But all the positives aside, the introduction of New Work is by no means a guaranteed success. It requires active, collaborative design, as Elke Zastrau, Head of Human Resources and member of the New Work Transformation team, explains. 

 “For us, New Work is an ongoing transformation process that’s all the more challenging because there are no role models that are 100 percent transferable. Also, certain general challenges are more difficult in a hybrid context. Hence, on the transformation team we’re looking at how our leaders shape aspects like individual recognition, identification, interaction, and inclusion. We’re also paying particular attention to issues relating to productivity, results focus and innovativeness at imc.” 

So, what milestones have we achieved in 12 months of New Work? Let’s take a closer look and reflect on the highlights.  

Buoyed by the positive energy of the last year, we’re starting 2023 with new goals. But we also want to continue to support and drive our transformation process. The changes introduced need to be consolidated and further developed over the long term. These include the adaptation of our leadership programme and the continued professionalisation and improvement of our operating model. We’ll also be focussing on leadership and coaching in the New Work model. And needless to say, there will be one or two more office makeovers. Exciting times ahead! We’ll keep you posted. 

We wanted to create multifunctional office spaces, each with its own unique character – a big bang on a small budget and with minimal effort. And we started with our offices in Munich, Australia and Saarbrücken.

In an extra-special highlight at our office in Australia, one of our local employees designed and painted a motif featuring the imc slogan “We Empower” on the wall. The slogan goes together well with a small bar and sofa corner, creating the ideal venue for after-work events and lending the office a unique look and feel.

“Our office was in something of a sorry state after the pandemic, and the revamp gave it a bit of sorely needed tender loving care,” says corporate designer Adan van Winden. “The area now has a vibrancy that makes it a nice place to be.”

Everyone likes working in their freshly made-over offices, but getting to that point was half the fun, not to mention a great opportunity to get the various teams together on site. The teams redesigned their offices themselves, which served to enhance team cohesion. The completion of each makeover was followed by a mini after-work party, with everyone gathering to celebrate the end result.

In short, the office makeovers were a huge success in so many ways – so much so in fact that we want to run similar makeovers in stages at our other locations. Plans for our offices in London and Singapore are already well in hand, and in Switzerland we have just moved into a new office, so we’ll be doing a makeover there too. We’ll keep you posted!

Overflowing with positive energy and inspired by new ideas and learning experiences, Kerstin and Sven left for the next stop of their journey: Singapore. At our Asian location, the visit focused on branding, team building, networking and cultural exchange.  

After the visit, Sven R. Becker concluded: “While travelling to the different locations we were reminded that maintaining intercultural contacts is of great importance to us as an international organisation. When it comes down to it, that’s exactly what we are: we share the same desires and goals.”  

Kerstin Steffen adds with emphasis: “Organisational development and especially new work also require intercultural skills, as well as respect for people and their culture. That is why the exchange between our countries was particularly important. It is fundamental for our business success. We must leverage our diversity and find common ground to achieve the best results possible.” 

Now, the success story does not end there. Further activities have already been planned in Singapore to enable even more successful collaboration as a team. We can’t wait to tell you more about it! 

Health and wellbeing are about our mental state – how we’re feeling, and how well we are able to cope with our working day. That’s why we believe it’s important to work on our mental health and wellbeing in the workplace on a regular basis – and not just when we’re having problems. So important, in fact, that in August we launched a comprehensive health awareness initiative. That’s in addition to the recently introduced online platforms voiio and My Seven Steps and regular health tips and recommendations. 

imc HR manager Sarah Pitzius explains why this month meant so much to us: “My colleagues and I in HR felt it was important to put the spotlight on the health of our employees and health in general. The idea of having a wide range of formats was so that each employee could select live sessions with external providers of their own choosing and hence find out about the kinds of services available, so that they could take advantage of helpful offerings like yoga sessions or workshops and talk with other employees about health issues.” 

