BERNER Group donates three raised beds and a herb snail to Waldenburg's Kleeblatt kindergarten
Berner Group continues to expand in Cologne
New premises at Rheinauhafen offer more than 100 employees flexible workspaces with plenty of room for ideas.
The Berner Group has occupied further office space on Anna-Schneider-Steig at Rheinauhafen. The commercial enterprise, founded in Baden-Württemberg in January 2016, moved the holding’s second pillar to Cologne to more rapidly meet the challenges of digital transformation. Since then, more than 100 new jobs have been created in the Rhine metropolis.
In leasing the ground floor, ten additional mobile workstations, three conference rooms and a multifunctional project room have been designed, enabling flexible and modern work. As was the case two years ago upon moving in, the company collaborated with the Cologne architectural and interior design firm hell und freundlich.
Networking across all hierarchy levels
Within just a few months, the area was turned into flexible office spaces with industrial charm. Similar to the office floors already leased in the building, a modern working environment was created by integrating the client materials steel, glass, wood, and concrete.
But in designing a modern office concept, importance was not only attached to the visual aspect. The “office of the future” is also being experienced at Berner in everyday business life. With its move to Cologne’s Rheinauhafen, the family business introduced a non-territorial office – meaning that workstations can be freely selected in the morning and must be tidied and cleared by employees at the end of the day. With this provision, employees can individually arrange and organize their workstations based on projects and tasks. This concept promotes communication and cooperation across all hierarchical levels.
Individual solutions for employees
It has become increasingly important for employees to be flexible and to shift their place of work according to the situation. The Berner Group has responded to this trend with modern workstations, promoting exchange among the staff through communicative areas. At the same time, employees are provided with retreat areas, where concentrated work can take place and telephone calls can be conducted without interruption. “Companies are reacting to the modern working world increasingly demanding more from employees. We are not only answering this trend with flexible workstations, but also nurturing a work-life balance with more retreat areas and home office opportunities,” said Martin Allerchen, Senior Vice President HR International & Change Management at the Berner Group.
The Berner Group
The Berner Group is a family-run commercial enterprise with approximately 8,500 employees in 25 countries. We are the central B2B trading partner for all materials in the maintenance, repair, and production segments for our customers in the building, mobility, and industry sectors. We create an integrated omni-channel purchasing experience for our customers. In the steel and C materials as well as chemicals segments we are also an innovative manufacturer.