“For me, New Work is the search for meaning, for forms of projection and methodology, with the aim being to find happiness in the current world of work,” says Michael Trautmann, the founder, entrepreneur and podcaster behind “OnTheWayToNewWork”. He believes it’s not all about table football for the staff and free mate tea, but rather the ideal distribution of the energies within a company and a greater orientation towards individual strengths. Part of this involves creating spaces in which working and living function harmoniously together – the creation of a “Work Life Space”. “I believe that the office is definitive for culture and is still a necessity even if we work remotely and need less space. I therefore think it’s desirable to design high-quality, aesthetically pleasing workspaces that are furnished in a homely style. For home offices, too, there needs to be better equipment,” says Trautmann. “Greenhouses of creativity” is how Prof. Jan Teunen, Cultural Capital Producer and the man behind consultancy company Officina Humana, describes the ideal office: atmospheric, aesthetic and modular environments that foster both concentration and relaxation, so that people can reach their full creative potential. Business consultant Dr. Isabelle Kürschner also sees the need for open-plan office concepts that act as a meeting place, digital working notwithstanding. “Individual offices will most certainly not be the workplaces of the future,” she says.
The question of change in the familiar structures of our world of work has become more pressing during the challenging times of the corona crisis in particular. “New Work” did not just develop as a concept during the course of the pandemic; it was back in 1984 that the philosopher and anthropologist Prof. Dr. Frithjof Bergmann published his book “New Work New Culture”, and in doing so triggered a fundamental reappraisal of the world of work, a shift away from standardized gainful employment towards creative free spaces, more individual responsibility, and formative collaboration. Michael Trautmann met the originator of New Work for his podcast in the professor’s adopted homeland of Michigan. “The crucial thing is that we now have the technological possibilities to structure work differently, and to think and organize things differently to how we did before. Work can strengthen people instead of weakening them,” says Frithjof Bergmann. The opportunity could be there, he says, to flesh out the catchphrase with the serious intention that was initially behind its definition. “What kind of world do we want? It’s now up to us,” surmises Bergmann.