We all find it a struggle at times to fit regular exercise into our daily routine, so the addition of voiio to our employee benefits programme here at imc several months ago has been a big help. For August, we instituted a shared active lunchbreak to raise awareness of this platform’s benefits and many offerings. These include brief active movement sessions, which is how we all came to spend 15 minutes of our lunchbreaks doing neck and back exercises. 

Also beneficial to our health are the “Flow & Focus” yoga sessions run by sales consultant Katharina Kunz. These sessions are held at regular intervals throughout the year, but in August Katharina delivered them every Wednesday – an employee coaching employees. “Sometimes we forget how beneficial a few minutes of controlled breathing and mindful movement can be when we are feeling stressed and unfocused,” Katharina says. “My aim with the ‘Flow & Focus’ sessions is to help my colleagues with this and enable them to consciously build this important time out into their schedules.” 

There was also a mini smoothie bar, organised by one of our employees. Our lunchtimes were all the better for her homemade rock melon-and-pineapple and spinach-and-celery smoothies. Delicious and bursting with goodness.  

How has your working day changed since the introduction of hybrid work?

Since the introduction of hybrid work, we’ve had the freedom each day to choose our location of work, which I really like. We no longer have to go in to the office every day, or for that matter, work from home all the time.

Your preferred work location is ...

At home, definitely. I like working from home because I live almost 35 km from our office in Saarbrücken. It means I don’t have to get up early to catch a bus and train to work.

What’s your secret to productivity and creativity in the new work model?

My secret is to set each day up for success with positive morning rituals. Plan you day, be smart and set yourself deadlines that you can actually keep. Take regular breaks and be sure to reward yourself for what you have achieved.

What would you like to see happen going forward?

I’d like for the new work model to continue as it is, with the option at some point, perhaps, of working a four-day week.

Has there been any change to your working day since the introduction of hybrid work?

Yes, my stress levels are down. There’s a whole lot of seemingly little things that all add up to a big improvement in quality of life. Things like reduced travel time, not always having to make my lunch for the next day, and just the ability to attend to personal matters during working hours. They all make a big difference. I now feel happier and more relaxed thanks to the reduced logistical run-around and the ability to work stress-free from home and structure my working day in a way that works for me.

Your preferred work location is ...

Home. I’m much more relaxed at home. I can have music playing while I work, and I like taking short yoga breaks throughout the day and having fresh air and natural light. I don’t really like the air-conditioning and artificial light at the office.

And what’s your secret to productivity and creativity in the new work model?

For me, it’s important to reward myself with breaks during the day and spend time outdoors. That helps hugely with my productivity and creativity. This ability to tailor my work routine to my needs means I’m much happier and more relaxed.

Hand on heart now, what do you like best about the new work model?

The ability to sleep later in the morning.

In what way has the introduction of hybrid work changed your working day?

Hybrid working simply wasn’t an option in my last job, so it’s been a completely new experience for me. I’ve noticed that I feel more motivated about my work and more relaxed.

What is your preferred work location?

That depends on the kind of work I’m doing. If I’m just writing concepts or copy, looking for ideas, or setting up appointments with customers, then home, definitely. But if I have meetings, or need to finalise projects or meet deadlines, then I prefer to go to the office.

Do you have any tips for increased productivity and creativity in the new work model?

I find the app “Forest” great for motivation and focus. You can plant cute little trees, but they only thrive so long as you resist the urge to check your phone. I also recommend always keeping a notepad handy so you can jot down ideas whenever they occur to you (even if you don’t actually need them right there and then). And if you’re working from home, you should make time to chat to a colleague at least once a day!

For me, one benefit of working from home is that I can pace back and forth through around apartment when I’m solo brainstorming. I could do that at the office too, I suppose, but at least here I’m not disturbing anyone.

Is there anything we could improve? Anything else you would like to see going forward?

I’d like to see the hybrid work model stay. The positives outweigh the negatives, in my view, and my sense is that imc is moving with the times.

Eric, what has changed in your working day since the introduction of hybrid work?

