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Working at Bidborough House

This page includes information and guidance about working at Bidborough House including guidance on booking desks and meeting rooms, and details on building access services and facilities.

Team days, desk booking and meetings

Scheduled team days and spaces

Schedule by team
TeamTeam DayFloor
Advanced Research Computing CentreTuesday2nd East and 3rd East
Campus Experience & InfrastructureTuesday and Friday3rd West 
Change & ImprovementTuesday5th Floor
Equality, Diversity & InclusionMonday, Tuesday and Friday6th
Estates DevelopmentTuesday3rd West
Finance & Business AffairsMonday3rd West
Human ResourcesMonday2nd East and West
ISD: ArchitectureWednesday5th Floor
ISD: Development & TestingFriday4th East
ISD: Digital InfrastructureMonday and Friday3rd East, 4th West and 5th (Monday) or 3rd (West (Friday)
ISD: EducationWednesday3rd East
ISD: ISG & CEFriday2nd East
ISD: LPGFriday2nd East
ISD: Research & Innovation OperationsFriday 5th Floor
ISD: People, Money & InsightFriday2nd West
ISD: Student ExperienceThursday3rd East and 5th Floor
LCCOS (Library, Culture, Collections & Open Science)Monday and Wednesday*4th East (Monday) and 3rd West (Wednesday)
The Office of General CouncelMonday, Thursday and Friday6th and 5th (Thursday)
OVPA (Advancement)Tuesday4th East and West
OVPEE (External Engagement)Tuesday2nd West
OVPS (Strategy)Monday, Wednesday and Friday6th 
ProcurementRemote firstN/A
Professional Services Hub (PS Hub)Wednesday*4th East and West
Research & Innovation ServicesWednesday2nd East and West
Student & Registry ServicesThursday2nd East and West, 3rd West, 4th East and West

Notes on the schedule

  • On the second Wednesday of every month extra space is allocated to the PS Hub team that is usually allocated to LCCOS and ISD (3rd floor East and West and 5th floor).

Booking a desk 

Remember to ‘Check-in’ when arriving using the QR code located on the desk or via your confirmation email or cancel your booking if your plans change.  

Team days 

All teams have a scheduled day when their whole team can work on-site. On your team day, please ensure you book a desk in your allocated area. 

Non-team days and 1st floor booking trial

Unused desks in team areas are available to book after 10am.

First floor usage trial: 1 July to 31 October  

From 1 July to 31 October, staff can use any available desks on the first floor without needing to book them. 

Although this trial may cause concern for some, with some staff feeding back if they are coming in then they want to have a set desk, available utilisation data shows that there is always space in the building – we are currently seeing actual average daily utilisation of 35% (with a peak of 65%).    

  • What should I do if the first floor is full? If the first floor is full you should use other floors. A desk at Bidborough House is there to be used and although we are aware that some Team Days are more protected than others, please do use desks. Please remember that all desks become available after 10am.  
  • What should someone do if they require use of a height adjustable desk (or any other piece of bookable equipment)? During this trial period colleagues should refrain from automatically using a Height Adjustable (HA) desk unless they need one, remembering that they may be needed by someone with a visible or non-visible disability. If you need to use a HA desk and cannot find one, you should book a desk on floor 2-6.  
  • What should someone do if they are worried about coming into work and not finding a desk? We are aware that by removing the desk booking system for the first floor we are effectively creating a first come first served model, which we hope will free up space and reduce wastage. However, it could inadvertently impact those who start later in the day. You will see from the utilisation data that there will be space available whenever you arrive at Bidborough House, and you should select a desk on arrival.  
  • How can I work close to colleagues in my teams? We are aware that some people use the booking system to organise teams and group together, this will not be possible and is an impact of the trial. We believe that due to the average utilisation being low there will be opportunities for people to sit close enough together to allow this to continue, and by creating less formality people may be able to take advantage of opportunities throughout the day as desks naturally become available.  
  • Can I continue to report faults using the desk number and QR code? The desk QR codes (which are currently used to book a desk and report operational faults) will remain switched on and a team in the background will simply book all desks, this will in effect switch off the booking system but still allow the QR code to be used. We are aware that some people are not using (or even aware of) this reporting and wanted to find a way to restrict its use as uptake is increasing.  
  • How are we going to review the impact of the trial? We have detailed utilisation data across a historical period, this will allow us to review the numerical impact of the July switch off (compared to other months) and understand impact. In addition to that we are going to ask the BH User Group reps, and PS leadership to collate qualitative feedback, to be shared at the end of the trial period. You can also give your feedback directly via this short feedback form.

