15% more productivity with a marketplace in the office

Communication zones are important meeting points in everyday office life. These "marketplaces" and meeting places provide an informal exchange between those who do not meet in everyday working life. This is because we talk to some colleagues on a daily basis and not at all to others due to ingrained processes. But it is precisely through conversations outside our cosmos, i.e. with employees from other departments, that new collaborations and creative food for thought arise. Creating an ideal meeting place can not only strengthen the sense of community between colleagues, but also demonstrably stimulate their motivation and performance - this not only improves team spirit, but also makes the whole company more productive!

Random encounters increase productivity by up to 15

Who hasn't experienced this? Just when we are looking for an outstanding idea at the push of a button, it usually doesn't come to us. It's often moments away from the pressure to perform, possibly in an exchange with colleagues, that flood us with ideas. A kind of "idea ping pong" ensues between the conversation partners - a tossing back and forth of ideas and suggestions that inspire new thoughts on both sides. However, chance encounters that could encourage potential cooperation and innovation between colleagues and departments are rare or even non-existent in everyday working life.

Meeting place for spontaneous meetings

These encounters have been proven to boost productivity! A research group at MIT has investigated the so-called "water cooler effect" - the extent to which meeting colleagues away from the desk, for example at the water cooler or coffee machine, has an impact on performance. They found that employees' productivity can be increased by 10 to 15 % when they meet in small groups, which creates a sense of community.

What has brought us together for thousands of years is (not) a secret

The secret of the natural meeting place, which has been anchored in us for thousands of years, revolves around two vital things: food and drink.

Where there is food and drink, people are not far away. So, after thousands of years, a fireplace has been transformed into a modern kitchen, where very nice colleagues occasionally serve home-baked cakes or similar treats. As soon as the "buffet" is declared open in the in-house Slack chat, even the always stressed colleague makes a quick dash towards the kitchen, or at least to where he can find the free treat. Colleagues who never meet in everyday working life come together. Between clattering dishes and crumbs of cake, they chat nonchalantly about the weather and the past weekend. Unfortunately, these conversations tend to remain superficial, as kitchens lack the necessary level of coziness and privacy. So what else do you need - apart from fabulous cakes - to strengthen the group feeling within a company?

The 3 pillars of the ideal meeting place

What are the effects of workplace design on conversations?

Although the kitchen invites you to linger for a while, it is not the ideal place for in-depth conversations. As long as everyone can overhear, most people prefer to keep a low profile. Anne-Laure Fayard and John Weeks have discovered why this is the case. The assistant professor of management at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and the professor of leadership and organizational behaviour at IMD in Lausanne conducted nine studies in Europe, Asia and the USA over a period of more than twelve years and investigated the effects of workplace design on conversations between employees. It turns out that a space promotes or hinders contact depending on whether it is "offering" or "inviting". But what exactly does this mean?

The concept of the US psychologist James Gibson

To understand the "offer" and "invitation" character of a space, it helps to understand the concept developed by US psychologist James Gibson. It describes how an object or environment communicates its purpose and potential uses to the outside world. For example, the offer of a door creates the invitation to enter or leave the room and its handle invites you to reach for it. Gibson was convinced that the offer character can be ignored or misunderstood if the effects are so subtle that they are no longer perceived due to a changed environment.

"Proximity, privacy and permission" - the 3 pillars of the ideal meeting place in your office for good conversations between your employees

On the basis of their extensive studies, Anne-Laure Fayard and John Weeks came to the conclusion that the ideal meeting place is proximity, privacy and permission to ensure a productive exchange between employees. Now the question naturally arises: "As an employer, how do you create a place where proximity, privacy and permission are equally present? And what do the individual points mean in concrete terms?"

Proximity

  • Is the meeting point provided within easy reach of all employees?
  • Is it located at a natural hub that all employees pass through in the course of a day?
  • Is the room adapted to the number of employees so that it is neither cramped nor overwhelmingly large? British psychologist Robin Dunbar recommends an average of between 100 and 250 people

Privacy

  • Are there enough different places to stand and sit (such as high-backed sofas with privacy screens) to have undisturbed conversations?
  • Are the seating options arranged in such a way that everything is manageable, but each seating area offers a place of retreat ?

