Added value office
There are plenty of reasons to go to the office. In the course of 2023, IBA Forum will take a look at various aspects of the added value of the office.
The advantages of working in an office
There are many reasons to go to the office — for example, to meet colleagues, exchange ideas and work together on projects, or simply because the office offers particularly good working conditions. Unfortunately, this is not true in every company, because the requirements placed on the office have changed significantly in recent years, but most offices haven’t taken yet caught up. More communication areas are needed, more spaces for teamwork, workshops and collaboration, and also more retreat areas than in the pre-pandemic era. In the course of 2023, the IBA Forum will address various aspects of the “added value of the office”. We will explore the question of what motivates people to return to the office, whether employers need to become hosts to accomplish this, what role the office will play as a place of learning in the future, and how you can most efficiently initiate necessary changes in your premises.
In our newsroom
Working at home or in the office?
What are offices actually good for? We posed this question not only to ourselves but also to experts from different fields. Clearly, being in the office brings benefits for collaboration and for employee loyalty to the company. Moreover, it is almost a prerequisite for creative processes. But what makes employees return to the office? Where do their advantages lie, when deciding whether to work from home or in the office? As an example, consider the response of New Work expert and European Youth Ambassador Ali Mahlodji, for whom the office resembles a flagship store: “It’s a place where people can recharge, where they can interact, where they can get the feel of the culture. That’s because working from home poses a problem: If you’ve worked from home for any length of time, you won’t even know what you’re missing anymore. The office has to act like a magnet so that people like to go there.” He also has a few tips to share on how to make this possible. You can look forward to some surprising suggestions.
From the showrooms
Ease return to the office
The showrooms at the IBA Forum offers you ideas on how to make corporate culture visible and how to turn the office into a place to be. For example, you will find out how to make the office into a place for people to meet. Perhaps you also want to set up a creative workshop. The showrooms will also offer ideas for this as well as examples of how ergonomics can be reinterpreted. After all, a working environment that is conducive to health and well-being is one of the very great added values of the office. We encourage you to take a look and make a little tour through our virtual working world.
In the media center
Advantages of working in the office
Empowerment and co-creation are two buzzwords that keep HR departments and interior designers busy around the world. For the office to have real added value for its users, people need to feel at home in it. In their presentations, Birgit Gebhardt and Dr Craig Knight explain when this also benefits companies. Sonya Simmonds offers insights into Spotify’s planning processes. Clara Ott provides practical implementation tips that are also useful for smaller companies, and Stephan Grünewald once again explains the fundamental forces that hold companies together. You don’t have enough time to watch the half-an-hour-long lectures? No problem! In the media library you will also find short films, for example on the working world of the future and the new role of the office.
At IBA knowledge
Bundled expertise for your office design
You can find more in-depth information on almost all areas of workplace design in our knowledge space. Studies that scientifically support the statements of our experts. Answers to the question of whether the open-plan office has advantages, whether you should continue to rely on one-person offices, and when the multi-space office is the office form of choice instead. Or you can use the communication archetypes as inspiration for the design of your communication and collaboration spaces. We can also recommend you take a look at the Best Workplace Award page. Watch the videos of the award winners to see first-hand how the value-adding office can be used to retain employees. Just take a look.
