Workplace operations insights

Get your expenses and contracts under control immediately

Stop unnecessary renewals:

• Identify all contracts and subscriptions with automatic renewal.
• Check cancellation periods and set reminders for 30/60/90 days before expiration.
• Cancel unused or redundant services immediately.

Tighten approvals for expenses:

• Introduce an additional approval for purchases above a defined amount (e.g., $500 or $1,000).
• Temporarily put a stop to new software, consulting services, or agency contracts until the need has been clearly established.

Quickly improve cash flow

• Identify the largest outstanding invoices and set up reminder and clarification processes.
• Define clear payment terms for new customers.
• Identify excess inventory and slow-moving items and review sales or return options..

Reduce cloud costs

• Reduce oversized subscriptions based on actual CPU, memory, and network usage.
• Automatically shut down development and test environments outside of working hours.
• Use reservations or savings plans when workloads are stable.
• Set tags for cost centers, projects, and teams.
• Set up dashboards that show costs per service, team, or product.
• Implement a monthly cloud review with savings targets.

Reduce space and office costs

Office and space costs are among the largest fixed cost blocks for many companies. Due to hybrid working models, i.e., switching between the office and working from home, many workplaces are permanently underutilized.

1. Record actual land use

• Evaluate bookings, but above all, genuine access data/Wi-Fi logins to determine truly reliable usage rates. The easiest way to do this is with PULT Presence, as your employees do not need to take any action.
• Check utilization by day, team, and area to identify peak and off-peak times.
• Document occupancy over several weeks to rule out seasonal effects.

2. Optimize use of office space

• Based on usage data, you can determine how many individual workstations you actually need to provide, always in conjunction with the desk sharing quota.
• By combining the now reduced number of individual workstations, you can already save on cleaning, heating/cooling, and ventilation costs. 
• Tip: Using the room booking feature in PULT, you can see exactly when meeting rooms are needed and therefore need to be operated. This also saves on ancillary costs.
• Thanks to the reliable data, you can now make better use of these office spaces, which makes them cheaper per employee.
• Check whether areas or floors can be reduced or closed in the medium term. If rental agreements allow this, offer permanently unused space for temporary or subletting.
• Tip: This allows you to offer parts of your office space for external use, for example as a co-working space. This generates additional income.

Reduce energy costs

Energy costs are a significant cost factor. Due to rising grid fees, CO₂ pricing, and the requirements of the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG).

Reduce energy consumption

• If possible, put devices on standby or switch them off completely.
• Activate night and weekend shutdowns for lighting, ventilation, and IT peripherals.
• Check heating curves and room temperatures and adjust them to actual requirements.
• Update timer programs and sensors so that they reflect realistic usage times.

Technical measures

• Convert conventional lights to LED if you haven't already done so.
• Add motion and presence detectors in hallways, restrooms, and meeting rooms.
• Have a hydraulic balancing carried out if the heating system is operating inefficiently.
• Review your server costs and migrate to a cloud solution if possible.

Subsidies and energy audits

• Conduct a BAFA-funded audit to identify potential savings. Use the results as a basis for investment decisions and action planning.
• KfW offers programs for energy efficiency in buildings and production. Look out for combinations of grants and low-interest loans.

Purchasing & Supplier Management

Your purchasing has a significant impact on the cost structure. Enter into negotiations on prices, contract terms, and supplier structures.

Get a complete overview of all purchases

• Download invoices from the last 12 months from your accounting system.
• Sort them by category: IT, office supplies, services, marketing, energy, etc.
• Mark suppliers from whom you order regularly.

You can quickly identify areas with high costs. Often, a small number of suppliers account for the majority of the budget. This is precisely where the greatest potential for savings lies.

Compare prices and check alternatives

• Obtain at least two to three comparative quotes for your most important products and services.
• Check whether better prices can be achieved by bundling quantities.
• Watch out for hidden costs such as delivery fees or additional services.

For services such as IT support, cleaning, or advertising technology, it is almost always worthwhile to compare prices annually, as the price differences are often considerable.

Reorganize orders and review contracts

• If you purchase the same products from different suppliers, bundle these purchases.
• Focus on a few reliable partners and thereby increase your purchasing volume, which will strengthen your negotiating position.
• Negotiate longer payment terms to improve your liquidity.
• Remove unused services from existing contracts.

