How Medialine optimised the management of hybrid work with Seatti

About the company

Brothers Martin and Stefan Hörhammer recognized the influence of IT early on: They founded Medialine in 1999 and developed the company into a full-service IT service provider. Tailored to the real requirements of SMEs and large companies, the range of services today includes IT infrastructure, cloud services and business solutions. Today, they support a group of medium-sized companies that are represented at more than 20 locations in Germany, Austria and Romania.

Stefan Hörhammer, COO of Medialine, reports on the optimization of hybrid work in the company.

Challenge

Unlike many other companies that have had to introduce and adapt hybrid working due to the coronavirus pandemic, Medialine had already been working with hybrid forms of working for several years before the pandemic. Medialine is a forward-thinking and innovative company that came up with the idea of introducing hybrid working long before it was cool (and necessary). But even before Corona, there were challenges that the company had to face when deciding to make this change.

Medialine is a forward-looking company. The first hybrid working concepts were implemented back in 2015. As the company grew, so did the challenges for the organization of workstations. Desk sharing repeatedly led to confusion as to who would use which desk and when, and it became clear that an efficient solution had to be found. Medialine looked for a tool to support the hybrid work strategy.

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'If we reject employees' wishes to change the way they work, we are essentially denying them their need for well-being. '

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Solution

How did Seatti help as workplace booking software in the company?

Medialine decided to learn directly from the conflicts that arose and to overcome them using their own strengths: Forward thinking, innovation and collectivity. In addition to a clear communication strategy and an open ear for feedback, the company decided to invest in desk sharing software that would help with the organization and coordination of workspaces and meetings. Seatti was able to help Medialine in various ways:

Collaboration

As not all employees are in the office at the same time in the alternating model, hybrid working can lead to teams working less face-to-face on projects.To consciously promote collaboration and bring colleagues back to the office, Seatti's location overview helps teams to meet up. Team Members can see at a glance who is planning to come into the office and when. And remote employees can filter who is working nearby to arrange meetings. This not only encouraged team dynamics, but also made it easier to organise the office space.

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organization

Medialine recognises that the advantage of working in a hybrid structure is a better work-life balance. To give employees planning security, Seatti allows Medialine's employees to plan workplaces in advance.This strengthens the self-organization and flexibility of employees and supports the collaborative approach of the alternating model.

COVID restrictions

The Coronavirus Pandemic also presented Medialine with Huge Challenges in Terms of Infection Control. To get a better overview of who was in the office at what time, the Seatti location overview helped once again. This made it easier to track chains of infection and implement quarantine measures directly. Seatti also made it possible to book or deactivate workstations individually. This made it easier to implement social distancing and hygiene measures in the office.

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“We have significantly greater employee satisfaction with the office visit because they know where they will be sitting. '

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Impact

What impact does the hybrid working model have on the company?

Even before the pandemic, the hybrid working model had numerous advantages for employees and companies. Above all, employees are relieved enormously in terms of their work-life balance. Long journeys are no longer necessary thanks to the use of the home office, and flexible working hours make it easier to reconcile work and family life.

This has a positive effect on Medialine's attractiveness as an employer and loyalty to the company. Team Dynamics have also been improved thanks to better collaboration. Employees can now plan their working day independently, coordinate with each other and work on specific projects. The Hybrid Office also had to be remodelled to promote concentrated and collaborative work in particular. This includes, for example, an open space in the office where all employees can sit and work together - including the management level. The equipment at the individual workstations was also adapted for the hybrid set-up. This included monitors, docking stations and height-adjustable desks.

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'Employees must feel at home in the company and connected to it. '

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