Business Workshop 1

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1

Do you like the IBS school environment?

yes

no

Can the physical environment make someone more or less productive or happy at work?

Yes

No

I don'tknow

What physical features do you like most and least about the place where you work or study?

Business Workshop 1 page 88

Ditigal is an internet media organisation offering music, news and entertainment to millions of subscribers. This dynamic, fast-growing enterprise, which is only seven years old, has over 300 employees. The company is planning to move into bigger headquarters soon.

Danish co-founder and CEO, Clara Jensen, is a strong believer in the concept of 'arbejdsglæde' – from 'arbejde', the Danish for work, and 'glæde', the word for happiness – literally meaning 'happiness at work'.

Jensen is aware that employees who enjoy their work environment will be more engaged, productive, innovative and happy. This in turn will lead to greater customer satisfaction and success for the organisation.

Giving everyone a voice is a core value of the company and Jensen wants her employees' input on design of the new offices.

What is 'arbejdsglæde'?

As part of the consultation process, employees at Ditigal were asked what they would change about the current workspace. Look at the survey results and see what employees desired.

The most popular request was for ...

1. Bigger personal workspace
2. Nicer communal areas
3. Fewer noise distractions
4. Option to work away from the office

BWS1 audio

c) the general impression?

 b) the office layout 

 a) the communal areas,

speaker 1

Speaker 2

Speaker 3

Reading article A and B

The office as somewhere to enjoy

A Work in pairs. 

Find out about what some companies are doing to make their offices happy places to work.

Student A: Read the article on page 89.

Student B: Read the article on page 132.

No book? Read the text on the next two slides. 

Student B text

In Poland today leading companies, competing for the most talented employees, want to attract and retain their staff with work environments a cut above traditional offices. Many Polish millennials – those born in the 1980s and 1990s – like their counterparts in other European countries, are adopting a different approach to their careers. They value teamwork and creativity and are not used to strict hierarchical management. A small but growing number of office developers are attempting to capture this spirit. The less formal approach to workplace design, now common among high-tech companies in the USA, is a new phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe. Companies there are now mimicking Google and Facebook. Their offices include areas designed for different types of work, such as creative spaces with walls for writing notes; 'silence boxes', where people can concentrate in peace, as well as relaxation rooms with games consoles and spacious kitchens with full fridges.

Student B text 

The office has to support creativity, conversations and teamwork. Companies have noticed that their workers are much more efficient if no one imposes where they have to work.

Last year KPMG moved its offices to the brand new Gdanski Business Centre. KPMG's website stated that the move was 'not only a change of address but also a step forward in thinking about the company as a workplace'. Indeed, its Warsaw employees brag about having new spacious kitchens, modern conference rooms and a large rooftop terrace.

Standard facilities in modern office blocks today in Warsaw include restaurants, hotel-like lounges in the reception, cycle racks and showers. The new Warsaw Spire, the second tallest building in the Polish capital, offers renters not only 100,000 sq metres of office space but also a green area with ponds, an amphitheatre, art galleries and cafés.

Summarising  Article A and B 

The office as somewhere to enjoy

Tell your partner in your own words about the article you read. Which of the office features mentioned in the articles would be most attractive to you?

 TASK: Design a new office space

Work in small groups. Discuss your ideas for the new Ditigal headquarters. Clara Jensen, the CEO, says you can use your imagination. For now at least, there is no budget restriction.

Make notes and present your ideas.

Remember to think about:

• what will be most attractive to young staff.
• how many zones you want to create and the purpose of each.
• what messages you want to transmit to visitors.
• how you want your staff to feel when they're at work.
• what will attract workers into communal spaces.
• what decor and artwork you would like.

What can make an office attractive?