Improve liquidity

By taking measures in the areas of receivables, inventories, and liabilities, you can improve your liquidity without shifting costs to other areas or compromising performance.

Collect outstanding receivables

• Create a list of all overdue invoices and sort them by amount and due date.
• Contact the most important customers by phone.
• Clarify any outstanding issues in person and agree on fixed payment dates.

Optimize payment terms:

• Use shorter payment terms for new customers, e.g., 7 or 10 days.
• Issue invoices immediately after services have been rendered.

Check stock levels and order quantities

• Identify items that have been sold or used little or not at all for a long time.
• Mark excess stock, perishable goods, or products with long turnaround times.
• Update minimum stock levels if they no longer match actual demand.
• Stop automatic reorders for slow-moving items.
• Plan sales or bundle promotions to free up storage space.
• Check return or exchange options with the supplier.

Processes, tasks, and automation

Your internal processes can be cost-reducing, especially if they have not been reviewed for a long time. 

Remove unnecessary steps

• Record the most important processes in your company (e.g., quotation preparation, invoice verification, support requests, onboarding).
• Mark steps that frequently cause queries, waiting times, or rework.
• Check which tasks are performed multiple times or for which responsibilities are not clearly defined.

Automate tasks

• Standard tasks such as data entry, appointment confirmations, reminders, or status notifications can often be automated.
• Check tools that are already in use. Many offer automation features that are rarely used.

Typical automation examples:

• Automatic invoice approvals for clear amounts or clear rules
• Automated reminders
• Digital form processes (e.g., vacation requests, onboarding)
• Automatic updates of customer or supplier data
• AI for responding to support requests. Many simple customer questions can be intercepted and clarified with it. Your team can then deal with cases that actually require expert advice.

Managing personnel costs without layoffs

The goal should be to keep personnel costs stable and predictable without compromising productivity or quality. Job cuts should be a last resort, as hiring well-trained personnel at a later date is both difficult and expensive.

Involve the team

• Share with your team which cost blocks are increasing and where there is a need for savings.
• Make it clear that the goal is not to cut jobs, but to secure them.
• Actively ask employees for suggestions: Many cost drivers are well known to them from their everyday work.

Your openness creates understanding and motivation. And lots of small ideas from the team usually lead to noticeable savings.

Review collaboration with freelancers and service providers

• Regularly analyze which external forces are permanently in use.
• Check whether tasks can be handled more cheaply and reliably internally.
• Reduce external support when it is not absolutely necessary.

Reduce overtime and extra work

• Check why overtime is occurring and whether it can be avoided.
• Plan layers and tasks so that work peaks can be identified in advance.
• Clarify responsibilities so that tasks are not performed multiple times or inefficiently.
• Avoid overlap between departments or functions.

Working on internal productivity

• Remove unnecessary steps from processes.
• Simplify your internal communication. Reduce the number of meetings your team has to attend.
• Use automation for repetitive or administrative tasks.
• Offer training courses that reduce errors or speed up processes.

Staff reductions as a last resort

• First, examine internal optimizations, process improvements, automation, and the use of external resources.
• Assess the long-term consequences of job cuts: loss of expertise, reduced stability, and high replacement costs.
• If downsizing is unavoidable, plan it in a structured and socially responsible manner.
• Principle: A stable, well-coordinated team is more valuable than short-term savings achieved through cutbacks.

Reduce insurance costs

Insurance is important, but it is one of the expense categories where companies often pay too much, for example through duplicate coverage, outdated rates, or  claims coverage that no longer fits the current company structure.

• Record all insurance policies: Review terms, coverage amounts, deductibles, and types of insurance.
• Identify and remove duplicate insurance policies: Check for overlaps between liability, financial loss, cyber, or building insurance policies.
• Adjust deductibles: Higher deductibles can significantly reduce premiums, but only in cases where damage occurs infrequently.
• Review coverage amounts and benefits: Remove oversized or unnecessary additional components and adjust insurance amounts to the actual risk.
• Compare different insurers regularly: Get new quotes every year and check for discounts through bundling or longer contract terms.

