Microsoft Germany's headquarters is a vision of a new world of work
Microsoft in Munich
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With digitization, we are witnessing the biggest change in the world of work since the industrial revolution.
Established concepts have been turned upside down – mobile work and the home office have become a matter of course in many places. Cafés and co-working spaces are no longer used only by digital nomads and freelancers.
A future where we all work side-by-side with machines and digital assistants is imminent. Our world is characterised by collaboration, creative connections, teamwork and new ways of thinking.
A new generation of knowledge workers brings a new claim to the world of work, underpinned by flexibility, self-determination and personal fulfilment with maximum security. Employees and employers discuss job sharing, the four-day week and transparent salaries. The fight for the best talent has begun.
Amongst all of these changes, we must ask ourselves – how do we want to live and work? What does the future of work look like?
Microsoft Germany’s new world of work
All technology requires the right culture to ensure that is reaches its maximum potential. Microsoft’s research has shown that for a company to receive the most benefit from technology, they must embrace and encourage a strong digital culture – and a properly designed working environment is one such contribution.
Microsoft Germany’s headquarters in Munich, which opened its doors four years ago, was designed with the modern workplace in mind, to ensure that employees and visitors alike are in an environment which truly gets the best out of them.
The focus of the office is centred around diverse employees, with different needs and talents. Each employee can decide for himself how and where they would like to work, at any given time, and on any given day – from private quiet areas for deep focus, or more open collaborative workspaces which encourage discussion and brainstorming.
The office offers a work environment with state-of-the-art equipment throughout. In addition to the workstations, employees have 11 roof terraces, numerous conference meeting areas, lounges, and an on-site gym.
The conference rooms are of the highest technical standard, including Windows 10, Office 365, the Microsoft Surface Hub and Skype for Business solutions – specially designed for a new age of networked collaboration, collaborative processes and productive meetings.
Human Factor: It’s all about the flow
Technology give us the freedom today to decide when and where we work. Those who can design their work flexibly and independently can not only achieve a better work-life balance, more motivation and a higher level of.
Flexible forms of work increase and encourage innovation and productivity among employees in a company. A study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that companies working with flexibility have up to 14 percent more new or improved products on the market than those with conventional working time regulations.
Around 90 percent of all employees of Microsoft Germany today make use of flexible working conditions, while still using technology to connect and collaborate with colleagues, partners and customers all over the world.
This change in workplace culture can pose new challenges for companies in terms of their office structure and the design of their headquarters. With the Smart Workspace, Microsoft has taken the next step towards the new world of work.
This article was adapted from the original German News Centre feature.
