Modern office planning - Rethink work environments and shape the future

A few years ago, McKinsey predicted in a study that the working world would change a hundred times faster and three hundred times more drastically than during the time of industrialization. A speed that one would probably have thought impossible until a few years ago.

But suddenly we literally got to know new tools overnight, hybrid and flexible work models became commonplace, and virtual meetings are now part of the acceptable norm. In other words: We are facing the greatest revolution in our working world.

The office still plays an important role here, but it is no longer the only place where work can take place.

With this insight, modern office planning becomes much more than a new furnishing concept or the selection of new furnishings. The office and the planning of the office itself become strategic instruments and part of company development, and companies must ask themselves other questions: Why do we come to the office? What takes place there?

In other words, it requires spaces that offer added value to employees, which do not exist in the home office, co-working space, or the café next door. Only then does the office become an employee magnet.

The reasons why it makes sense to deal with modern office planning sooner rather than later should be clear. Modern workplace concepts in office planning not only determine whether employees can work productively, but also whether and how one's own corporate culture is lived and perceived.

An important goal in professional office planning and design is to increase productivity: If offices do not best support employees in their respective tasks, performance and thus productivity inevitably suffer. Poor office acoustics cause disruptions, poor room climate reduces concentration, poor lighting planning makes one tired, lack of retreats make focus work difficult, and rigid structural designs and inflexible office furniture mean that changing rooms to meet new challenges or changing customer needs is not possible.

Next, in this context, we consider corporate culture: Many companies talk about change and want to change their corporate culture - but often mean changing their own office spaces. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The spatial change is just one element, albeit a very essential component of a holistic change. Yes, the physical place can help make a corporate culture visible and tangible in everyday work. However, by true transformation, we mean the holistic consideration of people, space, and organization. Naturally and additionally with all the technological tools that support us in these topics and are available to us.

To give an example here: If a trainee is sitting on a sofa with his laptop on Friday afternoon working and is then asked by his supervisor if he has nothing to do, such zones offer no added value. The design or color of the sofa plays a subordinate role, but instead the culture of the company.

Conclusion: A well-thought-out and above all individual New Work environment is a key lever for increasing productivity and can make corporate culture visible. However, a modern concept only creates the hoped-for added value if an interplay between space, people, and organization succeeds. Holistic office planning is therefore not an isolated question of workplace design, not a topic of space efficiency and savings, but an investment in one's own organization.

When designing and planning future-proof New Work offices, serious mistakes are still frequently made that could actually be avoided. Those who know these typical mistakes can avoid business misinvestments and frustration among employees.

Here is a list of what we see as the most common mistakes and key issues that should be addressed before the project starts:

• Office planning without strategy: Who are we and where do we want to go?

• Disagreement in management: Do we all have the same target image?

• Take fears and uncertainties seriously: How can we involve all employees?

• Adopt trends unthinkingly: Does this trend also suit us?

• Lack of professional change management: What is needed to change not only the office space but also attitudes and culture?

• How do we design workspaces and environments effectively?

In the design and planning of future-proof New Work offices, serious mistakes that could actually be avoided are still frequently made. Anyone who knows these typical mistakes can avoid corporate misinvestments and frustration among employees.

Here is a list of the most common mistakes and most important questions in our view that should be addressed before starting the project:

• Office planning without strategy: Who are we and where do we want to go?

• Disagreement in management: Does everyone have the same vision?

• Taking fears and insecurities seriously: How can we take all employees with us?

• Adopting trends unreflectively: Does this trend suit us?

• Dispensing with professional change management: What is needed for attitude and culture to change in addition to office space?

• How do we design workspaces and work environments effectively? Our approach in office planning

With our comprehensive service offering for office planning and workplace concepts, we accompany you from the vision to the realization of your future working environment. Your needs and requirements are always at the center. It's less about developing a "fancy" concept, and more about creating a concept that best supports you in your work in the future.

To translate the vision of a future world of work, the right premises are needed. We are happy to support you even during the strategic project overview and whether your requirement profile could be realized at the current location or a potential area. For this, we provide cost estimates and feasibility studies so that the decision can be made on a sound basis.

With our proven know-how from countless projects with companies from various industries, we avoid the most common planning mistakes and develop work zones that are used and create the greatest possible added value.

Every existing area harbors unused potentials. We put the current office concept to the test and propose adjustments where the greatest added value is created. All to take your work environment to the next level.

With our holistic approach and professional know-how in the area of change management, we distinguish ourselves significantly from the competition. Because the physical spaces are only as good as the lived culture. To sustainably change this culture and the behavior of employees, we accompany you even beyond the construction project.

To bring the greatest added value to our customer projects, we want to know and understand new trends and insights into the future of our working world. We share this knowledge not only in our projects, but also stand as speakers for your event and provide you with the latest impulses and give new food for thought.

In office planning, we support organizations from a wide range of industries. Our clients include small and medium-sized enterprises, large and small municipalities, cantonal institutions, financial institutions, as well as globally operating corporations. We are currently active in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. By accompanying more than a hundred organizations in the past almost seven years on their way to a new working world, we can draw on a very broad knowledge and experience from a wide range of industries and company sizes. We can incorporate this practical know-how into your project as well.

Our motivation is not our own design aspirations, but rather our motivation is to achieve the greatest added value for the organization and especially for the employees. Only those who engage with their own future will remain relevant in the future.

»The collaboration with days with us was a thoroughly positive experience for us. The developed concept not only met our expectations but also created an excellent foundation for inspiring and efficient collaboration. We were particularly impressed by the professional approach, the creative implementation, and the ability to perfectly understand our needs and translate them into a coherent overall picture. We can unreservedly recommend days with us.«

Diana Rinderle, Site Communications Lead

For the maximum project success in implementation in office planning, it is crucial that the strategic framework conditions are obtained from the management and that employees are involved in the process. Thus, collaboration with days with us goes far beyond mere New Work office planning. We understand the development of a future-proof working environment as a strategic lever and an opportunity for designing a place with real impact.

Before developing office layouts, we start with an analysis in the form of workshops and interviews with employees and managers to understand work processes, corporate culture, and individual requirements.

Based on this, office layouts are created that are tailored to the company's individual needs, make culture tangible, promote teamwork, ensure ergonomics and health at the workplace, and increase productivity.

With this approach, employees feel taken seriously and valued, and an office concept is created that fits the company.