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Category: Desk Booking

PULT

PULT is an app for workplace and room booking. Employees can use a digital office plan to select available workstations, rooms, and zones and make binding reservations for themselves. In addition, it is possible to see who is working in the office on which day, which facilitates coordination within the team.

Bookings can be made via browser, smartphone, tablet, laptop, or integrations such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

In addition to booking, the software also offers functions for office and space management, such as evaluations of the use of individual rooms and zones or of general office utilization.

• Workplace booking in open-plan offices and desk sharing models
• Overview of attendance in the office
• Planning and optimization of land use

Category: Communication & Meetings

Slack

Slack is an app for team communication and is used in many companies as an alternative or supplement to email. The tool organizes communication in channels that can be created based on topics, projects, or departments. In addition, direct messages, group chats, and integrated audio and video huddles are available.

One important advantage of Slack is the large number of integrations. Services such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, project management tools, and CRMs can be connected directly, allowing information and notifications to converge in one place. Files can be shared and commented on within channels, keeping discussions and context transparent.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a platform for internal communication and collaboration that can be installed as an app. It offers chat, video and audio conferencing, file sharing, and collaborative document editing within Microsoft 365. 

Channels and team rooms allow conversations, files, and workflows to be organized by topic. Meetings can be held using features such as screen sharing, recording, and integrated Microsoft whiteboards. Close integration with Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive allows appointments, emails, and files to be accessed directly from Teams.

Category: Task & Project Management

Asana

Asana is a work and project management platform in the form of an app that can be used to plan and track tasks, projects, and workflows. Teams create projects, describe tasks, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines. The work can be displayed in different views, such as a list, board (Kanban), timeline, or calendar. 

Asana positions itself as a central hub for status overviews and goal tracking. The service also offers automation and reporting features and, in newer versions, AI-supported assistance with workflows and evaluations.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a work management platform that organizes tasks, projects, and processes in a single interface. The app combines task lists, Kanban boards, Gantt views, calendars, simple documents, and (depending on the plan) time and goal tracking. Tasks can be assigned to responsible parties, due dates, priorities, and custom fields.

ClickUp is typically used for planning and managing projects in teams, mapping recurring business processes in boards and lists, and providing a comprehensive overview of tasks, statuses, and responsibilities.

monday.com

monday.com is an app that teams can use to organize tasks, projects, and workflows in table and board views. Data points are maintained in rows and columns and can be transferred to different views (timeline, calendar, Kanban, charts). Automations and integrations help standardize notifications, status changes, or transfers between systems.

monday.com is used for project, campaign, and task planning in teams, for building pipelines in sales, recruiting, and content, and for workflows with simple automations.

Todoist

Todoist is a task list app for personal and team organization. Tasks can be grouped into projects and assigned due dates, recurring dates, priorities, and labels. Filter and search functions help you sort tasks by context, date, or importance.

With Todoist, you can organize your personal tasks in the office and on the go, create simple to-do lists for small teams or projects, and map out recurring tasks and routines.

Air table

Airtable combines the operating concept of a spreadsheet with a database function. Users manage information in tables that can be linked to each other via relationships. Different views such as grid, Kanban, calendar, Gantt, or forms can be created for the data; simple automations and integrations connect Airtable to other tools.

In Airtable funktioniert die Verwaltung von Projekten, Content-Plänen, Assets oder Kontakten, der Aufbau individueller kleiner Datenbanken ohne eigene Entwicklung sowie Reporting und Übersichten über Prozesse auf Basis einheitlicher Daten.

Category: Knowledge, Documentation & Collaboration

Notion

Notion is a work environment that combines notes, documents, wikis, databases, and task management in one app. The tool is used to document knowledge, build internal wikis, and manage projects with related information in one place. 

In Notion, content is organized on pages that can be freely structured (text, tables, checklists, relationships, database views). This allows teams to map project plans, meeting notes, knowledge bases, and dashboards in a single interface.

Category: Productivity Suites & Office

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is a suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools. It includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and Chat, which can be installed as apps. The goal is to bring email, files, communication, and collaboration entirely into the browser. 

Documents are stored in Google Drive and can be edited by multiple users simultaneously. Video and audio conferences are possible via Google Meet, Google Calendar is used for scheduling appointments, and Gmail serves as an email tool.

