New starter handbook A how-to guide
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Welcome to
ECHO ARCHITECTURE Your First Few Days teammates, the problem projects, and department or company-wide goals means that you’ll be able to start your real work sooner (and be more effective when you do). So, get stuck in, and attend all the team and office meetings you can, even if you’re not yet sure what’s going on or they don’t 100% pertain to your work. Also join in on the informal events. It’s a great way to meet people.
So you’ve gone through the interview process, you’ve signed the contracts, and you’re finally here at Echo Architecture. Congratulations, and welcome. Echo has a unique way of doing things that will make this the greatest professional experience of your life, but it can take some getting used to. Ask questions, that’s what everyone else did.
This Book
Be a Sponge
This handbook is to be used as a guide for key information about the company and it’s policies and procedures. As well as this there’s a wealth of practical information that will help you understand what to expect from working here.
One of your most important duties during your first week is absorbing everything. Getting to know our company’s culture, the working and communication styles of your
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OUR VALUES
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RESPECT & PROMOTE CREATIVITY in the office, regardless of the source.
FOSTER & PRESERVE RELATIONSHIPS with our suppliers, client & team.
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CREATE INSPIRED, INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS to achieve the best solutions for our projects.
SHARE PASSION of our work and our industry.
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SUSTAIN A POSITIVE & FUN ENVIRONMENT both inside and outside of the office.
BE ADVENTUROUS WITH YOUR IDEAS don’t be afraid to fail.
IF WE STICK TO THESE VALUES, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WE CAN GO HOME PROUD OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS. 5
LONDON
WHO WE ARE Echo Architecture is an international operation with offices in London, Riyadh, Milan and Cairo. We provide clients with design and build solutions specializing in Retail and Hospitality projects. In addition to our expanding list of retail and internationally branded hospitality projects, we are working on master plans for entire mixed-use developments, business parks, commercial residential compounds, and luxury residential projects
HOW WE WORK We are a team focused international group of creative, strategic and business oriented people with complementary expertise. Our collaborative approach aligned with a pragmatic understanding of project objectives led to the establishment of long standing and growing business partnership with our clients. We are proud of our commercial client partnership and the sustained repeat business we are entrusted with.
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RIYADH
TIMELINE Echo Architecture was established in 2003 by the setting up of our office in Riyadh to support our principal client
In 2007 the London office was opened in Farringdon where we provided Architecture and Interior Design services mostly for projects in Saudi Arabia
In 2015 the London office embarked on a significant recruitment drive to support our principal client’s increasing business workload
We relocated to the Canary Wharf area in July 2016 taking sufficient space to accommodate all our staff and with room for future growth
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2007
2015
2016
Today we employ around 80 staff and provide services for the following services: Architecture, Interior Design, FF&E Design, 3D Visualisation, Urban Design, Commercial and Project Management. We are working in the Middle East, London and Italy and we are looking at opportunities across Europe.
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Office Basics
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Key Contacts
Kitchens
Our main Receptionist is responsible for all incoming calls and visitors. The Office Manager should be your first port of call for anything related to the office.
Tea & Coffee making facilities are provided in both kitchens, together with chilled filtered water. Staff should take care to keep the kitchens (including the fridge) clean and tidy at all times. Make sure you wash up any kitchenware you use once you’ve finished with it.
Visitors Visitors must always be asked to sign in and out of the Visitors’ Book on the ground floor at Reception. This is a security requirement. Reception will then contact Noella and let her know they’ve arrived.
There is a microwave and a fridge in each kitchen. As our office is open plan, please be considerate of other and don’t bring in any smelly food.
Phone List
Personal Belongings
An internal phone list can be found in the Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library.
Please be aware that personal belongings are brought into the office at your own risk. Please keep wallets and purses out of sight or locked up if possible.
Seating Chart A seating chart can be found in the Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library . This is updated regularly and can be used as a point of reference when locating people.
Stationery Most stationery is provided by the company. Notebooks and pens can be found in the shelving area by the kitchens. If stocks are getting low, or you need something particular, please speak to Ellen.
