First Impressions of the New Workplace
It was a beautiful building filled with plants, raw concrete, impressive double-height spaces, stylish custom furniture and fully equipped desks. We parked our bikes in the bike storage and had lunch in the canteen. At reception, Emma or Eva greeted us with a big smile every day. Music led us to the coffee bar on the ground floor. On Fridays there were croissants in the morning and a hot lunch in the afternoon. We lost the table tennis tournament miserably. We felt more than welcome!
Why It Still Didn’t Work
And yet… we couldn’t find our rhythm.
The layout of the floor was designed for scrum teams. Everything about the workplace concept was geared towards constant collaboration. But we are specialists who need more quiet and focus. That becomes especially difficult when colleagues are constantly taking short calls with clients, building owners, suppliers and so on, while there is no phone booth or call room available.
That restlessness led colleagues to work from home more often. As a result, the office did become quieter, but above all emptier… too empty. What didn’t help either: the number of desks had doubled, so the space was filled with unused workstations.
Back to Our Own Office
We’ve been back in our own office for a week now. For calls, we can simply step into a phone booth. When it gets too noisy, we escape into our “focus forest.”
The number of workstations has been halved, but the space per workstation has nearly doubled. And that feels right for us.
The Beating Heart of Our Office
When we walk into our office now, we immediately enter the heart of our company: exactly as we intended in our workplace concept. We enter through our coffee area, where clients are served at the bar rather than waiting in a chair. Where the decorations from the last celebration are still hanging. Where a colleague can spontaneously join a major project meeting. Where the familiar shouts from the table tennis table fill the room.
That vibrant heart is what we missed the most.
The Power of a Good Workplace Concept
The example above shows how important a good workplace concept is. If you look only at square metres, people can technically “work” in any space. But you don’t want just the people to work: you want the space to work too.
A strong workplace concept translates a company’s way of working and vision into a thoughtful layout. In doing so, the office actively supports everyone in contributing to the company’s success.
Curious About Our Temporary Office?
If you’re curious to see our temporary workplace, we’d be happy to show you around, there is still a beautiful turn-key office space available for rent. Who knows, it might be exactly the space that works perfectly for your company.
What Can Parella Do for You?
A good office does more than provide space: it strengthens your culture, encourages collaboration and makes people enjoy coming to work.
Want to know how Parella can support you? We’d be happy to tell you more in an introductory meeting, or learn more about our workplace consultancy process here.