Creating the workplace of tomorrow – how and why we are repurposing our office in Gothenburg

The past couple of years have probably forced all of us to think about not just how we work, but how we want to work as well. Here at WirelessCar, we have chosen to embrace the changes brought on by, for example, working remotely. At the same time, we are rebuilding and significantly expanding our office in Gothenburg. Here’s why we are doing that, and how we hope to make it an even better workplace for colleagues old and new.

What we learned from working remotely

Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, WirelessCar has been following the guidelines and recommendations of the authorities closely. Working remotely from home became a standard practice early on, although we also chose to keep the office open. Doing so proved popular, as many of us still wanted to work from the office at least some of the time. Naturally while maintaining a safe physical distance to one another.

Those working entirely from home were sent the office equipment and supplies they needed in order to be comfortable and able to work with ease. While our productivity has continued to be as high as ever, many find it challenging to not have that familiar, daily, in-person office interaction with their colleagues. Not exactly unexpected, but something that must be considered closely nevertheless. How can we learn from our experiences to create an even better work environment? What should our work, and our office, be like and look like in the future?

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Combining successful remote work with an even more attractive WirelessCar office

A survey made among our employees showed a large variation, with many wanting to work mostly from home and many wanting to work mostly from the office. However, it was also clear that no one wanted a completely flexible office. Instead, having a specific workspace at the office was seen as very valuable and important to the individual employee.

Our solution is to continue to provide every employee with a specific workspace at the office, but that this particular area will be shared with one other coworker. Simply put, each gets to use it half the time. This provides flexibility as well as positive predictability. Moreover, we can avoid having vast areas of mostly empty chairs and tables. For those who want to work at the office more than half the time, there is office space that can be booked “exclusively” for six months at a time.

Speaking of office space, we will create specific team spaces where development teams can work closely together even more easily than before. Each of these spaces will have its own open area for team meetings, presentations, celebrating milestones, and more.

We believe it is crucial to maintain our WirelessCar team spirit. It should be reflected in our workplace environment, which in turn should facilitate our ability to continue working in an agile way. Going ahead, we expect to recommend that employees work at least one workday per week from the office. This in order to ensure that we will continue to build a common culture and new networks throughout all of WirelessCar. That said, we will make evaluations along the way and make adjustments if necessary.

What is also new in 2022 is our remote work contract option. New employees that are hired through a remote work contract will be able to work from anywhere they want in Sweden. Even so, we still expect these employees to work from the main office in Gothenburg with some regularity, approximately one or two days per month at least. Certain office events will also still be mandatory for all employees.

Making more space for our employees, our ideas, and our sense of community

At a time when many companies downsize their physical work environments, WirelessCar has chosen to do the exact opposite. Our office in Gothenburg will grow by not less than 1342 square meters. The reason? More space for an inviting, inclusive, attractive work environment. This way, we hope to encourage even more interactions both between teams and individual coworkers, more talks and presentations, common meals, and more. We will add more plants, new furniture, as well as ping-pong tables, shuffleboards, and video games, for fun and easy recreation.

Our work on the new, expanded office began in the autumn of 2021, and we expect it to be completed in the spring of 2022. It is a major investment, and we are happy to make it, rather than having to implement austerity measures. Being at the WirelessCar office should feel good and easy, regardless of whether someone is working on one’s own, right next to their colleagues, or with colleagues working remotely.

Five great reasons for working as a developer at WirelessCar

We are a company at the very forefront of our industry, continuously working on a variety of new and exciting connected automotive solutions, using the latest tools and technology.
Our company culture is based on openness, trust and personal responsibility. Individual teams have the freedom to make many important decisions themselves. Every month, we hold major town hall meetings, with plenty of room for Q&As that help ensure an open and direct dialog with the management team. Anyone can ask any question they may have, and all questions are answered. The questions voted most interesting by the meeting’s participants will be addressed first.
While other companies return to an office first policy, WirelessCar offers the ability to work more remotely, with greater freedom of choice. The new office will make it even easier to accommodate employees, whether they want to work there one, two, or several days a week. As stated above, new employees on remote work contracts will be able to work remotely within Sweden.
Our workplace was nice and modern even before the expansion and partial makeover of our Gothenburg office. Once this work is done, the work environment will be even more inviting and attractive.
It is our experience that people who work at WirelessCar really appreciate the sense of community that characterizes the company at large, the teams, and the interaction between them. We are proud of our flat, democratic organization, and that we are motivated by curiosity and cooperation, not rivalry or hierarchies.

Working remotely is no longer a trend, but a reality that is here to stay. That also means that building and maintaining a sense of community becomes even more important than before. Old ties and relations need to remain strong, and new ones must be formed all the time. Our new office will hopefully make this even easier and more enjoyable in the future. If you have any questions about what you have read in this article, you can reach me at Mats Lindholm. Visit our website to learn more about the products and solutions we create, how we work, our partners and customers, and a whole lot more.