New Year’s Eve has come and gone, leaving us with a feeling that something new is beginning. A fresh start, New Year’s resolutions… And among these things – one major change for all Aon Krakow colleagues – long-awaited relocation from the Diamante Plaza building to our brand new office in the Enterprise Park.
Yet in December everyone got a box to pack necessary things (a great opportunity to utilise broken stationary or all those notepads and calendars no longer in use) and get ready to start at the new place. I am one of those who had a chance to taste a bit of this new place during a pre-move office tour, so I was keen to see if the promises were kept.
The first day in the Enterprise Park started with John Lyons’ – our Centre Lead – welcoming speech, nice breakfast and a welcome gift to mark this very special day. Then colleagues had a chance to wander around a bit and see how the new spaces look like. And I have to say – they look great!
At the moment people enjoy new spacious and cosy kitchenettes and social zones, are happy to test nicely-equipped rooms such as conversation rooms (somehow new ideas are flourishing when we discuss complex matters in nice surrounding) or presentation rooms (where the ‘cinema feeling’ helps to comprehend shown material and data) and are keen to try out alternate workspaces like cabin sofas or media benches.
Together with the relocation to the new office, a new way of working called Activity Based Working has been implemented and we are slowly getting used to this new mode. ABW philosophy assumes that colleagues perform different activities in their daily work and that is why they need a wide variety of work settings in the office suitable for different tasks. Colleagues swap desks and look for the best spot, go to cabin sofas for a chat or team meeting, or use focus booths for a call or to find a moment for themselves. To relax they may use one of the wellbeing rooms or patio, and to have a chat with friends they choose social zones. I observe that the way we think about workplace has changed. It’s no longer fixed desks and conference rooms. I have realized that I do not need so many things on my desk to focus on duties, which is a major change for me (and I think for some others as well). What’s more, it is nice to find an alternative way to perform task or simply to have a coffee break in more sunny space.
There is still some work going on to furnish all wellbeing rooms, and we simply need to give up some of the habits from the previous offices. Sometimes it is difficult to find yourself in a maze of all these corridors, but change agents (and maps) are there to help. I personally cannot wait for spring to come to have a look on outside equipment and use patios and sport fields (well, even if not for playing, then at least for cheering for Aon teams).
Every change is something we try to prepare for, and when it happens, it still usually takes us by surprise. This time the transition is quite smooth and I think it will pay out as the new office is nothing but change for good.
