A
New Working Environment for Internet Consultants Tankebolaget
Internet
consultants, Tankebolaget, have got a completely new
working environment, with mobility and flexibility.
When they moved premises recently, the company invested
in a "total solution".
"We
were located in a small office in central Gamla Stan",
says John Ray, MD of Tankebolaget. The company develops
Internet systems mainly for telecoms, banking and financial
companies.
"The
office was charming, with sloping skylights and a traditional
style, but it didn't comply with our working requirements".
The
search for a new office began, together with architects
Magnus Stahl and Erik Andersson.
After
a while they found office space. The charming style
of the old office was totally lacking in the new one
-- at least when first looking at it. "The office space
was dreadful", says John Ray.
"It
was divided into small rooms, with old carpets covering
the floors. The only positive thing were the large windows
that let in a lot of daylight. The architects told us
that there were beautiful arches in the original ceiling,
hidden behind the suspended ceiling. Their advice was
to strip everything out and start again."
Tankebolaget
did as the architects said, and used raised floors,
with the floor void housing all electrical, voice and
data and other services. They also decided to strip
out the ceiling to finally reveal the beautiful arched
ceilings and give the room a more spacious feel.
"We
needed a flexible office since we mainly work in project
groups which we split up into smaller groups every now
and then".
In
June last year, Tankebolaget, with its approximately
20 employees moved into their new flexible office. Since
then, the office layout has changed numerous times.
"That
is what makes it so perfect, the fact that we can change
our office without needing any outside help. We move
project groups and change our electrical and networking
sockets without any difficulties. The problem with so-called
mobile offices, is that it is very easy to move everything
around, but much more difficult to actually locate the
electrical and network connections," says John Ray.
Compared
to other consultant companies where the consultants
actually go to the client, Tankebolaget works with their
project groups at the office. In addition to this, all
employees spend one day a week undertaking personal
development courses, which means the employees spend
a lot of time in the office.
"That
is why the company invested in a good ergonomic and
functional office, from height adjustable furniture
to a good indoor climate-it is important for us to keep
a comfortable environment." "In the beginning, we were
a bit afraid that our clients would be put off by the
way our office has been designed; maybe they would think
that we were a company purely interested in outward
appearances."
"Our
clients' reactions were the complete opposite. They
think our office breathes professionalism and we come
across as a company that thoroughly thinks through things
before getting started," says a very satisfied John
Ray.