Category: Workshops, visual collaboration & design

Miro

Miro is an online whiteboard for visual collaboration in the form of an app. Users can place and organize sticky notes, text, shapes, lines, and other elements on a digital board that can be zoomed in and out freely. The tool is suitable for brainstorming, workshops, process visualization, and planning in distributed teams. 

Miro provides many templates, such as for flowcharts, customer journey maps, retrospectives, and roadmaps. Content can be edited collaboratively in real time, including comments and presentation mode. 

Figma

Figma is a design and prototyping app that is mainly used in a browser (web app). Teams create user interfaces, layouts, and prototypes and can collaborate on files in real time. Comments, version histories, and component libraries enable consistent design and coordination between design, product management, and development.

With Figma, you can design user interfaces for web and mobile applications, create clickable prototypes for testing and approval, and maintain designs with reusable components.

Canva

Canva is an app that can be used to create graphics, presentations, social media posts, and simple documents based on templates. Content is compiled using drag-and-drop in an editor that provides fonts, shapes, stock photos, videos, and other elements. The app is designed for non-designers and enables quick results and exports.

With Canva, you can create presentations, flyers, and simple marketing materials, as well as content for social media, internal communications, or training materials. You can customize all designs to match your own corporate design (logo, colors, fonts).

Category: Files, Storage & Documents

Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud storage service that stores, synchronizes, and shares files online. Users store files in a local Dropbox folder, which is synchronized with the cloud so that content is available on different devices and via a web interface. Additional management features are available for teams, such as assigning permissions and structuring team folders. 

One focus is on file sharing: files and folders can be shared via links. Depending on the plan, password protection, expiration dates, and restrictions on download options for shared links can be used, among other things.

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat includes applications and services for viewing, editing, and managing PDF documents. Users can create PDFs, add comments, edit content, convert documents to other formats (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and fill out forms. In conjunction with the mobile scanning app, paper documents can be captured with a smartphone and processed directly as PDFs.

Adobe Acrobat enables you to process and annotate contracts, quotes, and documents, merge, split, and convert PDF documents, and digitize paper documents and forms.

Category: Scheduling & Time Tracking

Calendly

Calendly is a web app for automated scheduling. Instead of coordinating appointments via email, users create a personal booking link that others can use to select an available slot in their calendar. Calendly checks availability against connected calendars (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook) to avoid double bookings. 

The user specifies when they are generally available (e.g., weekdays, times, buffer times) and defines different event types, such as a 30-minute initial consultation or a 60-minute internal meeting. Calendar entries are automatically created for confirmed appointments; common video conferencing solutions such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams can be integrated directly, so that a separate conference link is generated for each meeting.

Toggl Track

Toggl Track is a time tracking app that focuses on projects, clients, and activities. Users start and stop timers or record times manually; entries are assigned to projects, clients, tags, or tasks. This allows working hours to be evaluated in detail, for example for billing, budget control, or internal analyses.

Typical features include daily, weekly, and project overviews, reports by customer/project/activity, and export options (e.g., as CSV or PDF).

Category: Security & Passwords

Bitwarden

Bitwarden is a password manager app that stores login details, secure notes, and other confidential information in encrypted form. Users create entries (login, password, URL, note) and can organize them into collections. Browser extensions and apps support the automatic filling in of login details on websites and in applications.

Bitwarden uses a zero-knowledge model: data is encrypted on the client side; due to the architecture, the provider has no access to the decrypted content. The service is available as a cloud solution, but can also be self-hosted in certain plans. For teams and companies, there are organizational functions for sharing vaults, managing access rights, and policies.

Category: Asynchronous communication (video)

Loom

Loom is an app for asynchronous video communication. Users can record their screen, camera, and microphone and share the resulting video via a link. This allows them to provide status updates, explanatory videos, or feedback without having to schedule a live meeting.

Recordings can be annotated with comments and reactions; viewers can watch the video in their browser without having to download any files. Loom is particularly suitable for product demos, walkthroughs of documents or processes, and for explaining complex topics that would be difficult to understand in text form alone.

