WEX Facilities Update

As a global organization, we manage over 30 facilities located in 11 countries from the U.S. to Australia to the U.K. Innovation is a key focus at WEX, and that emphasis also extends to how we think about our work environment.

“A big focus for facilities is on creating a great place to work that fosters creativity and innovation. We’ve also launched some exciting new initiatives in collaboration with our HR Group that support employee wellness programs,” said Safet Cobaj, WEX VP of facilities.

Open Seating Environments

The implementation of open bench seating is making inroads at WEX, with our South Portland headquarters and new London office leading the way. In a big shift from the typical 80’s style office, this approach promotes an energetic environment that promotes more creativity and collaboration.

The majority of team members are located in an open room, sitting next to each other at shared tables divided by low walls that create individual work surfaces. Huddle rooms, conference rooms and phone booths can all be reserved for meetings or calls that require more privacy.

The U.S. Virtual Payments team pioneered this concept at WEX last year, with more than 100 team members, including the group SVP, working collaboratively in an open seating environment. Our new U.K. office in central London will fully embrace the open seating concept for the associates who will call that facility home when it opens at the end of 2017.

Treadmill Desks, Bikes and Free Coffee

We’re also rolling out and testing some new programs and amenities at our buildings in South Portland with the potential for broader reach throughout the company. In partnership with our HR Group’s wellness initiative, we’ve installed a treadmill desk in three of our South Portland offices. The desks are available to anyone to reserve and use for a set period of time, helping people get in their steps for the day.

For those inclined to ride, we launched a bike program in May as a way for associates to travel between our South Portland locations. A total of 15 bikes are available, and people can grab one from the bike racks at each facility after signing the checkout sheet. We’re also talking to other offices in the U.S. and internationally to see if a similar bike program makes sense in those WEX locations.

Facilities is also testing a program in South Portland that provides free coffee for all employees in each of our three cafeterias. We’ve teamed up with local company Coffee by Design to offer their handcrafted, micro-roasted coffee brews, and early buzz about the program is overwhelmingly positive.

Responding to Growth

As a growing company, we’ve also added new facilities through acquisitions and have pushed the limits of existing offices. All that adds up to a dynamic job for our facilities group to manage new and existing buildings that support current needs and continued expansion.

Our newest office opens in June 2017, and will make for three contiguous WEX buildings located in South Portland, with a fourth office just a quarter of a mile down the road. The new 75 Darling Avenue facility will create an operations hub, housing our credit and collections divisions. The move provides plenty of room for expansion and frees up space in other WEX buildings to better locate groups near others they work with.

Technology is central to the work we do, and our facilities and IT groups work closely together setting up new offices and retrofitting existing buildings. At our new 75 Darling location, the focus was on creating flexibility by beefing up wireless and installing Cisco VOIP phones. The new system means that WEXers can walk anywhere in that WEX environment and have their phone number travel with them and maintain a secure network connection for their laptop.

Wrapping it all up is a company-wide initiative to create consistencies around facility look and feel. Cobaj notes that the goal is to create an environment that is recognizably WEX – from furniture to branding. New offices have been at the forefront in setting that standard, and now the facilities team is working to modify existing offices internationally to have them align with that standard.