The office as a company benefit? It’s the new normal

There’s no doubting that the pandemic accelerated digital and technological advances in the way we work. Importantly, it’s also fuelled an evolution in companies’ employee strategies. After reorganising its premises amid the pandemic, VÚB bank is ahead of the curve.

In a recent SmallTalk by HB Reavis webinar, we chatted to VÚB bank’s Head of HR, Dragana Smolović, and Origameo Consultant Peter Gróf about the build-up and roll out of the change in approach.

Turning a challenge into an opportunity

Like the majority of us, a year ago VÚB bank found itself adapting to a new landscape overnight. However, it turned the situation to its advantage.

According to Dragana Smolović from VÚB, they conctuted their own research to identify the positives emerging from the first wave and what they wanted to carry forward and incorporate into their new smart culture. That was the beginning of this whole reorganisation process, the outcome of which they are all enjoying today.

Working from home undoubtedly had its plus sides, but over time its limitations were clear for all to see. VÚB bank changed organisational behaviours to adapt not only to the present, but more importantly, to the future and the new normal.

That new normal is about variety. Where people can choose where to work – at home, in the office, on a chair, or on a comfortable sofa. VÚB bank’s offices, now in tune with the needs of its employees, are better at supporting their wellbeing. And many of these employees already see the workspace and its flexibility as a new staff benefit.

One size doesn’t fit all

Origameo’s consulting perfectly matched VÚB bank’s aims. The team generates value by factoring in employees’ and teams’ individual requirements into the final workspace design.

Discussions and analyses of work habits form the basis for a ‘workplace strategy’ that defines how teams work and interact with each other. This is then translated into an architectural sketch that embraces the building’s technological infrastructure, and guides the final fit-out. In VÚB bank’s case, the whole process took just under a year.

In Peter Gróf´s perspective Origameo is a service for companies that care about their employees. Companies that realise employee satisfaction is linked to growth. There’s an overlap between happy employees and greater productivity and engagement – maximising it gives businesses a major competitive advantage.

Watch the webinar to learn the processes behind the change: what it means to change an organisation and its premises in terms of everything from IT to legislation. What steps are involved in such a complex project? And what impact these changes will have on future operations?

Watch the full recording of the Small Talks by HB Reavis:

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