Gumption is investing in the office of the future

Gumption Group is taking advantage of the absence of employees to carry out a total renovation at its headquarters in Kontich, as part of its New Work vision. "We drew up a plan that aligns with how we expect we will work post-corona," says managing partner Bart Embrechts. "The objective of the new design is to safely facilitate teamwork."

Mix of telecommuting and office work

"People are yearning to be back in the office," says experience manager Liene De Bie. "At the same time, we have learned that working from home has its merits. We will not forget that lesson post-corona."

"We believe in a mix of telecommuting and office work as a model for the future. More than ever, the office is becoming the place where you meet colleagues and work as a team. That is reflected in the construction."

De Bie approves of this trend. "The cold feet people sometimes experience when it comes to video calling and online streaming have been overcome for good. Our companies invested in professional video equipment, including for livestreaming team meetings and webinars. The future will be a mix of physical and digital work, and top-quality video material will be indispensable."

Sustainability

The choice of green tones and sustainable materials as a guiding principle for the new furnishings was no coincidence. Sustainability plays an important role within Gumption Group.

The company opts for locally produced green energy supplied by solar panels on the roof of the company car park. These solar panels also supply energy to the company's 46 charging stations, which serve its all-hybrid fleet.

"Our employees have already charged 18,100 kilowatt hours, equivalent to 90,000 kilometres," says Jan Verbruggen, who provided the charging solutions with Gumption subsidiary CenEnergy. "In other words, we have already driven around the earth twice using green energy." CenEnergy has also installed charging stations at employees' homes. This amounts to a total of sixty devices, paid for by Gumption Group.

Digital matches

Recently, Gumption Group organised a well-being survey among colleagues. It hardly came as a surprise that employees said they missed their colleagues. "That's why we organise digital matches, online chats between two colleagues. Think of it like the virtual version of chatting at the water cooler. We will also continue to invest in other digital initiatives, such as online drinks or watching Netflix together via an app," says De Bie.

A second concern of the employees was to be able to safely return to the office. De Bie notes, "We also paid a lot of attention to that during the redesign. A brand new air filter rids the air of fine dust, viruses, and bacteria."

"Each employee receives a Maggy, a portable device that sounds a warning when colleagues get too close. The desks are arranged so that colleagues can work at a safe distance from each other. When we eventually restart, it will be safe."

Positivism

"As entrepreneurs, it is in our nature to look ahead and think about the future," says Bart Embrechts. "We believe that life will resume soon. We have learnt lessons and kept positive things in mind. We have now turned these into new initiatives for the benefit of the team. If you want to attract top profiles in IT, you have to make a difference as an employer. This is one of the ways we do that."