Moments that matter

2020, the pandemic triggered a rapid change in the world of work that wasn’t predictable at this pace. With this shift, the daily job experience has also changed. Employees are collecting new experiences regarding space, culture, and technology. These three aspects are shaping factors for the individual employee experience (EX), which sometimes have a lasting influence on the loyalty of employees and the attractiveness of an employer brand. What does this mean for companies? First, it is an opportunity to redesign touchpoints between employees and the company and to focus on target group-relevant moments that matter.

• What is important to us in the New Normal?

• What kind of employer do we want to be?

• How and where do we want to work together?

These and more questions have also been on our minds for the last few months. Minor spoiler: We haven’t found all the answers yet. Nevertheless, we have started to develop our moments that matter to create the best possible working environment for our colleagues.

A place that meets the requirements of modern collaboration

Hybrid working is here to stay. Thus, we established our Mobile Office Framework in 2021, allowing the team to choose where they work. After all, different tasks require different environments and resources. At the same time, we continue to focus on interdisciplinary teamwork and project work. We redesigned our office in Hamburg last year to have a place that meets the new requirements of modern collaboration. Since March, it has been possible to choose the optimal working environment in an area of approx. 1,250m². Employees will find opportunities to focus, be creative, hold hybrid meetings, and put their heads together. Since our team spirit doesn’t end after work, a large lounge area (our harbor) also invites you to spend time together, exchange ideas spontaneously, and organize events. We have the same vision for our office in Belgrade. We are optimistic that renovations will be completed by the beginning of 2023.

Creating memories with gin night, social engagement day, and summer party

We are not trying to pick up where we left off before the pandemic. Instead, we already redefined our corporate values last year. They serve as guiding principles for our daily interaction, the way we make decisions, lead and work together – regardless of where we work. Beyond the daily routine, we create various highlights with which we try to cover as many interests of employees as possible and which bring us together (digitally): from esome’s birthday party, Easter egg hunt, and gin night to social engagement days, alumni event, bike tour and volleyball games to the classic summer party. Creating shared memories is valuable for us because these moments create lasting bonds and strengthen our cohesion.

Technology simplifies our daily work routines

For us, the best possible working environment also includes using tools that facilitate work and ensure smooth communication with all stakeholders. To keep internal meeting time more efficient and productive, we introduced new software this year: In a 60-minute Sync Hour, we take time once a day for short consultations and dedicate ourselves to a specific topic in very short and concentrated slots. The company-wide block also ensures additional accessibility among each other. Since there is also the option to record individual meetings, employees who work part-time also benefit from the new tool, as they can view the completed topics at a time of their choosing.

We take inspiration for our moments that matter from direct conversations with the team. We have also been using a survey tool for two years, giving us both a quantitative overview of the mood and qualitative feedback. This tool enables us to optimize the employee experience continuously – because the next change is bound to come.