Permission

  • Does the room offer an open and inviting atmosphere?
  • Is it possible to hold spontaneous meetings?
  • Is it possible to work at tables and on seats?

A place to meet, exchange ideas, linger and work

So what can it look like, this place where employees like to spend time, get in touch with each other, hold spontaneous meetings and are struck by flashes of inspiration?

A counterexample - how it doesn't work

The airline Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was already thinking about "marketplaces" in the office in 1987 and redesigned its corporate headquarters: a natural hub was created in the middle of the building, a so-called "street", which connected a café, shopping facilities, medical care and multifunctional rooms (equipped with comfortable office furniture, printers, coffee machines, etc.).

Just 9% of encounters took place on the street and in cafés and only 27% in all other public places - yet two thirds of encounters took place in familiar office spaces. What went wrong here?

As there was no study that could explain what didn't work at SAS, we can only guess: Although the natural hub was provided by the "street", you couldn 't sit down comfortably and start chatting straight away - you had to look for a suitable place first. If this failed after one or two unsuccessful attempts, the project was probably postponed to another time - perhaps to the office. On the other hand, the "street" could also have been too big, so that people ran into each other in a distant sense, but not close enough to actually want to start a conversation.

How it works: 400 m² marketplace for 200 people

A good example of this is the so-called "marketplace" at Lufhansa Technik in Hamburg. On an area of 400m², 200 people find enough space for spontaneous conversations, meetings, table football duels, as well as welcoming visitors or a varied workplace. Crossing the marketplace is an everyday and completely automatic occurrence, as the various departments of the employees are located around this meeting place. So it's quite natural to bump into colleagues and meet for a quick snack or coffee and suddenly come up with ideas that you haven't seen all week.

The ideal meeting place: café meets workspace

So what is left if you take the three factors of proximity, privacy and permission , contrast them with Gibson's "offer" and "invitation" character and differentiate them by stating that meeting points alone are not enough? A place where people like to spend time without feeling guilty, which is neither too small nor too big (Robin Dunbar's mediocrity), protects the privacy of the individual and is easily accessible for every employee.

This is exactly what the clever minds at the Dark Horse agency have been thinking about. In the "New Workspace Playbook", they claim that places from everyday life can also be transferred to the world of work - such as the atmosphere of a café. Why a café in particular? It's a place where many people also like to spend time in private, meet friends and let their minds wander.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries hangs in the air, the arrangement of the furniture seems to have the perfect place for every individual, and the spot lighting creates a fine balance between coziness and concentration so that you don't sink into your armchair in a daze. And when you look around, you'd love to have all the decoration, including plants, framed pictures and photos, in your own home.

Why no one is lazing around, but in reality everyone is working

So far, the idea of the café has sounded pretty tempting. But the thought of being "caught" by your boss while you sit back and chat with colleagues quickly makes some people feel uncomfortable. But there's really no need for a guilty conscience ... Because of course it's not a real café, it just looks like one at first glance. Actually, the café - no, we mean the "Work Lounge" or the "Communication Café" - hides the best conditions for working there.

Meeting place without a guilty conscience

The ideal meeting place for informal conversations between colleagues is therefore a space that exudes the atmosphere of a café, but at the same time offers optimal conditions for an unconventional workplace:

A selection of food and drink is always to hand, light-colored furniture with a wooden touch invites you to linger, office plants, pictures, carpets and other elements dampen the noise level, and the wall and floor design is reminiscent of the company's brand identity without being obtrusive. The ideal meeting place is equipped with multifunctional furniture so that people can work at any time. Larger and smaller tables of different heights are juxtaposed with various seating options such as armchairs, sofas, lounge chairs and chairs. It is important here that the atmosphere of a café is always maintained. The availability of sufficient power sockets and good Wi-Fi reception is essential - without electricity and internet, nothing works these days. The integration of a projector is perfect for presentations outside the typical office space and a movie theater atmosphere after work.

Would you also like a "work lounge" in your office space? Our experts will be happy to advise you!