Cultivating
ideas

If you want to do pioneering work and create real added value for customers, you need the right environment in which to do it. As a technological leader, Aareon provides a setting and culture conducive to innovation – with attractive working environments, digital tools, creative methods and the like – at every location in Europe. We explore the new world of work at Aareon and hear from those who have experienced it at first hand.

New Work

Our global and digital age is changing our needs and working methods and transforming our world of work. Although the “new work” trend has been around for a number of years, it is only during the Covid-19 pandemic that remote communication and collaboration have increasingly become the norm. At the same time, we still feel the need for personal interaction. Aareon’s employees have long been benefiting from working environment concepts that allow for geographical and temporal flexibility and inspire creativity.

“Our now completed ‘work4future’ project has enhanced the flexibility of our working time models considerably – also in the interests of achieving a better work-life balance. It has likewise increased digital collaboration options and expedited the creation of modern working environments,” says Sylvia Clöer, Director Group HR at Aareon, adding: “Employees should feel comfortable, be able to develop ideas and enjoy working at Aareon in a user-oriented setting conducive to innovation.”

To Aareon, “new work” also means giving employees more freedom and individual responsibility. Thanks to these conditions, the transition from the office to working from home was able to be implemented quickly and smoothly over a year ago.

See for yourself what New Work means at Aareon.

Collaboration and innovation

Internal ...

Aareon launched the digital collaboration tool Microsoft® Yammer in 2019 with a view to promoting integration as “OneAareon” and creating Group-wide transparency. Alongside other digital applications, such as those for virtual meetings, this facilitates communication considerably – even at international level. Employees can actively post content, as well as conduct research, ask questions, submit comments, undertake short surveys and network without problems.

“This makes for a strong sense of togetherness and transparency despite the distance between us, resulting in unprecedented added value for internal communications,” says Sandra Hendro, Head of Corporate Marketing & Communications, who was responsible for the introductory project.

“Digital collaboration tools allow us to exchange information between countries much more efficiently than via traditional e-mails. Collaboration between our teams at international level has never been so easy.”

Axel Floquet-Trillot, Development Operations trainee, Aareon France
(Credit: own image)

... and the external equivalent

But it is not just internal collaboration that benefits from the digital and innovative organisation of work. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, Aareon took steps to ensure that it could communicate and collaborate efficiently with its customers too. Webinars, e-learning programs, digital customer workshops and virtual consulting offerings within the framework of what is known as “green consulting”: all of these measures have been in place at Aareon for many years and are well established at the company.

31,000

green consulting days had been sold throughout the Aareon Group by the end of 2020 – almost twice as many as in the previous year.

So, far from being a problem, the increased demand for these offerings last year allowed employees and customers alike to benefit from the experience gleaned over previous years. By the end of 2020, over 31,000 “green consulting days” had been sold throughout the Group – almost twice as many as in the previous year. Aareon also set great store by supporting its customers in the ongoing digital transformation of their working environments during the crisis – so that their business operations could likewise continue without a hitch.

However, 2020 also saw the advent of new digital event formats, such as Aareon Live – the alternative event for the property industry. Aareon’s first exclusively digital event was successfully launched in September 2020 with over 1,600 registered participants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

What does
pioneering work
mean for Aareon’s
employees?

Results of a survey.

“Pioneering work means agility and intelligent resilience in the face of change. Aareon has an unbeatable advantage in that it has the ability to cope with rapid technological changes. We have also managed to remain agile in order to develop well-conceived solutions quickly in times of global uncertainty.”

Mehdi Javadi, Design Thinker, Aareon Deutschland
(Credit: Aareon AG, Mainz, Germany)

“A varied and modern interior design allows me to adapt my workplace to my current duties at any time. I can work in brightly coloured cubes or relocate to one of the outdoor offices when tackling creative tasks.”

Mareike Pohl, Office Management trainee, Aareon Deutschland
(Credit: own image)

“For me, pioneering work means the development of innovative ideas and the application of new methods to facilitate the career development of each and every employee. I regard Aareon as a leading company in this field – thanks to a person-oriented approach and a working environment that gives employees the tools they need to succeed.”

Benjamin Scaini, Sales Engineer Digital Solutions,
Aareon France (Credit: own image)

“The design of new, innovative products that people enjoy using and that create added value for Aareon and our customers – that’s what pioneering work means to me. As a UI designer, I am accorded a great deal of creative freedom when it comes to finding and implementing solutions to problems.”

