The competition for well-trained skilled workers has long since begun in many sectors – and numerous companies have realised that the more modern the working environment, the better they can meet their employees’ needs. Sebastian Stegmann is a research fellow at the Institute of Psychology at Goethe University in Frankfurt and specialises in the fields of ‘new working environments’ and ‘job satisfaction’. For him, it is clear: ‘The happier employees are, the better their performance. Furthermore, those who feel at home in their workplace remain loyal to their company for longer – which, conversely, means considerable cost savings for employers: after all, recruiting and training new staff is very expensive.”
That is why the COLLECTION Business Centres consistently prioritise the feel-good factor. Dr André Helf, CEO of the COLLECTION Business Centre Group, explains: “We are in constant dialogue with our clients and therefore know what they value most. First and foremost, of course, is a prime location in sought-after neighbourhoods of major cities – this includes good transport links and a solid local infrastructure, such as a good selection of restaurants, shopping facilities or well-maintained parks. Furthermore, modern offices must meet the requirements of the new working environments in every respect: In addition to luxurious fittings, this naturally includes the functionality of the equipment – in the age of digitalisation and modern presentation methods, we take particular care to ensure that we can always offer our tenants the fastest and best technical standards. Our trained staff are also always on hand to offer advice and assistance.”
Sebastian Stegmann has carried out various studies on the topic of ‘new working environments’. One finding is that satisfaction levels are particularly high in business centres. This comes as no surprise to Stegmann: “Workplace design is a key indicator. It allows employees to feel truly valued.”
This insight also plays a crucial role in the COLLECTION Business Centres. Dr Helf comments: “If you look closely at the development of new working environments in our fast-paced world, it becomes clear that the workplace of the future will be strongly characterised by the concept of flexibility. Many employees do not necessarily have a fixed location where they carry out their work in the same routine manner every day. Instead, there are different zones, such as the ‘quiet zone’, the ‘discussion zone’, the ‘presentation zone’ or the ‘conference zone’. These different workplace areas have varying requirements in terms of spatial design and technical facilities. In our business centres, it is possible to utilise these zones at different times as and when required. And, of course, we also have co-working spaces where groups of varying sizes can adapt their workspaces according to agreement and need.”
In traditional offices, it is almost impossible to create these new working environments – not only are the structures too rigid, but so too is the architecture of the buildings themselves. With their spatial layout, modern business centres are designed to allow for flexible office sizes from one day to the next and to charge users only for the costs that are actually incurred – there are no long-term leases with unpredictable commitments and the resulting financial obligations.
New workplace concepts also often mean greater motivation amongst staff and, consequently, higher productivity. Dr Helf explains: “Of course, we also offer open-plan offices – that is, smart offices where there is no longer a fixed seating arrangement or permanently assigned desks. Employees can make flexible use of the available workspaces – tenants face no restrictions whatsoever when it comes to organising their office use in this regard. And anyone who wishes to can also practise desk sharing – which, of course, promotes communication and creativity amongst colleagues. Research has shown that all these new working environments have an entirely positive impact on everyone involved.”
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