Category: Expense & expense management

Pleo

Pleo is a corporate expense app that combines physical and virtual corporate cards with expense and receipt tracking via a smartphone app. Employees pay with Pleo cards and then take a photo of the receipt; the transaction is assigned to the expense and can be categorized, assigned to projects, or annotated with notes. Overviews, exports, and interfaces to common accounting software are available for bookkeeping purposes.

Pleo offers management of employee expenses and ongoing expenditures, simplification of receipt collection and accounting preparation, and an overview of costs by cost center, project, or team.

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Designing office space: the most important points in brief

• Position your workspace in natural light: Place your desk sideways to the window to avoid glare.
• Ergonomics: Height-adjustable desk, adjustable chair, monitor at eye level, short distances to keyboard and mouse.
• Divide the room into zones: Clearly separate areas for concentrated work, interaction, relaxation, and storage.
• Acoustics: Use carpets, partitions, acoustic panels, and plants; relocate noisy activities to quiet rooms.
• Lighting: Basic lighting plus workstation lighting for uniform brightness and fatigue-free working.
• Storage space: Store everyday items within easy reach, store infrequently used items in closed cabinets, clear categories and fixed cable routes.

Step 1: Describe what you want your office to be able to do

Gather all activities, equipment, space requirements, and your budget for designing the office space. This works for an individual office as well as for an office for your team or an open-plan office.

• Activities: How much time do you spend in front of a screen? How often do you have video calls or phone calls? Are meetings held in person?
• Work equipment and documents: What equipment do you use on a daily basis? What documents do you need? Are sketches or illustrations created?
• Space requirements: What needs to be accommodated in the room next to your desk? Are cabinets or visitor seating required?
• General conditions: What is your budget for designing the office space? Will you carry out the redesign in one step or split it up?

Step 2: Plan the floor plan and layout

Start with the desk and position it sideways to the window. This allows you to use daylight without reflections on the monitor. Avoid positions directly in front of radiators, doors, or passageways, as these cause drafts and unrest. You can ensure a very peaceful environment by furnishing your office according to Feng Shui principles.

• Define functional zones: Divide the room into a workspace, an area for communication (e.g., with customer visits) if necessary, and storage space.
• Route: Can the chair roll freely? Are doors, windows, and cabinets accessible without obstacles? Is the route to the workplace clear?

Tip: In open-plan offices, you should plan the zoning very carefully. Zones with individual workstations for concentrated work should be located away from team areas or telephone areas. You can organize this in a space-saving yet appealing way via desk sharing.

Office layout options

You can adapt these basic shapes to the size of the room:

• Wall workstation: Suitable for small rooms. The desk stands against a wall, saving space.
• Window-side workstation: Ideal for good lighting. The desk is positioned parallel to the window, creating a calm line of sight.
• Island or center placement: Useful for larger rooms or team use. The table stands freely in the room and allows for flexible extensions.

Step 3: Implement ergonomics

For an office that is used almost exclusively by yourself, you can adjust the desk and chair to suit your height and preferred sitting position. In open-plan offices, every workstation should be equipped in the same way so that different users can also set themselves up comfortably.

• Adjusting seat and table height: Adjust the seat height so that your feet are flat on the floor and your legs form an open angle. Adjust the table height or your seat height so that your forearms can rest horizontally without your shoulders rising.
• Use the backrest and armrests: Lean back completely against the backrest. Adjust the armrests so that they support your forearms and relieve pressure on your shoulders.
• Position the monitor at eye level: The top edge of the screen should be approximately at eye level. The distance should be about an arm's length away. If you are using a laptop, combine it with an external keyboard, mouse, and a riser.
• Place the keyboard and mouse close to your body: Both input devices should be directly in front of you so that your arms remain close to your body and you do not adopt a sideways evasive posture.
• Change positions: Switch regularly between sitting, standing, and short periods of movement. Even short breaks can relieve strain on your back and neck.

Ergonomics in open-plan offices: Equal equipment for all

In open-plan offices, all workstations should be set up in the same way:

• height-adjustable desks
• adjustable office chairs
• Monitor arms or stable monitor stands
• Docking stations or universal adapters
• Identical peripherals (keyboard, mouse, headset holder)

This enables ergonomic working for everyone and prevents large differences in quality between individual workstations.

