Innovations and creative ideas thrive on personal contact People | News | 16.02.2023

The modern world of work has undergone a profound transformation in recent years. Since the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, at the very latest, the concept of working from home has gained a huge following and widespread acceptance worldwide, including amongst small and medium-sized enterprises. The benefits of remote working are clear to the individual: the elimination of the daily commute saves valuable time and petrol costs; working from home often allows for a higher level of concentration; and the flexibility ensures more valuable quality time with the family. It is a flexibility that we, as a modern employer, value highly.

At the same time, however, even in an industrial company such as S+P Samson GmbH, there are many colleagues who, due to their roles in production and logistics, cannot work remotely – or simply do not wish to do so for their own reasons. Despite all the advantages of digital collaboration, working exclusively from home also reveals downsides over time, which primarily affect the corporate culture.

The challenge: When the office grapevine falls silent

What increasingly falls by the wayside in a purely virtual working environment are those unplanned, informal encounters. People talk less often about personal matters, and the brief, spontaneous exchanges about day-to-day work in the coffee kitchen are no longer taking place. As a result, there is often a lack of that social bond needed to share minor worries and concerns quickly – but also to celebrate shared successes within the team as they deserve.

However, the dwindling transfer of knowledge at a professional level is particularly critical for an innovation-driven company with over 45 years’ experience in industrial marking. When cross-departmental dialogue breaks down, unconventional ideas are less likely to emerge. After all, groundbreaking creativity and new approaches to problem-solving usually arise precisely where people meet in a relaxed setting and ideas can flow freely.

New impetus for more interaction and genuine team spirit

S+P Samson has therefore launched an internal programme to create targeted incentives for more interaction in the workplace. We want to preserve the benefits of a flexible working environment whilst actively promoting social cohesion. To this end, we are focusing on deliberate yet informal ways of bringing people together.

Our new initiatives range from short, group relaxation exercises at lunchtime to sociable coffee breaks and meetings where teams are randomly assigned using a randomiser. This playful approach breaks down barriers between different departments and automatically encourages more interaction. In this way, we bring together colleagues who might otherwise have fewer opportunities to interact in their day-to-day work. For S+P Samson, this is the ideal way to ensure the transfer of knowledge, strengthen team spirit and open the door wide to future innovations and creative ideas.