Flexible working hours, an iPad mini for Christmas and now a brand new common room to help employees unwind, all make IST Metz an attractive place to work.
The company has established its position as a modern employer over the past few years with an altogether fresher image based on successful US Internet companies.
There has been a hint of Google or Facebook evident in the halls of the company, which looks at how these Internet companies started the trend for feel-good working environments, leading to a more productive and better performing workforce.
With spacious common rooms that offer healthy distractions and individually designed workstations, the Americans are leading the way when it comes to workplace design. The Nürtingen-based company was impressed by this concept and decided to follow suit with a new common room for employees, which opened on 3 June.
The 200 sqm ‘bISTro’ combines the staff kitchen with a break room and lounge. In addition to a large selection of hot and cold beverages, there is plenty of room here to relax and chat with others. There is also free WiFi for personal use during breaks, which goes perfectly with that iPad mini.
Employees have the chance to unwind with a pool table, a pinball machine, two dart boards, table football and a Playstation. The name ‘bISTro’ was one of the suggestions put forward by an employee, crowned the winner following an internal vote.
‘At IST, there has always been great emphasis placed on maintaining personal contact. The way we see it, we haven’t reinvented the wheel, but we have created a place that encourages a good working atmosphere and a greater opportunity for personal exchange,’ explained Dirk Jägers, managing director of IST METZ.