We are aware that several desks are currently not included on the booking system, either made available for specific teams or allocated to individual members of staff (for a range of reasons). All desks currently allocated will remain as such and local signage should be used to make this clear.  

If you have ‘access to work’ support and do require two desks next to each other, please do raise this with Sarah Knox, Area Facilities Manager, and we will ensure this is taken into account. 

Accessibility and workstation requirements 

If you have specific accessibility requirements, or requirements following a Display Screen Assessment or Workstation Assessment please contact your local BBH Working Group representative in the first instance.  

Quiet areas: East wing on floors 3 and 4  

The East wing on floors 3 and 4 are considered quieter working areas. 

Unless the space is being used during a team day by a team who choose to use the space differently, when working within a ‘Quieter Zone’ please keep the noise down to not disturb other office users.  

Meeting and collaboration spaces

Meeting rooms 

Meeting rooms on all floors can be booked through Outlook by any staff member in a team based in the building.  

There are 23 meeting rooms available and nine of these are teams enabled. Smaller meeting rooms for sensitive discussions or calls are available on the first floor. Further details of the rooms can be found when booking through Outlook.  

Booths 

Booths can be used for non-confidential meetings up to an hour, available on a first come first served basis. As the demand on meeting rooms is high, it is recommended that meetings of up to four people, including 1:1’s where possible, should take place in booths.   

Ground floor collaboration space 

The ground floor collaboration spaces are available to book via Outlook and are listed as: 

  • ~BidHse.GrdFlr.SofaArea(16).SurfaceHub 
  • ~BidHse.G01 - Collaboration Space Theatre Style Seating .(60).SurfaceHub 
  • ~BidHse.Projectarea.Grd.Flr.(12).PSH 

To use the whole of the ground floor for a meeting, all three spaces need to be booked. 

Bidborough House building guide 

Opening hours, access, security and services

Opening hours, access and security
Opening hours 

Weekdays: 7am–7pm  

Out of hours access: Workspace on the 2nd floor is available 24/7 to UCL staff and accessible through the side entrance of the building.   

Staff working in the building past 7pm should move to the 2nd floor West in advance of this time to ensure you can exit the building smoothly. 

Access and Security

The main entrance on Bidborough Street is open, and staffed, during office hours.

Staff should show their ID cards to reception staff as they enter the building and will need their card to access the East and West wing of each floor.

Visitors, interviews and new starters

If you are expecting visitors, conducting interviews or welcoming a new starter, please advise the Receptionist via MyServices in advance.  

All external visitors will be required to sign in at reception on arrival and departure.

Sending and collecting post 

Post will be delivered and collected from G01, Ground floor West.

Mail will be sorted by surname to the A-Z mail pigeonholes. Mail addressed to a department without a name will be sorted to divisional pigeonholes. Mail should be collected daily. 

All outgoing mail, including internal UCL mail, should be left in the outgoing sack provided adjacent to the mail frames. Any mail left by 4pm will be sent on same day. 

Delivery Schedule   
  • 10.30–10.45am delivery / collection    
  • 2.45–3pm delivery / collection    
  • 4–4.15pm final sweep collection   
Contact and courier form 

See the UCL Mail & Courier Services webpage for contact information and the courier service form. Please notify reception of any courier collections via MyServices.   

Storage and equipment

Personal lockers 

Please refer to the Bidborough House locker policy.

Stationery

Two central stationery cupboards are stocked with commonly used items and are for use by staff from teams based in the building.  

Cupboards are located on the 1st Floor West Wing and 4th Floor West Wing. 

Facilities

Showers

There are two large shower rooms in the basement – one male and one female. Each has six shower cubicles, toilets, sinks, a utility sink, and several changing room style lockers.  

Please request access to the shower rooms via MyServices. 

Bicycle, motorbike and car parking

There are covered, caged facilities for parking bicycles and motorbikes in the basement of the building. This area can be accessed from the vehicular entrance on Bidborough Street at the East end of the building. You can enter the basement from this area with your staff ID card once your access has been set up.

Cycle access should be requested through your departmental administrator.

Quiet room

There is a quiet room in the basement which can be used for:  

  • Breastfeeding/expressing
  • Emotional distress
  • First aid or if you feel unwell
  • Quiet contemplation
  • Meditation
  • Prayer