Changes Ellen Margrethe Pihl Konstad

Change

This time I will write about the topic, change. A very natural occurrence which is happening all the time. Changes are part of our everyday life. How you react to “a change” is very individual. Two people may react very different to the same change, some with delight; finally, something is happening while others will experience horror and fear.

ELLEN MARGRETHE PIHL KONSTAD, HVO

At present there is a big project planning for major changes at Høvik. We know that the way we use the office space is not optimal. With the new flexibility that was introduced after the Covid pandemic how and where we work has changed.

The recent survey from the “Flexible work” project shows that the main reason that we come to the office is to meet colleagues, with “To be available for my colleagues” as a clear number 2. The lease agreement between DNV and DNV Eiendom (owner of the Høvik Campus) will expire January 2024. A new contract has to be negotiated.

As a result, a project has been established to understand how we may use our premises in a way that meets the demands of new ways of working.

I must admit, I was very sceptical to the project, says Ellen as the HVO. In my mind, upgrade of a landscape equals new carpets and new lighting, but with the same layout. Even though the project had communicated what they wanted to achieve, I was still very sceptical. Fortunately, I was invited on a tour to experience and see what all the plans meant in practice. I was invited to spend a day at Aker and Telia to see how they have solved these challenges.

I went from experiencing the coming change as something horrible, to “this is a place where I want to come to work”.

Anyone who has seen my desk knows that this belongs to the “cave category”, the one who has a photo of my family on pride of place together with the easter hen I got from a colleague and a “We Can Do It!” mug my husband brought back from the US years ago.

My desk is a memory from when we approved physical A1 drawings and needed space to fold them out. To be honest, I only use a small part of the desk when I am working, the rest is used for paper storage. I now know that in the plans for the new way of working, there will be places where I will feel that this is a good place to work from. There will be designated areas to collaborate and areas to concentrate. There will also be areas to meet old and new colleagues, and areas to socialise. I will have to downsize my desk and I think that will be a good thing. I do not need my very own paper archive at my desk.

Knowledge does this to change. By knowing more, I feel more in control, I understand more of what the change might be like for me and daily worklife.

So yes, change will come. Understanding that we may react very different to

“It was a revolution. The stories about designated areas, zones, different surfaces, and fabrics suddenly made sense and was miles from the images in my head of what the plans for this upgrade was.”

“I did not see anything at Aker and Telia that the project already hadn’t been taking in, I just needed to experience it myself. I had to look and feel what this “new” could be like. I changed my view from being very sceptic to being a promotor.”

the same change given that we come from very different backgrounds and that our daily tasks are very different, is important. Already now, we can get a glimpse of what the new Høvik office may look like. Up until Christmas, the canteen in V1 will raise up as a brandnew place to be. Y1 and Y2 are currently being renovated with the new way of working in mind.

“Change is coming, and I now believe it is for the better.”