Not a lot, actually, because in my last job I lived so far away from the office that I worked from home exclusively. Having said that, the imc hybrid model works better for me in one key respect: where online meetings were once the only option for direct social contact with colleagues, the introduction of the new work model means I can now meet up with colleagues onsite whenever I want to or whenever it makes sense to do so. In hindsight, I would even go so far as to say that working from home exclusively soon loses its appeal. There’s no social contact and no spontaneous interaction – unless you set up meetings specially to make it happen.

Your preferred work location is...

My patio, where I can look out into the garden.

What ways have you found to improve your productivity and creativity? Has the hybrid model helped with this?

I’ve always done best when I follow set routines in my working day, and that’s especially the case when working from home. I need movement and fresh air in order to think clearly. One thing that’s definitely helped with my productivity and creativity is the freedom to follow my own biorhythm: I work when my mind is fresh. When I start to feel drained, I can recharge my batteries by going for a walk in nature or just taking a short break and relaxing. I didn’t have this kind of autonomy in my previous nine-to-five office jobs. I would even say the change to hybrid working has made me more productive.

What do you like most about the new work model?

I really appreciate the trust that imc is showing in all its employees by offering such a model. I’ve also noticed that mental health means a lot more than just initiatives and seminars – I like the fact that it’s actively supported here.

We also have something for all those of us who prefer virtual events: our imcINSPIRE sessions, aka ‘espresso webinars’. These brief morning sessions offer a daily infusion of new ideas on a whole range of topics, all served up by top-notch speakers. So far, we’ve raised a cup to all kinds of topics – everything from diversity and health management to teambuilding. And like a good espresso, these sessions provide a big hit for minimal input. They are another great example of packaging knowledge transfer in an inspiring event format to create a fun shared learning experience. 

Whether it’s hectic schedules, demanding work commitments, or social crises, there are many sources of stress and strain in our personal and professional lives. And everyone responds differently. While some of us cope with – or even thrive on – these demands, others can feel overwhelmed.

“Not that it took a pandemic for us to know that the wellbeing of our employees is very important to us, but now, with the introduction of our hybrid work model, everyone has the ability to structure their working day around their personal needs and commitment,”’ says HR manager Jennifer Wilhelm. “The aim of this newly won flexibility is to help improve work-life balance and reduce stress levels.”

But we’re not content to stop just there. We want to take it a step further and offer a range of health benefits that actively promote job satisfaction, motivation, and mental health here at imc. In doing this, what we want is for our employees to enjoy working at imc and be able to achieve their potential, both professionally and personally, without it costing them their wellbeing.

As you can see, people at all our individual locations have been working hard to create more opportunities for face-to-face collaboration and interaction. There’s a lot more to be done of course, and we’re pleased to say other teams have already signalled plans to institute their own little rituals and head back into the office more regularly, COVID restrictions permitting. We can’t wait to see what amazing ideas and creative forms of collaboration will take root to keep our imc sense of togetherness alive despite the distance that separates us. Stay tuned! 

We came up with a number of specials to ensure that everything goes smooth in the first few days and weeks. The custom-created Welcome Boxes unleashed waves of enthusiasm, delighting both our existing and new team members. Jan Stauder, IT Engineer at imc, claims that everyone loved the fruit-jelly foxes resembling the “smart fox”, a popular German cartoon character. When Claudia Michels started her new role as Corporate Designer, she was over the moon to receive the imc coffee mug and clover seeds with the message stating, “We grow together.”

We wanted our onboarding journey to continue beyond the first few weeks after welcoming our new imc family members. “Work in progress” is the motto under which we are still developing additional creative ideas to turn this phase into yet another experience.

After six months, it’s “mission completed”. A reason to celebrate. For all of us. And best of all: The journey continues. A range of events and campaigns like our brand ambassador programme or our diversity and inclusion initiative encourage employees to get involved and network, even when working in a hybrid system.