When every workstation is equipped with identical technology, different users can quickly set it up without having to search for or reconnect anything. This enables active desk sharing and ensures that every workstation is ready for immediate use.

Step 4: Plan your lighting concept

Light has a direct effect on human well-being and can have a positive influence on concentration.

• Daylight: Position your desk sideways to the window. This will help you avoid glare on your screen while still taking advantage of natural light. Make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on your work surface. If necessary, use light curtains or an adjustable sunshade.
• Basic lighting for the room: Uniform ceiling lighting prevents harsh shadows and reduces eye strain. It should illuminate the entire room without causing glare.
• Workplace lighting: Use an adjustable table lamp. Position it so that it does not shine on the monitor and your writing or reading area remains clearly visible. For right-handed people, it makes sense to have the lamp on the left, and for left-handed people on the right.
• Light color and brightness: Neutral white light is suitable for working at a computer screen. It supports consistent perception without significant color distortion. Ensure that the brightness can be adjusted to suit daylight conditions and the task at hand.
• Shadows and reflections: Use matte surfaces to reduce reflections. Check whether windows, lamps, or bright surfaces are reflected in the monitor. Small adjustments to the position of the desk or screen are often enough to eliminate distractions.
• Video calls: For a clear video image, your face should be lightly lit from the front. Side lighting creates more natural contours than direct light from above.
• Combine light sources: Use basic lighting, workplace lighting and, optionally, a third light for shelves or a wall. The combination makes the room appear less flat and improves orientation and concentration.

Step 5: Select colors, materials, and style

Light wall colors such as white, off-white, or light gray create a clear and calm office environment. They reflect light well and ensure even lighting. All other colors and the choice of materials have an impact on well-being in the office.

• Accent colors: Use selected accents to create orientation or highlight certain areas. A single wall, a piece of furniture, or smaller elements are sufficient. Too many colored surfaces tend to create unrest.
• Select materials based on usage: Work surfaces should be robust and easy to clean. Matte table tops prevent reflections. Chairs and frequently touched elements should be durable and easy to clean.
• Textiles for better acoustics and atmosphere: Carpets, curtains, and textured fabrics absorb sound and improve room acoustics. At the same time, they add a pleasant tactile quality to the room.

Four simple styles:

• Scandinavian: Light colors, natural wood, clean lines. Good for quiet work environments.
• Modern minimalist: Neutral colors, smooth surfaces, minimal decoration. Reduces visual distractions.
• Natural/Biophilic: Wood, plants, muted green tones. Ensures a balanced indoor climate.
• Industrial: Metal, darker tones, rougher surfaces. Works well in larger rooms or lofts.

Step 6: Plan storage space and organization

You can determine your personal storage space requirements based on your current office situation. Don't expect to need significantly less, even if you plan to declutter before the redesign. For open-plan offices with desk sharing, there are many ways to make your employees' daily work easier.

• Sort storage space according to use: Keep things you need every day within reach. Documents you rarely need can be stored in closed cabinets.
• Combine open and closed storage: Use open shelves for quick access and closed compartments for things that are visually distracting or need to remain confidential.
• Tidy up cables: Use cable ducts or Velcro strips. This will visibly tidy up your workspace.

Storage space in open-plan offices and desk sharing

• Provide personal storage space: Desk sharing eliminates the need for a fixed, personal desk. Lockers, cubicles, or lockable rolling containers replace this space. They are used for the secure storage of work equipment, confidential documents, and personal items.
• Clean Desk Policy: Leaving your workspace tidy at the end of the day is necessary and fair to colleagues who will be using the space afterwards. Lockable compartments allow documents and data storage devices to be stored securely, thereby complying with data protection requirements.
• Reduce setup times: Headsets, mice, keyboards, and personal items such as favorite mugs do not need to be brought in every day. Employees store these items in their lockers and can easily use them again the next working day.

Step 7: Acoustics and indoor climate

Quiet and subdued acoustics promote concentration and improve speech intelligibility in video calls. Acoustically active elements can be used in both your personal office and in an open-plan office.

• Reduce reverberation: Use elements that absorb sound: carpets, curtains, upholstered furniture, or wall absorbers. They reduce reverberation and improve speech intelligibility.
• Identify sources of noise: Check which sources in the room are causing disturbance: printers, fans, hallway or street noise. If possible, move loud devices to adjacent rooms.

