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Martin Schittig
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20.3.2023

Office routine rethought

Everything was always better in the past, they say. In the past, all of us Schittigs were always in the office. That was great. There was always lunch, and there was often not enough room at the table. We stayed there until 5 p.m. and maybe a little longer. Everyone had their own personal desk. Admittedly: They were usually pretty messy.

But now it is no longer “the past”. And you can already guess - a lot has changed. Above all, most Schittigs are no longer in the office. Home office, self-determined working hours and the odd office working day are now the norm. This presents us as an agency with some challenges. In this article, we will focus on one of them: the organization of the workstation.

Rotating - flexible desk organization with a system

As we said, the home office now predominates and we mainly meet in small teams in the office. That's why we have changed the arrangement so that no one has a fixed workstation anymore, but rather grabs a free desk. This has allowed us to reduce the number of workstations and plan more space per person.

But what used to cause clutter on the tables had to go somewhere! Because everyone wants to equip her:his place individually, loves her:his very personal mouse or does not want to do without the picture of the dearest.

We have solved this quite simply: with a box! Everyone has their own, and it offers enough space for all the important things. Each desk has a monitor with built-in USB-C hub, which is already fully wired, and a laptop stand. Now, once you've picked a spot, grab your box, your laptop, and thanks to modern USB-C magic, you're plugged in and ready to go. The desks are also height adjustable and you can work standing up.

Productive hustle or focused immersion?

With the reduction of workstations, we also looked at the type of working that is primarily needed at our company. Two variations emerged as particularly important:

  • A team works together and in communication on a project.
    For this purpose, we have 6 workstations in an open space where the focus is on meeting each other. There is an additional stool at each seat if someone is looking at the code or you chat about commits over a coffee. This is the place to work, especially for those who want to escape the loneliness of the home office.
  • A small team works in a concentrated way to find solutions.
    In a smaller room, there are 2 workstations opposite each other for this purpose. Here, one can close the door with a clear conscience and not be disturbed. Especially for developers, this focus room is a real added value. In a team of two people, you are more efficient in solving complex tasks than alone in a home office and still have enough peace and quiet to think things through.

Small idea with a strong effect

It's often small changes, like a simple box, that have a big impact on the way we work. That's why we also regularly review the status quo, screw with productivity or employee satisfaction, and don't stop there. We'll have plenty of time to rest later.