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the Telegraph

Telegraph set to cut back on office space with introduction of flexible 'smart working' scheme

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By Jessica Goodfellow, Media Reporter

May 23, 2016 | 4 min read

The Telegraph is set reduce the size of its headquarters by establishing a “smart working” scheme, in order to free up costs to offer competitive pay packages for the recruitment and retainment of top talent.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group’s chief executive Murdoch MacLennan announced the restructure of the media group, including the first proposals to come out of an operational review by Deloitte.

Post-review the media company is set to introduce a number of cost-cutting measures including flexible “smart working” that will allow it to minimise space at its office and “save significantly on rents and rates”, MacLennan said.

“Our office is never full and even on a very busy day a large number of desks are unused,” MacLennan said in an email to staff, reported by the Guardian.

“With changes in the way we work, and hot-desking for some of those who need to be in the office, we will be able to reduce the size of our footprint at BPR [Telegraph HQ at Buckingham Palace Road].”

MacLennan said that the new flexible working practices will greater flexible working practices represented an “employee-friendly approach”.

“I believe that this will allow many of us to have a better work-life balance and I hope you will welcome this modern, employee-friendly approach that is so much in line with the changes in the media world,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph came under fire in January for installing devices that tracked the movement of its staff, quickly removing the tracking devices following criticism by the National Union of Journalists for what is described as “Big Brother-style surveillance”.

Together with cuts in office space, the staff canteen is also to be shut, replaced by three kitchens and “breakout areas” with microwaves and fridges.

The media group is also reviewing its remuneration, benefits and reward packages as it looks to recruit and retain top talent in the business “at every level” as competition remains stiff among legacy publishers and digital-first brands. This is evident through a string of recent jumps from Dazed’s Will Hayward, Mashable’s Ben Maher and Buzzfeed's Digby Lewis.

As part of this, the company is looking to enhance its graduate scheme to attract the "best new talent" from universities and colleges.

Furthermore, the publisher is readying the launch of the Telegraph Innovation Fund to "help startup businesses in the digital space", which it will bring in-house in order to "allow their expertise and creativity to mix with our experience and own talent for innovative content creation".

The Telegraph’s overall three-year plan has been designed to “protect” the print business while diversifying products and revenues, MacLennan said, while in the last three months “conditions have continued markedly to deteriorate across the sector”.

“We managed a better performance than many,” he said. “Such stark figures underline the urgent need for us to move ahead with the process of change as well as reducing costs to invest in growth areas.”

Telegraph Media Group, among many publishers, is increasing its focus on growth areas in digital, preparing the launch of another news app later this year, coupled with significant investment in areas such as travel and e-commerce as it looks to open up revenues outside of print.

the Telegraph

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