Acoustics in open-plan offices and desk sharing

• Zones for different activities: Separate concentrated work, exchanges, and meetings spatially. Quiet workplaces require acoustic shielding. 
• Acoustically effective furnishings: Use room dividers, partition walls, textile surfaces, ceiling panels, or acoustic ceilings for sound absorption. Large plants or green partitions also have a dampening effect.
• Provide quiet areas: Telephone booths and small meeting rooms prevent conversations and video calls from disturbing colleagues.

Designing offices for desk sharing

Desk sharing requires a different office structure than a traditional open-plan office, but offers significant advantages for both employers and employees. Workstations that were previously assigned to individual employees are no longer necessary. Instead, the entire office space can be redesigned to benefit employees.

• Quiet zones for concentrated work: Individual workstations with acoustic shielding.
• Exchange and workshop areas: Open spaces, rollable tables, and furniture that can be freely arranged.
• Private spaces: Phone booths and small meeting rooms for conversations and video calls.
• Break areas: Lounges or kitchen areas for relaxation and socializing.

PULT is your booking software for desks, rooms, and zones. With PULT, you can offer your employees the security and freedom to book suitable spaces at any time.

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Cross-functional teams: The most important facts in brief

• Cross-functional teams combine multiple skills to be able to work on a result area completely and independently.
• You make decisions directly within the team, which improves speed and quality.
• A cross-functional team is worthwhile if there is a clearly defined area of responsibility, sufficient work volume, and genuine decision-making authority.
• Advantages arise primarily from shorter decision-making processes, greater accountability, and better coordination between specialist perspectives.
• Difficulties arise when roles, responsibilities, or decision-making processes are unclear, or when individual specialized roles become bottlenecks.

What is a cross-functional team?

Cross-functional teams are groups in which many areas of expertise are combined in such a way that they can jointly take responsibility for a clearly defined goal ("end-to-end"). To do this, the team needs all the essential skills to plan, implement, test, and deliver without external dependencies.

• Pooling of expertise: The team covers all the skills necessary to achieve the objectives.
• Shared responsibility: Success and quality are the responsibility of the entire team, not individual functional areas.
• Few dependencies: Transfers to other departments are eliminated or greatly minimized.
• Focus on outcomes: The team works on a defined set of outcomes with measurable benefits, rather than on isolated tasks.

Difference between cross-functional and functional

Classically functionally organized teams include people with the same expertise in one department, such as development, marketing, or design. In this model, working on a product or project requires multiple handovers between units. Decisions take longer because each department has its own priorities, processes, and responsibilities.

Cross-functional teams break down this structure. They combine the relevant roles so that a result area can be handled entirely within the team. This eliminates the need for a lot of coordination across departmental boundaries. Decisions are made where the expertise is available.

When is it worthwhile to set up a cross-functional team?

Setting up or deploying a cross-functional team is worthwhile for your company if an area is so clearly defined that the team can handle it from start to finish on its own.

This always works very reliably when there is enough work in this area and, as a rule, no decisions by external bodies are necessary. Under these conditions, a cross-functional team works faster, requires less coordination, and takes responsibility for results.

Good conditions for a cross-functional team:

• The result can be described very precisely. Examples: a product module, a complete ordering process, or addressing a target customer group.
• The objective remains stable. There is a robust framework for decision-making and planning.
• There is a constant flow of work in this area. The team remains continuously busy.
• All core competencies can be brought into the team. Depending on the area, these include, for example, development, UX, data analysis, or marketing.
• The team can prioritize independently. Decisions do not have to be constantly sought from managers or committees.
• Dependencies on other teams are manageable. The team can carry out most steps itself.

These prerequisites immediately reveal the advantages of a cross-functional team:

• The team does not waste time on handovers or waiting for decisions.
• It can map the entire process internally.
• The work and deadlines can be planned very accurately.
• The team's working methods bring them very close to the customer, enabling them to understand and serve them better.

What difficulties frequently arise in cross-functional teams?

Cross-functional teams solve many internal coordination problems, but they also bring their own difficulties. Most of these arise when roles, decision-making processes, or responsibilities are not (yet) well defined. If this is the case, the team may lose momentum and encounter recurring conflicts.

