The Nowy Styl Group, an international expert in office space furnishings, has a brand new office in Kraków. Looking at the specialists working here: consultants, architects and designers, the office is a hub of knowledge about designing office furniture and work spaces. No wonder that the company made it a point of honour to create that space. Today, the organisation unveils its office space and explains how to be successful with a new office, but also how to measure that success.
The Nowy Styl Group is a European leader of comprehensive furniture solutions. The company advises its clients on arranging office spaces. Based on its know-how, pooled in almost three decades, the organisation took an informed approach to designing its own office. Today, experts from the Nowy Styl Group share their experience from the process and answer questions about where to start an office changeover project, what challenges you will have to face and how to design a space that will respond to the needs of your organisation.
Defining problems and objectives
92% – this is the number of Nowy Styl Group’s employees who are happy with their workplace today. But it was not always like that. Before the change, the company had three fairly random locations scattered across different parts of Kraków – an inconvenient and impractical solution for many employees. Time wasted on travel between the offices, confusion caused by email communication, space becoming more cramped as teams expanded – these were the challenges faced by employees, and serious problems for the organisation at large.
“We are an international company, we operate in many markets. To be successful, we need a quick flow of information and we have to be able to collaborate on an ongoing basis” says Adam Krzanowski, the President of the Nowy Styl Group, whose office is located in the new space.
The management team decided on a detailed study of the problems and needs of teams based in Kraków. The results of that quantitative and qualitative analysis, carried out by an in-house Workplace Research & Consulting Department, formed a solid ground for the decision to build a new office and for the project’s objectives. A multidisciplinary project team was appointed to provide comprehensive management of the project.
One office for various needs
Ten months later, 120 people started working in the new space. All of Nowy Styl Group’s teams based in Kraków met on one floor of the office building at 9 Jasnogórska Street in Kraków. Waiting for the employees were not only aesthetically pleasing and spacious interiors, but also workspaces tailored to their diverse needs.
“To create a single office for a number of teams with various work specificities is quite a challenge. Meanwhile, analysis has shown that our Kraków departments are dominated by three work styles. We wanted to be sure we’d meet everyone’s needs, so we went for a hybrid office model. We designed enclosed rooms for shared use by many people, as well as open spaces with assigned workplaces, and desk-sharing zones, where mobile workers share desks” says Ewelina Solecka, Workplace Consulting Manager.
Every workplace is provided with sit-to-stand desks and ergonomically advanced chairs. Spaces for meetings, both formal and spontaneous, which foster integration, are located nearby, along with quiet work rooms and phone booths. The heart of the office is a greenery-filled kitchen called Food Garden: a 100 m2 space for people to regenerate, collaborate, integrate and celebrate.
Measuring the effects
“After the doors of the new office had opened, the first reactions of our employees were very enthusiastic. Bud we did not sit back complacently. Just like any other business process, a new office project must be completed with evaluation. Therefore, as a project team, we conducted a satisfaction survey after five months of working in the office” says Ewelina Solecka.
In the survey, employees were asked the same questions as before the move. As a result, a clear assessment of the change could be obtained. Aspects evaluated by the company followed from the objectives of the project:
- Satisfaction: 92% of employees are happy with the new office, of which 59% are very happy
- Comfort of meetings: 98% of employees can find a comfortable place for meetings in the new office
- Flow of information: 80% of employees noted a faster flow of information after moving to the new office
- Work efficiency: 76% of employees noted their work efficiency improved after the office change
- Employee motivation: The new office had a positive impact on the motivation of 70% of employees
- Atmosphere in the team: 92% of employees got to know people they work with better thanks to the new space; According to 72% of employees, the new office improved the atmosphere at work
The results quoted above are only selected data gathered by the Nowy Styl Group while working on the project. Today, the company wants to share the experience gained. It invites you to use its materials featuring universal tools and methods by which organisations can create their own tailored office, step by step. And it opens up to visitors, who would like to talk about carrying out similar projects.