Office gossip: Palmberg on Palmberg

So you can talk the talk? German office-furniture manufacturer walks the walk, having recently turned its Schönberg offices into an inspirational ‘living exhibition’ for how the contemporary, agile workplace can be. Architonic caught up with Palmberg’s in-house interior architect Gutha Schellhorn at the water cooler to find out more.

The most important thing was to reduce the noise level, which was perceived as annoying and unpleasant. A large number of colleagues are on the phone almost all the time. But there’s a permanent exchange going on within the company too. So, a high degree of transparency and ‘permeability’ of information within Palmberg was important to us also.

We also wanted the new offices to serve as a living exhibition, where we could show customers in real time how today’s workplace can look – a functional, yet cosy, working environment that supports well-being.

We only had three months to implement our plans, which was a very tight window given the scale of our desired changes. Optimising space efficiency for our large number of employees was also a challenge. What's more, each department within the company has very different tasks and working methods, which also had to be taken into account. That's why we now have many different work options, from a small meeting room for four people, to quiet workstations, to a creative board with a stand-up meeting table and a central meeting point.

We are planning an employee-satisfaction survey to gather the team’s initial reaction. However, we can already say from the positive feedback we’ve received from both employees and external visitors that we’ve achieved many of our goals.

Well, we don't have a crystal ball. However, it’s already very clear that there’ll be more flexible working conditions in the coming years. Places for concentrated work, for relaxation, for creative work, for meetings, and so on. The home office and the anywhere office will also gain a firm place in the future world of work. That said, the office will continue to exist as a physical place of social exchange and personal contact.

Personally, I don't need much. I work best where it's quiet, where I still have colleagues around me for personal exchange, where there’s a positive work atmosphere, and where people work together as a team.

© Architonic