A journey through time

Digitalization, globalization and the coronavirus pandemic have changed the global working model for good. New Work is the umbrella term for this transformation in the labor market. The need to develop a new mindset, implement modern workplace concepts and accommodate the shift in corporate culture presents many employers with new challenges. BLG LOGISTICS is also experiencing this transformation process. Remote working, desk sharing and modern office spaces: on a pilot area in Bremen’s Überseestadt port district, the logistics provider with a rich tradition is testing which measures are best suited to the wishes and needs of its employees.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought remote working to front and center – with the traditional eight hours a day, five days a week office model increasingly becoming the exception at many German companies. “Employees have realized that they can work differently and still get the job done without necessarily having to show up at the office every day. They want to enjoy greater flexibility in their choice of work location,” says Sonja Andresen, Head of CONTRACT Review and Improvement at BLG LOGISTICS. Together with her colleagues Carolin Böttjer and Constanze Heinrich, Andresen heads up the Project Management Office of the Work@BLG pilot project. The aim of the 15-member project team is to develop a hybrid, future-oriented workplace model for commercial employees and bring BLG’s employer attractiveness into line with future requirements.

“Our aim with the pilot project is to create a new model of office reality.”
Constanze Heinrich, Senior Project Manager

Around 70 employees are testing the possibilities that Work@BLG offers them in shaping their work and daily routines. The centerpiece of the pilot project is a 400-square-meter office space at BLG’s site in Bremen’s Überseestadt district. The space was designed under the motto “Journey through time,” because the logistics group attaches the same importance to tradition and origin as it does to its future viability. The project managers identified criteria they wanted the pilot area to fulfill – it should be modern, appealing and identity-forming. To achieve this, each member of the interdisciplinary project team assumed responsibility for a different area, be it painting work, ordering the office furniture, organizing the move, the booking tool or even the necessary desk heights and communication. “On this project, we also demonstrated how modern teamwork functions,” says Carolin Böttjer with a smile.

A new office reality

“The pandemic opened people’s eyes to the possibilities of remote work,” says Sonja Andresen. At home, they have everything they need – a full fridge, coffee and the necessary peace and quiet to work.” The key question the project asked was therefore: What must we do to persuade colleagues to want to return to the office after the pandemic? “We want to eliminate the dissonance that exists between office and remote working and create a greater sense of wellbeing at the workplace,” says Carolin Böttjer.

The concept and configuration of the pilot space is based on a comprehensive analysis of employees’ needs. In a preliminary step, the pilot team kept a work journal in which they logged employees’ work patterns, habits and preferences. As well as “good coffee and a quiet corner,” employees expressed the wish to change their work location during the day, allowing them, for example, to work mornings in the office and afternoons from home. “Our aim with the pilot project is to create a new model of office reality,” says Senior Project Manager Constanze Heinrich.

Breaking the mold

The pilot area at the Überseestadt location suits the project perfectly because there is sufficient space available. “To realize the journey through time concept, we reorganized the former spaces and open-plan offices,” Andresen explains. “And created areas reflecting a rich historical past and a modern-day present.” The journey through the 145-year history of BLG LOGISTICS begins in the entrance lobby, where rooms decorated in sepia and old photos on the walls depicting the hustle and bustle of the port, historical warehouses and typical shipped commodities such as coffee and cotton encapsulate the tradition of the Bremen logistics company. Waiting areas and a console at which to check emails while looking out over the River Weser invite visitors on an emotional journey back in time and connect employees and visitors alike with the company’s history.

Everyday office life earlier

1926 Administration

1960 Company canteen

1976 Office space

1926 Administration

1960 Company canteen

1976 Office space

Most of the rooms in this time zone provide meeting spaces with a special ambience. “We wanted to get away from conventional meeting rooms with long conference tables,” explains Constanze Heinrich, which, she adds, with today’s hybrid meetings are no longer in keeping with the times. Instead, the project team opted for sofas and seating groups that visually soften the space and encourage communication. A modular furniture concept in wood promotes creativity. Modern IT equipment such as smart cameras or mobile pinboards enable hybrid meetings. “Since the pandemic, digital conferences have become the norm,” adds Sonja Andresen. “The next challenge is to provide dedicated IT equipment to support hybrid meetings.”

In der „Gegenwart“ überwiegen bunte Farben

In the “present,” cheerful colors predominate; yellow-and-blue high-bay racks and container walls as photo wallpaper bring a warehouse atmosphere into the offices. This is where the majority of workstations are located. One change is that employees are no longer assigned a permanent desk – instead, desk sharing is the modern way of working. “We operate a booking system, so that everyone has to reserve their individual workstation for the day,” says Sonja Andresen. “This way, we try to accommodate colleagues’ different needs.” This has been the focus of the project team from the get-go. To help them understand just what these requirements are, Sonja Andresen and her colleagues Carolin Böttjer and Constanze Heinrich studied them very closely. “We want to bring the various specialist departments together and foster co-working spaces across different disciplines,” the project managers insist. Need to concentrate? Book one of the so-called tunnel workstations. Prefer working in a team? Choose a place close to your project partner. Got some undisturbed phone calls to make? Use one of the soundproof telephone booths. Everything is designed to be uncomplicated and low-threshold. At the end of office working hours, the desks are cleared again, ready for the next user. Employees simply store their belongings overnight in their own locker or take them home if they are planning to work from home the next day.

“We want to bring the various specialist departments together and foster co-working spaces across different disciplines.”
Project Manager Carolin Böttjer, Sonja Andresen and Constanze Heinrich (from left to right)

Evaluation in the summer

After a six-month trial phase, the Überseestadt project will be evaluated and a decision made on whether it has a viable future and can be used as a blueprint for other administrative locations. The three project managers are confident that the Work@BLG project will bring about many positive changes and that BLG LOGISTICS will successfully embark on the journey from New Work to New Normal.

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