• Unclear responsibilities: If it is not clearly defined who makes decisions within the team or which role is responsible for which area, delays and conflicting expectations arise.
• Conflicts between different professional perspectives: Different disciplines sometimes pursue different goals and apply different evaluation standards. This can lead to discussions about priorities and approaches.
• Specialists become bottlenecks: Individual specialists, for example in data, infrastructure, or legal matters, quickly become the point where tasks pile up.
• Different working methods within the team sometimes lead to additional work and misunderstandings.

How do I build a high-performing, cross-functional team?

When setting up a cross-functional team, you should describe the goal or outcome of the working group in great detail, assemble the necessary members based on their roles and skills, and then define responsibilities, decision-making processes, and workflows.

Step 1: Define the result/goal

The objective forms the basis of the team and determines which tasks and decisions are its responsibility.

• Very precise formulation of the area of responsibility, for example, "Creation and optimization of the checkout process."
• Clear demarcation from other teams to prevent overlap
• Set measurable goals that provide guidance for planning and prioritization.

Step 2: Define roles and responsibilities

A cross-functional team must cover all the skills required to work independently on the objective.

• Determination of core roles, such as product management, development, UX, data analysis, or marketing
• Assignment of responsibilities per role so that responsibilities are clear
• Determining how roles with a relatively small project share and time requirement can be integrated.

Step 3: Clarify responsibilities and decision-making processes

• Determining which decisions the team makes itself and which are made externally
• Disclosed framework for prioritization and goal setting
• Binding formulation of quality standards and acceptance criteria

Step 4: Agree on working methods and processes

• Common workflow such as Kanban or Scrum with defined steps, agile working
• Regular coordination meetings such as planning, review, and retrospective
• Uniform documentation standards to ensure that information remains accessible in the long term

Step 5: Manage participants and contributors

A cross-functional team needs agreements on how it will work with other departments.

• Overview of all contributors and their requirements
• Established process for how tasks are assigned to the team, for example via intake forms or a prioritization meeting.
• Agreed format for status reports and expectation management

How do I lead a cross-functional team?

As the leader of a cross-functional team, ensure that you provide your team with a workflow in which, as far as possible, all decisions can be made quickly and efficiently. 

At the outset, binding ground rules should be established to structure the daily work routine. These include:

• Coordination channels for technical and organizational issues
• Expectations regarding documentation and communication
• Dealing with conflicts and differences in decision-making
• Rules regarding periods of concentrated work and availability

It is then your job to ensure positive cooperation and create a working atmosphere that leverages the strengths of a cross-functional team:

• Address contradictions immediately, argue professionally and objectively, and do not postpone decisions.
• Check in regularly, but briefly. Use boards that show the status of the work.
• Define how you handle synchronous and asynchronous communication and how quickly feedback can be expected.
• Give each team member decision-making authority and discuss decisions in reviews.

How can I provide suitable spaces for multiple cross-functional teams?

As an employer, you are faced with the task of providing suitable working conditions for several cross-functional teams without having to permanently reserve separate spaces for each team.

Since many employees in marketing, development, product, or consulting regularly work remotely, traditional, permanently assigned team rooms are hardly economical anymore. Actual utilization would be low, while costs would be high.

A suitable approach is to switch to desk sharing and bookable team zones. This involves using workstations, rooms, and team areas via a booking system instead of assigning them permanently. Your teams reserve areas exactly when they want to work together in person, for example for planning, reviews, workshops, or coordinating results.

The advantages of bookable team zones, rooms, and individual workstations: 

• Lower vacancy rates: Fixed desks often remain unused in hybrid working models. Bookable workspaces avoid these idle times.
• Even as you grow, there is no need to rent new office space, as your teams can easily share the existing facilities.
• Your teams can select spaces that suit the task at hand, for example, for focused individual work, group discussions, workshops, or hybrid meetings.
• Using the booking software, your teams can ensure that the required zones and rooms are available as soon as they start working on site.
• Rooms and zones can be quickly adapted to different team sizes and tasks, which was not possible with previously defined areas.

PULT is your booking software for desks, rooms, and zones. With PULT, give your cross-functional teams the security and freedom to book suitable spaces at any time.

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