Case study: Supporting Tasmania Health’s Frankland Street Relocation

Tasmania Health needed to relocate around 500 staff into the newly refurbished tunapri mapali / 39 Frankland Street building. Staff were moving from multiple LGH sites into a single modern, fit-for-purpose space.

The new building was designed not only to consolidate administrative and clinical functions but also to provide a purpose-built Learning Hub, a facility supporting education and training for the entire hospital precinct.

The project needed to balance logistical demands with cultural change. Challenges included:

• Helping staff from different sites and teams adjust to an open-plan, activity-based workplace.
• Understanding the functions of each team so we could locate them in the right building.
• Moving from physical boards and paper-heavy processes to digital tools and online booking systems.
• Establishing new building etiquette, governance, and induction processes to support shared spaces.
• Coordinating move schedules to avoid additional lease costs.
• Supporting staff wellbeing through what many saw as a disruptive and uncertain change.

With extensive experience in workplace relocations, MEC Consulting leaned in to not only guide staff through the relocation change but also help coordinate the broader accommodation strategy. This meant balancing the logistics of property and leasing with the people-focused activities that would make the transition successful.

Accomodation Coordination

• Audited five properties to map occupancy and lease commitments, ensuring a smooth decant from existing sites.
• Designed a seating plan that co-located like teams to strengthen collaboration.
• Coordinated staged moves to minimise disruption and avoid unnecessary lease liabilities.
• Worked with facilities teams to manage the handover, fit-out, and adjustments needed post-move.
• Introduced an online booking system for meeting rooms and quiet spaces, consistent with the new workplace model.
• Contributed to the Department’s overarching accomodation standard by talking with all stakeholder groups and understanding what they did and their work patterns.

People and Change

• Partnered with senior leaders to set direction and align the relocation with the broader LGH Precinct Masterplan.
• Established a Relocation Working Group of local leaders to model behaviours, shape building etiquette, and guide their teams.
• Engaged staff on the ground through walk-throughs, forums, and opportunities to contribute (e.g. naming meeting rooms, participating in clean-up days).
• Delivered proactive communications and FAQs to keep everyone informed, including project updates, fact sheets, and intranet news.
• Supported staff with orientation activities, induction training, and tenancy handbooks, ensuring people knew how to navigate and use their new workplace.
• Designed activities to build culture, such as welcome packs, day-one events, and leader-led check-ins.
• Managed resistance with a respectful, individualised approach, recognising not everyone would be immediately comfortable with open-plan working.

The Frankland Street relocation successfully created a central hub for 400 staff, bringing together teams that had previously been fragmented across multiple sites. The new facility offered:

• A modern open-plan environment with sit-stand desks, quiet rooms, and shared collaboration zones.
• A Learning Hub on Level 1, now serving as a precinct-wide training and simulation centre.
• Improved alignment with Tasmanian Government Accommodation Guidelines, including sustainability and energy efficiency measures.
• A sense of community and connection, with staff supported through orientation, induction, and cultural onboarding.
• Cost savings through streamlined leases and a building governance model to manage ongoing tenancy needs.

By combining careful logistical planning with deep stakeholder engagement, MEC Consulting helped Tasmania Health not only manage a complex relocation but also strengthen team culture, reduce risk, and embed new ways of working that aligned with the LGH Precinct Masterplan.