Back at ease: in the Easy Office with Florian Küttler

Home office and working remotely have received an unimaginable boost thanks to Covid-19. Forcibly tested for its mass suitability on the legal basis of the Infection Protection Act, working from home is now almost normal and has become a habit for many. As of July 1 of this year, the requirement for employers to offer home offices to employees in office jobs was lifted. But the clocks cannot be turned back….

Many companies have since adopted a two-track model, leaving the decision to their employees or at least creating flexible structures. There’s no doubt about it; we’ve taken a big step toward the digital working world of tomorrow. But we should not forget the advantages of the good ol’ workplace of the past. After all, despite the often rigid obligation to be present, the classic office also has its advantages.

Social Life and Inspiration

The Covid lockdown made one thing abundantly clear: Human beings are social creatures, and neither Facetime nor Zoom calls can replace a real, “analog” conversation, no matter where we are. Intuition, facial expressions, gestures, and even smell—aspects that often fall by the wayside in virtual spaces such as video conferences—help us to better assess and understand those we converse with.

When we talk face to face, our human ability to assess certain situations and facts is more pronounced. The exchange of knowledge on complex topics is easier, and the attention level is higher than in the living room, where it is only switched on for a short time. It is easier to motivate and inspire each other. Team spirit, an important prerequisite for the success of a company, thrives on the physical group experience and not on Internet chats. Only in this way is cohesion possible. This togetherness is not only important in the working world, but it is the indispensable glue of society. Only in this way can solidarity develop. The pandemic has taught us that, too.

Back to normality with ease

Even if the situation is currently easing, we are still a long way from returning to normality as we once knew it. The pandemic and its consequences will be with us in all areas of life for a long time to come. Despite increasing vaccination rates, we are still far from feeling safe from the virus. But we have learned to cope with the threat and have slowly but persistently regained a little lightness.

Well-being is particularly important in the office as it’s a place where you can’t come and go as you please, but rather you have to share it with people who aren’t necessarily part of your immediate personal circle. So bosses and employees should continue to work together to create a human working environment for tomorrow. This is the only way to create a collegial and pleasant working atmosphere for the digital future that will enable productivity and profit even in stormy times—because the human element has not been neglected.

Skateboarding through the office

One of the trademarks of our photographer Florian Küttler is the lightness that speaks from his business productions. He was ahead of his time with this approach, having already staged Homeoffice-Motive motifs before working remotely mutated from a hip vision of the future to a widespread necessity in no time at all thanks to the coronavirus. For example, Florian Küttler converted a café into an office on the fly.

And in his latest production, Florian Küttler also demonstrates a keen sense of how we imagine the feel-good office of the future. With his images, he evokes a mood that we all want to aim for again.