in Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans.”

Says Roz Bird, Head of Business Development at Leavesden Park: "We're delighted that Arriva has chosen Leavesden Park for this major launch. Our free bus service from all over Watford - using Arriva buses - is one of the many benefits of the park, along with the great setting and extras such as the café and on-site management team."

Flybe Customer Service Takes Flight with Sitel

Sitel, a leading customer care outsourcing provider based at Leavesden Park, today announced that Exeter-based Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has selected Sitel as its customer service partner in the UK. The partnership integrates Flybe’s existing customer service agents into Sitel’s state-of-the-art Exeter facility to provide travellers with world class customer care.


In its search for a customer service partner, Flybe evaluated a number of options and service providers throughout the UK and overseas. Sitel was chosen because the company could minimise the impact of the transition on Flybe’s existing staff whilst offering a high standard of infrastructure and technology. Through the partnership, Flybe will retain the skills and knowledge of the existing team and gain the travel industry customer care expertise of Sitel’s management team.The contract took effect on 15th December 2012.

Jonathan Breedon, Flybe’s Director of Customer Services said: “Flybe’s decision to outsource our call centre function to Sitel at its Exeter-based facility is good news for our staff, our customers and the company. Sitel is a leader in its field and this move ensures job security for all transferring staff. Our customers will continue to receive high quality service from a premier UK-based call centre and Flybe will not have to bear potentially significant relocation costs given the need to invest in modern premises and enhanced technology. I look forward to establishing a long and positive relationship with Sitel.”

www.flybe.com

Joe Doyle, Vice President Global Marketing, Sitel, said: “Sitel has years of experience managing customer care for travel companies including major airlines, online travel sites and international hotel chains. We are thrilled to have come to such a mutually beneficial partnership with Flybe and look forward to having the team join forces with us to provide great customer service and support to Flybe’s customers.”

For more information about Sitel, visit www.sitel.com.

Semcon Engineers Receive Award from Ford

Two software integration engineers from Leavesden Park-based company Semcon Engineering have been presented with an award by Ford.

As well as undertaking project work for manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry from their office in Leavesden Park, Semcon Engineering UK Ltd also arranges contracts for engineers in a variety of automotive industries and a range of countries.

Anuradhilka Uppuluri and Leena Jolly are two of Semcon’s software integration engineers, members of a team based at Ford in Dunton. In October this team was presented with a Ford award for their work supporting a hot climate vehicle testing exercise which was carried out in the USA.

Anu (second left) and Leena (fourth left) are seen here with the Head of Ford’s global powertrain control systems engineering department, (far right) and Richard Springall of Semcon Engineering UK Ltd (far left).