{"id":70108,"date":"2017-04-24T14:55:12","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T12:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/2017\/04\/24\/het-nieuwe-flexwerken-zonder-grenzen-met-herrie\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:41","slug":"het-nieuwe-flexwerken-zonder-grenzen-met-herrie-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/04\/24\/het-nieuwe-flexwerken-zonder-grenzen-met-herrie-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The new way of working: boundless but noisy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clear zoning, facilities in the work environment, transunit: anyone venturing into the world of flexible office planning will have to master some basic office terminology first. So: forget about a table with some comfy chairs \u2013 it\u2019s actually a rumoerzone (\u2018hubbub zone\u2019).<\/p>\n

And work progress meetings? They\u2019re called stand-ups now. Griping around the water cooler is also a thing of the past. Nowadays, people share their experiences via the \u2018opportunities & challenges\u2019 poster \u2013 which of course can be found in the \u2018hubbub zone\u2019. Lost your bearings? Then it\u2019s time to tag along with us on EM\u2019s flexible office safari.<\/p>\n

The employees of the University Support Centre (USC, which includes the HR and Marketing & Communication departments) have been working in the new Sanders Building since mid-March. And according to the University, a new work area also calls for a new way of working: Boundless Working.<\/p>\n

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The new building has all sorts of nifty features. Each\u00a0floor has long tables (including matching computer\u00a0monitors) that can be used for consultation or to\u00a0collaborate on a project.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Looking for a place to have a t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate?\u00a0The new chairs in the rumoerzones are perfect\u00a0for intimate conversation. The USC staff don\u2019t seem very enthusiastic, though. During our safari, we didn\u2019t come across any\u00a0couples who had retreated to a lounge area.<\/em><\/p>\n

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One of the new technical features: regulating the\u00a0local temperature (to a limited degree) from the\u00a0<\/em>comfort of your office area. Which means you\u2019re no\u00a0longer held hostage by that colleague who\u2019s still\u00a0freezing in the middle of summer. But for the moment\u00a0it\u2019s more of a placebo button, because we haven\u2019t\u00a0observed any impact on the temperature\u00a0(yet).<\/em><\/p>\n

Excellent and flexible<\/h3>

In a nutshell: a limited number of regular workspaces, lots of flexible work areas and above all a wide range of \u2018zones\u2019 that can be used for meetings or to get some work done. Or, as the University\u2019s official brochure touts: \u201cA work environment that helps you to excel, while providing sufficient flexibility to adapt to future changes within the organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do these shiny words mean in practice? During our tour of the Sanders Building, we come across several USC staff members sitting in the rumoerzone (an over-sized pantry with lounge chairs and long conference tables). Their initial reaction is favourable: \u201cThey\u2019ve done a really good job \u2013 everything looks nice,\u201d says a man who has come to grab a cup of coffee with his former office mate.<\/p>\n

A few floors up, people also seem positive. \u201cNot having your own workspace takes some getting used to, but I\u2019m sure things will work out,\u201d says one woman. Her sentence peters off into a whisper, though: a few colleagues glare at her when she starts speaking. After fossicking around a bit, we uncover the first annoyances.<\/p>\n

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This \u2018clear zoning\u2019 looks very useful on paper, but it has\u00a0proven to have some drawbacks in practice. Due to the\u00a0atriums, seating areas where you can chew the fat are\u00a0located only a few metres from the fixed workspaces.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In high demand: the closed-off \u2018fish bowls\u2019\u00a0that users can retire to for a consultation\u00a0meeting. While these aquariums are\u00a0undoubtedly practical, trendy and stylish,\u00a0they don\u2019t look very comfortable.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Boundless Working Don\u2019t: personal effects all over the place. Walls with lockers provide a\u00a0<\/em>solution. Boundless Working Do: posters in the common areas, where staff can reflect on\u00a0<\/em>calming mood boards and parking signs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Settling in<\/h3>

\u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t expect it would take me this long to settle in. It definitely feels different, these flexible workspaces,\u201d concludes a user of a silent zone on the fourth floor. And it turns our many people share this negative experience during the remainder of our safari. \u201cSometimes you can forget about simply getting your work done,\u201d more than one respondent remarks.<\/p>\n

The primary natural enemy of the USC staff is noise. It all sounds very fine on paper: quiet areas where people aren\u2019t allowed to make calls or hold private conversations. But since the building\u2019s open atriums (which look great, though) often don\u2019t feature walls or other barriers between the work areas and the \u2018hubbub zones\u2019, in practice these agreements don\u2019t amount to much.<\/p>\n

The noise question<\/h3>

\u201cLast week some colleagues two floors up were having a little celebration, and the noise drove me nuts,\u201d says the proud occupant of one of the building\u2019s few fixed workplaces. \u201cSo I went over and asked them to keep it down. I could forget about getting any work done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The noise question has also led to changing behaviour among the building\u2019s users. For example, anyone hoping to spot a contented Boundless Worker in the wild best get up early. \u201cAt a certain point, it\u2019s impossible to get any work done near the lift due to all the noise and people passing by,\u201d two HR staffers say in unison. \u201cThat\u2019s why you can already see people coming in a lot earlier than before. The best spots are all \u2018first come, first served\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for the time being, the local temperature also presents a problem. \u201cEach work area has a thermostat for regulating the temperature, but this hasn\u2019t proven very useful<\/p>\n

Ambassadors of the flexi jungle<\/h3>

Fortunately, they\u2019ve come up with a solution for these teething problems: the Ambassadors. In the words of the University, these staff members \u201cplay a pioneering role and help colleagues to make effective use of the work environment\u201d. In addition, they are expected to call staff members who don\u2019t abide by the rules to account. \u201c<\/p>\n

Colleagues find it difficult to remind each other of the rules,\u201d says one of these Ambassadors. \u201cWe can help in such cases. When people are talking too loudly, for example, or when someone has left behind a mess.\u201d In other words, after two weeks Boundless Working still seems to have a few snags.<\/p>\n

The key dangers in the flexi jungle are noise, the temperature and less-than-considerate co-workers. Is there nothing positive to say about this set-up? Of course there is: \u201cThose flexible work areas are perfect. At least we don\u2019t have to tell each other the same story every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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