To help a healthcare organization navigate a major employee relocation project, Whitney created an office environment that supports employee needs and gives back to the community.
With several leases expiring across their portfolio, Edward-Elmhurst Health saw an opportunity to achieve two major goals: pull corporate functions out of hospital properties, consolidate them into a single location, and rededicate those now vacant spaces to medical functions that would generate revenue.
Managing Cultural Change
The Edward-Elmhurst Health Real Estate team placed significant emphasis on the major cultural change a consolidation like this could create. They looked to Whitney for an immersive design leadership style that prioritized employee input throughout the process, while also managing the needs of cost centers. Whitney helped relocate 1,000 staff members across 61 cost centers, while reconciling their individual needs with the overall workplace strategy.
Creating Work Neighborhoods
To create a concept where employees would feel at home, Whitney designed open office settings with a smaller, more intimate neighborhood feel. The result is a facility that has five floors of open offices, private offices, meetings spaces, and ancillary areas. The open office areas feature engagement hubs that serve the day-to-day needs of the respective neighborhood.
Focusing on Employee Well-being
As a healthcare company, health and well-being were key success factors to Edward-Elmhurst Health. Whitney collaborated with the landlord and base building architect, who designed a campus with amenities including food service and a fitness center. There are also accommodations for charging electric cars.
Making a Community Impact
The five-story, 250,000-square-foot building Edward-Elmhurst Health now occupies as the anchor tenant sat vacant for the previous decade. Today, their occupancy brings welcome corporate tax dollars to the city along with an additional 1,000+ people who now eat and shop in the local economy, making a significant community impact.