Stefanie Tumewu, Software and User Interface Designer, Aareon Nederland (Credit: own image)

“For me, pioneering work means being able to develop and apply new methods and technologies with a view to achieving a better level of service. At Aareon, we are proud of our future-oriented and innovative approach. We are constantly exchanging new ideas as we strive to improve steadily, to grow as a company and to create as much added value as possible for our customers.”

Jack Weekes, Project Manager, Aareon UK
(Credit: own image)

“Especially in our digitalised world, there are always new things to learn. As a person, you have to be active, want to push ahead and be daring. At Aareon, there’s definitely potential for such personal development.”

Sofi Simberg, Customer Engagement Consultant,
Aareon Nordic (Credit: own image)

Methodical creativity

Alongside activities and investments in the research and development of new user-centric solutions, Aareon has set up internal competitions and awards schemes to encourage creativity among employees and reward outstanding ideas and commitment to the company’s cause. These include “Aareon’s got Talent” in the Netherlands, the “Superhero Award” in the UK and the Group-wide “Excellence Award”.

“I believe that Aareon does more than comparable companies when it comes to encouraging innovation. I appreciate the ‘Aareon’s got Talent’ programme, as it gives employees the time they need to elaborate on ideas that are already floating around in their heads.”

Jan Emmens, Software Developer, Aareon Nederland
(Credit: own image)

Inspirational settings

Pioneering achievements are exceptional, which is why the working environment from which they emerge should be exceptional too. Aareon consequently sets great store by encouraging work settings that are conducive to innovation and provide a feel-good atmosphere.

Settings for creativity

In the Netherlands, for instance, the forest wallpaper in the “inspiration room” in Emmen creates the illusion of being outdoors. One wall of the room is transformed into a large white board on which employees can write and draw. Semi-transparent windows create a link with the world outside without providing too great a distraction. The “inspiration room” is used predominantly for brainstorming, design thinking and coaching sessions.

“We are convinced that creativity flows better in these unconventional spaces, as they inspire a different way of thinking.”

Ria Feddema, Manager for personnel development, Aareon Nederland

Settings for new perspectives

The refurbished ground floor at Aareon’s head office in Mainz is extremely comfortable, colourful and modern. Anyone can find a spot that offers a change of perspective – whether in living-room-style relaxation rooms, convivial coffee areas or an airy outdoor office for that much-needed oxygen boost.

The modern new spatial concept at the head office in Mainz reflects Aareon’s “new work” philosophy. (Credits: Aareon Deutschland)

Settings for relaxation

Those looking to clear their heads at the Aareon France head office need look no further than the roof terrace of the office building at Meudon La Forêt, where herbs, vegetables and flowers have been grown since June 2017. Nesting boxes and insect hotels encourage biodiversity. Employees are welcome to help with the gardening and can ultimately reap the fruits of their labours – quite literally. The project is supervised by Florence Battut, founder of the local association Le Jardin d’Amélie, who holds regular garden workshops and shares her expertise on garden maintenance and biodiversity.

“Employees get to know each other in a completely different context, chat to one another and come up with new ideas much more easily in the process.”

Caroline Forestier-Pettinati, Personal Assistant to the Chief Digital and Ventures
Officer, who is involved in the project

Rooftop garden at Aareon France. (Credits: Aareon France)

Settings for co-working

Employees at Aareon Nordic were given the opportunity to participate in the search for modern new “coworking offices“ in Stockholm, Oslo and Malmö. They were invited to view premises, provide feedback on pontential office locations and vote for their favourites.

A healthy mind in a healthy body

Aareon’s Group-wide corporate health management policy is designed to ensure that employees are not only at ease in their surroundings, but also feel happy in their own skin.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen the majority of Aareon’s employees working from home as of March, extra information has been provided on the subject of the virus along with tips on working from home. At Aareon UK, for instance, monthly “Health and Wellbeing Smart Sessions” were introduced on topics such as the work-life balance, mental health awareness and physical wellbeing.

“Our employees’ mental health and wellbeing is important to us: we want to help boost their general resilience and show our commitment to them in this area,” says Genevieve Davey-Smith, Head of HR at Aareon UK, adding: “Courses such as ‘Managing and Understanding Mental Health’ are designed to make our managers more aware of the topic. We want to support employees when it comes to their personal lives as well as their work as it’s such an important thing in today’s world.”

“2020 was a difficult year, but Aareon gave us excellent support. The switch from the office to working from home was completed in less than a week. But digital tools allow us to remain in close touch with one another and to talk about problems openly. That promotes a really healthy working environment.”

Emma White, Digital Implementations Consultant, Aareon UK
(Credit: own image)

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