DEPT® Agency Boosts Employee Engagement In A Hybrid Work Environment

About the company

DEPT® is a pioneering technology and marketing services company with the mission to help brands stay ahead. They create end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, KFC, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, eBay and more.

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The Problem

DEPT® has a unique blend of team members distributed across various countries who work both in-office and remotely. 

In order to encourage and support employee engagement, the DEPT® data team from Berlin was looking for a way to re-introduce spontaneous interactions and small talk into their hybrid workplace. They also wanted to create a more familiar environment for their employees, where the company could nurture team spirit and collaboration - two key ingredients for a successful business.

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How Kosy Helped

The DEPT® data team decided to try out Kosy, a virtual office platform that makes it easy for remote and hybrid teams to connect and collaborate.

Since using Kosy, the DEPT® team from Berlin has been able to increase employee engagement by introducing casual communication and familiarity into their workplace. The company has also been able to create a more nurturing environment that would actively cultivate their team spirit.

Here's how they did it.

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Diversifying hybrid working environment

In order to make the most of their hybrid workplace, the DEPT® data team from Berlin used Kosy to build a virtual office with a vast infrastructure of rooms, collaborative spaces, and hangout spots. This included everything from dedicated client meeting rooms to structured coworking spaces and even a daily stand-up room.

By providing their employees with a variety of different spaces to work in, DEPT® was able to encourage communication and increase the amount of time that employees spent talking to each other, sharing knowledge, and building personal connections.

Additionally, providing the employees with a variety of alternative places to work in (focus rooms, co-working spaces, etc.) allows them to use their time more effectively. In the modern era of hybrid work, it is important to give every team member the same choice ⁠— be it in a physical environment or in their virtual office ⁠— which is exactly what the DEPT® data team did with Kosy's help.

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Establishing a sense of familiarity

According to environmental psychologists, our cognition and emotions are bound to the physical place they are experienced in. This means that the physical setting we work in can influence how we feel and perform, including how productive we are.

If teammates are most productive when they work in their usual physical space, those in a hybrid work model should be able to reap the same benefits.

By incorporating some of the aspects of their real office into their virtual Kosy one, DEPT® was able to establish a sense of familiarity for their remote team members and create an environment that was conducive to productivity.

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Encouraging team spirit and bringing back small talk

Small talk may seem like a trivial thing, but it actually plays a big role in our ability to build relationships and trust, especially in an office setting.

In order to keep the team spirit alive and encourage collaboration, the DEPT® data team from Berlin used Kosy to help bring back small talk to their workplace.

Now, hybrid workers are able to have spontaneous conversations with each other in the various dedicated spaces within their virtual office. DEPT® created a lobby and a social area where every team member could virtually gather for a cup of coffee during the day or a quick chat just before the company meeting.

This has helped drive the company culture and increase the sense of belonging, for both remote and on-site employees.

To go the extra mile, the DEPT® team also set up a "relax area" in their virtual office, where team members can take a break, catch up, and de-stress. According to research from DALE, 1 in 5 employees believe that having a dedicated place to relax can significantly improve their productivity.

With Kosy's help, DEPT® was able to provide their team with just that ⁠— a space where everyone, from on-site to remote workers, can relax and re-charge their batteries.

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The results

In today's hybrid work model, it is essential to find ways to increase employee engagement and create a more nurturing environment for your team. By introducing Kosy to their workplace in Berlin, the DEPT® data team was able to face this challenging task head-on.

Creating a variety of dedicated spaces for their hybrid workforce, having their virtual office resemble their real one, and incorporating organic small talk into their hybrid work environment were all key factors in DEPT® team’s success.

With Kosy's help, they were able to achieve a more engaged workforce and foster a stronger sense of company culture. Being able to sit down in the "relax area" and have a casual chat with co-workers managed to really brighten up every team member's experience.

If you're looking for ways to improve your hybrid work environment, consider following DEPT® team’s lead and using Kosy to create a more engaging and productive workplace for your remote team.

With a growing team, our goal was to increase the team spirit and collaboration. The possibility to talk to colleagues easily - just as in the office space - helped us achieve the level of employee engagement we were looking for.

Moritz Dressel - Team Lead Data Consulting at DEPT®