Telephones & Mobiles Noella answers the phones and will endeavour to put all calls through. If unable to contact you, Noella will take messages and pass them to you as soon as possible. Personal calls should be kept to an absolute minimum; this includes calls on your mobile during office hours.
Recycling There are two recycling points within the office, located near the printing areas. All paper and other recyclable materials should be disposed of in these bins. Any sensitive information should be shredded beforehand using the shredder which is found near Ellen’s desk.
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IT Focus PC are responsible for maintaining our hardware and software and generally provide assistance.
circumstances. You should talk to Ellen or Noella, and if either of them are not available, then your Project Leader. On your return to work please fill out a selfcertification form and hand it to Noella. For absences longer than 7 calendar days please see the Staff Handbook.
They can be contacted on: 0207 242 9099 There is a scheduled visit from Focus every Wednesday to provide support, in order to co-ordinate, train and generally help with any queries to do with PCs.
Expenses
Lateness
All expenses should be claimed by filling in an expense claim form found here: Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library
On the rare occasion you may find yourself delayed due to unforeseen problems. If this does happen, please contact Noella and she will make your team aware.
General expenses must be claimed monthly and put in for payment before the 18th of each month in order for them to be reimbursed in your salary at the end of the month. All expenses must be backed up by a valid VAT receipt for the UK or other type of receipt from overseas.
Holiday Booking Forms The holiday booking form can be found in the Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library in the folder under your name. The form should be approved by your Project Leader, signed and submitted to Noella. For more details on booking your holiday, refer to the Staff Handbook.
Once filled in, expense claim forms should be signed by your Project Leader and given to Ellen to authorise payment.
Post and Couriers No personal letters or packages should be sent to the office as these are all opened by Noella upon receipt.
Sickness & Absenteeism A self-certification form can be found in the Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library
If you need to send any post, speak to Ellen about stamps.
If you are unable to attend the office due to sickness please make sure you call in by 10am on each day of sickness. Please do not ask someone else to call in for you unless there are exceptional
And if you need to arrange a courier, please speak to either Ellen or Noella and they will arrange it for you.
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Petty Cash
Office Standards and Templates
Ellen keeps the Petty Cash which is for office sundries only, i.e. milk, coffee, etc. It is not a personal banking system. IOUs and loans are strictly forbidden. Personal expenses incurred must be processed through the Expenses Form system NOT through Petty Cash.
We have standard format for all documents as well as templates on the PC for letterhead, faxes, meeting minutes etc. They must be used for all correspondence both internal and external, and can be found here: Library (:L\) > 05 - Echo Doc Templates
Timesheets
Project Number List
Your timesheets need to be kept up to date. At the beginning of every week you should sign and save your timesheets in the approval folder for your Project Leader to cosign. These need to be completed before 11am.
A current Project list can be found in the Projects (:P\). It shows all projects which are currently being worked on. Please familiarise yourself with the reference numbers of the projects you are working on.
Your timesheets can be found in the Library (:L\) > 50 Staff Admin Library in the folder under your name.
Salary Payments The salaries are paid automatically into bank accounts on the last working day of each month. The only exception is the December salary which is normally paid in before we close for the Christmas period. Ask Ellen if you have any queries.
Eye Tests You may be eligible for a free eye test if you are a display screen user. Speak to Ellen to find out how to go about claiming for your eye test.
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Where we are
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CANARY WHARF
SOUTHQUAY
SIR JOHN MCDOUGALL GARDENS
E FERRY RD
RIVER THAMES
MUDCHUTE PARK AND FARM
CANARY WHARF
SOUTHQUAY
SIR JOHN MCDOUGALL GARDENS
E FERRY RD
RIVER THAMES
MUDCHUTE PARK AND FARM
SOUTH DOCK
ROADS
RESTAURANTS
SUPERMARKET
DLR
SHOPPING
CAFÈ
PARK
POST OFFICE
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MY NOTES
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LONDON +44 0 845 262 1515 9th Floor, 3 Harbour Exchange London, E14 9GE, UK RIYADH +966 11 464 9529 1st Flr., Fawaz Al-Hokair Real Estate Co. Bldg. OIlaya Road Corner Musa Bin Naser Road P.O. Box 341904, Riyadh11333 KSA www.echoarchitecture.com