A new hybrid working concept for Elo

An occupancy survey had been carried out at Elo’s headquarters in Tapiola, which showed that the premises were underused. Work was done mainly at desks, particularly demanding specialist work. However, the acoustics and functionality of the premises were not optimal. The premises did not serve the different types of work or tasks requiring concentration and lacked sufficient retreat areas. The facilities needed to be more versatile and flexible as they did not provide the desired support for meetings and collaboration across team boundaries.

The aim was to create a diverse, adaptable, multi-location, and flexible workspace suitable for mobile working – while listening to the staff. Work environment projects at Elo had previously been managed top-down, and in this project, with Agile Work, the aim was to move from the bottom up, involving the users of the spaces, the staff.

The project began by gathering employee understanding through interviews and staff surveys. This data was then deepened through dialogue with the client in staff workshops facilitated by Agile Work’s workplace experts.

In line with the employee understanding, a visioning workshop for management was held to create policies and decisions based on the collected data. The project was driven forward in a highly digital way, using electronic collaboration platforms to facilitate communication and enable the client to easily access and comment on the documents required.

After the define phase, Agile Work created and implemented a pilot space for Elo, a working area open to all employees, including a meeting room. The space had previously been used as a management area, and opening it up to all staff was highly appreciated.

Feedback and observations from the pilot space were collected and used to refine the concept and design other spaces. The implementation was carried out in phases, with Agile Work acting as a construction consultant and overall design manager to design all the required change documents.

The renovated workspaces now better meet the needs of the employees, among other things, the acoustics have been improved, and the technology has been updated to meet today’s needs. The workspaces now have sufficient space and airiness and are also highly adaptable. So the space is never finished but adapts to the changing needs of workers.

From Elo, the project involved a change team with a representative from each unit. Every few months, the change team met to go through the plans in more detail. To support change management, workshops were held with managers on placement and team-specific needs.

The new working environment concept involved abandoning a separate break room in each wing and moving to a shared floor café. This initially caused concern among the staff but has since increased the sense of community. The plan was carried out in close cooperation with Elo Facilities Services.

From a change management perspective, the project was successful because the staff were involved from the start, had the opportunity to test the future space in the pilot premises, and were given sufficient time to make the changes.