Bechtle invests in al fresco working

Neckarsulm, 19 May 2022 – Bechtle AG is creating an additional garden at its headquarters that will give its employees a total of 7,500 square metres of green space for meetings, working and breaks once an asphalt car park has been rewilded. The Bechtle garden will also be available for sports such as yoga, as well as after work events and both spaces will have full Wi-Fi coverage. The New Work concept is not only designed to meet the growing demands of employees for an attractive working environment, but is also part of our dedicated sustainability strategy.

On the back of positive feedback regarding the use of the garden and its popularity for meetings, creative brainstorming and undisturbed working, Bechtle has begun preparations to give a section of asphalt—previously used for car parking—back to nature. Once complete, the Neckarsulm Campus will be home to an additional 2,500 square metre landscaped plot. As with the established garden, plans are to have 16 areas with seats, benches and tables for two to six people. Large parasols will provide protection from both the sun and rain while the entire area will have Wi-Fi access with particularly strong coverage signed accordingly. Alongside its use as an open-air office or meeting room, plans envisage areas of lawn that can be used by Corporate Health Management to hold yoga, back exercise and tai chi classes.

Communing with nature

With this development, Bechtle will not only be offering its employees an inviting environment to spend their breaks in, but also a change from working in the office. During the pandemic, mobile working grew into a highly valued alternative to the traditional desk-based model with the result being that employees’ now desire other workplace concepts. Bechtle is aspiring to fulfil these expectations while also implementing measures laid out in the Sustainability Strategy 2030. As the 1,574-space multi-storey parking garage at Bechtle Platz can accommodate plenty of cars, the decision has been made to convert the visitor car park, which Bechtle sees as going some way to compensate for the new buildings on site. The company sets great store in bee-friendly plants, and so—as with the first garden—will be sowing a mix of indigenous flowers that offer insects as much sustenance as possible.

Picnics to-go

Company caterers, Aramark, will now be offering special picnic meals for outdoor meetings to complement its current meeting room catering service to allow for more extensive use of the gardens. An event container has also been set up to serve those attending after work events. “When we consider the quality of our workspaces and the future use of offices, we have to completely rethink what we understand as ‘standard’. The idea of being able to work from almost anywhere during the pandemic was very appealing for many employees and being able to implement these positive aspects at our own site and therefore boost workplace quality and satisfaction is very important for us. People want to and should feel at ease—not only at home, but also at the office,” says Dr Thomas Olemotz, CEO, Bechtle AG.