Are we proud of our new onboarding journey? Absolutely! Is it perfect? No. That’s why we are aiming for continuous improvement. Leveraging our employees’ help to shape things is one of the fundamental principles of our new work model. That is why we are inviting our team leaders and colleagues to get involved and help shape these new processes.

We must say though: After two months, the feedback we received makes it clear that it is all worth it – and that is great encouragement for us to step it up a bit more. Let us surprise you!

Kerstin Steffen: Simply put, it means that our activities are no longer tied to the office as a matter of principle, but the company affords us the flexibility to decide whether we want to work from home or from the office. You could also describe it as performance over attendance culture. We have no fixed attendance quota, but time in the office should be agreed with the team and the manager, and flexibility must not compromise organisational objectives.

While we firmly believe in flexibility, we clearly decided against moving all work to the home office. The relationship and commitment to the company remains very important to us. We want our offices to remain a place of communication and interaction – and that applies to official team meetings as much as personal discussions over a coffee.

Kerstin Steffen: The core team of the New Work Pioneers is based at the headquarters in Saarbrücken where the decision to embark on the New Work Initiative was made. We selected the team based on competences and included members from Internal IT, HR as well as Communications. That allows us to bring together the core competences to support process changes within the pillars of people, technology and spaces. Of course, we can add members that contribute other skills as and when we need them.

We hold regular meetings at least once a week, where we discuss and prioritise all the topics in our target plan, as well as any issues that arise. At times, the core team is split into smaller project teams. For instance, we maintain regular feedback loops with the managers of our different offices to get everyone involved. It also helps us see where improvements are needed and highlight how we might provide support from the headquarters.

Kerstin Steffen: We are a digital brand and stand for learning. Naturally, we want to understand modern formats and establish ourselves as a pioneer. Yet, compared to the key players in the market, we still have some catching up to do. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasise that this was a fantastic step for imc, and that our colleagues and applicants already consider it an absolute benefit. Working together to drive and shape cultural change is also a huge opportunity – and I invite everyone to seize it. We can be fairly sure that this is not a universal prospect offered by all companies, which makes it a USP for us.

Personally, I really want to see every single person benefitting from it. That means we also need to be open to constructive criticism and listen to concerns, no matter how excited we are about our ideas and progress.

We are all learning together throughout this change process, and our success is dependent on wide-spread acceptance.

Kerstin Steffen: We are facing challenges every day, and I’m sure that will still be the case after the transformation. We are really looking at an agile learning process – for our leadership as well as things like our hardware, office equipment or seating arrangements. Being spread out across different locations on different continents doesn’t exactly make it easier, but we are welcoming that challenge. We might not be 100% perfect, but we genuinely try to create a new work culture step by step. We are all highly motivated and rather proud to see our first successes taking shape.

Internal Communications and HR contribute a lot of the support for the measures. It is important to us that the changes are transparent and successes are visible.

Kerstin Steffen: The feedback we received was mostly positive, which motivates us to drive the transformation. Naturally, concerns and worries were voiced, but that is to be expected in any change process. It is important to take that seriously and actively offer support. It is easy to get carried away, and we must remind ourselves that it is not only a major change in the organisation, but also a cultural shift. That demands sensitive and responsible support.  

Kerstin Steffen: First of all, we improved our internal communication channels and created new channels to strengthen team spirit. For instance, we started a newsletter that plays a key role in actively providing information and highlight success stories. We want to make small steps visible, initial successes tangible and let employees share in the experience.

The new formats we created aim to enhance collaboration and communication. The offer will gradually grow: We will create global guidelines, hold workshops and include smaller learning nuggets.

We will also incorporate formats such as social learning, informal learning and user generated content. Our brand ambassadors are also actively helping to shape the transformation. Measures like our BarCamp, Espresso Webinars and Flow & Focus sessions are already well-established and successful. Of course, we will develop these further and make them more professional. As to the strategic aspects, the adaptation of our leadership programme will be crucial, and we are professionalising our operational model.