Creating Innovative and Attractive Workplaces for Today’s Employees: An Interview with Michael Ortmann

Working flexibly in terms of time and place, in cool places and a flat hierarchy: This is what young people especially want. The world of work is changing and companies need to find answers if they want to continue to find employees who enjoy working for their organization.

Someone who is familiar with new work environments and whose business it is to make other people’s work better is Michael Ortmann, head of Meinlschmidt Raumkonzepte’s office clothing from Balingen. He says: “Rooms and their furnishings have a definite impact on the motivation, performance and health of employees and therefore on the productivity of every company.” The “Schwäbische Zeitung” spoke to him about today’s working environments.

Mr. Ortmann, the world of work has changed a lot in recent years. What should a modern office workplace look like today?

Due to digitization and remote work, the office has lost its importance as a primary workplace. But it is not meaningless. On the contrary. Today, an office is primarily a place for knowledge exchange. It is about collaboration and interdisciplinary communication. Personal exchange is important for making connections, learning and working together as a team. A modern office must do justice to this.

Meinlschmidt aims to create a corporate culture that encourages innovation and attracts talent. What do places that create innovation and attract talent look like?

Just a colorful office doesn’t change the culture of innovation. For us as office equipment and consulting companies, it’s about understanding companies’ processes and their corporate DNA and translating them into places of action. It is important to carry the identity of the company, the brand, into the rooms. But that also means there is no plan for an office concept. The advertising agency has completely different requirements than the manufacturing company.

What they all have in common is that the office must be functional and put people at the heart. This requires both the retirement areas for hard work as well as areas for exchange and the corner of the sofa for the team call. The point is that employees can choose the work situation that allows them to solve the current work task in the most efficient way.

With the home office regulations across the country, is this effort even justified?

No doubt. In many organizations the problem is that the innovative strength and creativity has decreased due to the lack of exchange. Communication from the home office often doesn’t work as well. So more and more companies are trying to bring their employees back to the office – at least temporarily, allowing for a mix of home and office work.

This isn’t a sure fire success, which is why many companies, big and small, have found that they need to do something to make sure their employees are happy. at work.

If current studies are to be believed, the number of employees who do not have an emotional connection with their employer is higher than ever. Are companies really interested in their employees being satisfied at work? And are they doing something about it?

It feels like companies are doing more and more to achieve this, yes. The economy is suffering from a lack of skilled workers. For this reason alone, companies must make every effort to ensure that employees enjoy working for their organization. It has now become clear that fruit baskets, swings or table football are no longer enough to keep workers. Companies need to turn employees into fans – and an office that reflects an identity and is functional is a great tool for this.

Ultimately, it’s also about taking employees forward and getting in on the “why.” We receive many consulting orders with the task of developing spatial concepts and working environments in which employees feel comfortable and meet the work requirements of today – and not only from large companies. There is a lot that can be done – especially if employees are involved to some extent at an early stage.