Students from Sheffield Hallam University have been applying their newly developed skills and expertise in a bid to help one of South Yorkshire's leading law firms maximise their use of office space and improve the working environment for their staff.

In the first project of its kind to be undertaken in the region, a team of business property management students came up with a number of ideas aimed at helping to maximise the firm's use of space, as well as enhancing the way in which the firm operates. Ideas including the introduction of new IT systems, creating and enhancing staff social areas, and developing a more open plan layout within each of the offices.

Pioneered by Dr Barry Haynes and Nick Nunnington from Sheffield Hallam's Faculty of Development and Society and Atteys' managing partner Gill Knight, the project was based on work Nick has undertaken as a consultant in Scandinavia as well as Barry's experience with a number of local and national government organisations and an Australian bank.

A total of nine teams competed in the project, visiting Atteys' offices across South Yorkshire - surveying working space, preparing and analysing satisfaction questionnaires and space utilisation records, and interviewing members of staff before preparing reports and recommendations on how the business could achieve its goals by better use of its premises.

Following an initial presentation, a short list of teams was chosen and the finalists were invited to present their ideas to the partners at Atteys. Managing partner Gill Knight said, 'This project has been a really worthwhile partnership with benefits all round. It has been a real privilege to work with Sheffield Hallam University, and it's clear from the quality of work produced that the students have been working hard on their proposals.

'Each group produced some really innovative ideas and there is no doubt that they provoked a debate within the firm about how we use our premises to create a better working environment.

'What particularly impressed me was that each group came up with quite different solutions. I will certainly be looking at the viability of implementing a number of their recommendations in the near future.'

Sheffield Hallam's Dr Nick Nunnington added, 'By working in partnership with Atteys, we have been able to give this year's students a real, live project to get involved in. This will be valuable experience and it allows the students to apply cutting edge research and theory to a real life organisation and appreciate that real organisations are complex and people-centred. For some of the students, this is their first experience of working with a client and applying their learning to an actual business.

'It's always important when undertaking a project like this to involve people who will be directly impacted by any proposals. The response the students received from Atteys' partners and staff across the firm was great, and helped our students develop some highly imaginative ways of maximising space across the firm.'

For further information on any of our student placement schemes, including short term projects, please contact the University's Enterprise Centre. Our dedicated team will be able to handle your enquiry, enabling you to access our pool of talented and enthusiastic students.