Workspace: Staff and planners rethink offices together

White furniture, light parquet and glass panels. On the first floor of this aircraft engine parts management workshop, massive offices and dark blue linoleum give way to a new workspace. To the delight of Belgin Akarsular, Customer Manager at Safran at the Villaroche (Seine-et-Marne) site: “The office furniture is smaller, brighter and there is more space.”

Improving everyday working life was Jean-Gils Fratelo’s goal when he launched this redevelopment project in 2019. Safran’s Transformation and Progress Manager, wanted “to rearrange the workspace by including 70 employees in the process”. One of his colleagues directed him to Camille Rapinoe, director of Comme on travail, a company that leads workshops for the co-design of workspaces.

Caroline and Belgin participated. “During the first workshop, we asked Camille what our expectations were, and what the sticking points were,” says Caroline. For Belgin, this was getting in and out in front of his office: “Previously, we had a large open space with a corridor in the middle. There was a lot of scrolling. When we were on the phone with a customer, it was awkward. From now on, the windows mark Big services.

Include different company profiles

“We were divided into four teams to come up with a planning proposal,” adds Caroline. On the staff side, many were excited to participate in the meetings, Belgin recalled: “Each department was represented by several people. Everyone wanted to be able to present their ideas. »

Trained as an urban planner, Camille Rapinoe plays the role of facilitator in these workshops. “My approach is to broaden the discussion as much as possible and include the different profiles of the company. She emphasizes that the participatory aspect improves project appreciation. Incorporating employees into the process is often productive.” “The experience is shared between architects and space users: they know what they need,” Camille pleaded. Analysis by Laure Philippe, Interior Designer at Othéa She works regularly with Camille Rapinoe: “Our role is to check the feasibility of the staff proposals. But they often come up with ideas that we didn’t have.” If the staff were on the initiative, the support from Comme on travail was essential.” Being so familiar with our workplaces, it was hard to imagine anything else. Without this outside perspective, we wouldn’t have gone so far in changing the space,” Caroline admits.