Sandra Baltissen

'Here you have the freedom to organize your work in a smart way, taking into account your own work-life balance.'

If we have learned one thing from covid, it is that we can do our work from home just fine. Nobody wants to work in the office from 9 to 5 anymore. This prompted colleagues from Athora to start thinking about a new collaboration concept. PASS is the name of this new, hybrid way of working, which should make work more fun and more efficient for everyone. And better fitting into your private life.   

Sandra Baltissen is one of the co-inventors of the PASS concept. Already in the first phase of corona time she started thinking  about this new hybrid way of working together with a group of enthusiastic colleagues from HR, IT, Facility Management and Communication. A fantastic challenge that created a lot of enthusiasm."It creates a good energy in the company. Together we have created the conditions for colleagues to excel: if you are able to work easier and smarter, it automatically becomes more fun."   

Activity based

Working from home one or two days a week had long been established at Athora. PASS now takes that a step further. The basic principle is that you yourself make conscious choices every day about what, where, when and how you work. “In the morning you might work on a document at home, concentrating on the task at hand. Then in the afternoon you go to the office to brainstorm with your team and feel each other's energy. Or you have an appointment with a relation. Activity-driven working, we call it. So we let go of fixed home or office work days. You have the freedom to organize your work smartly, taking into account your own work-life balance."  

In 2009, Athora Netherlands - then still as SNS Reaal - was already one of the first employers to switch to the New Way of Working. Everyone got a laptop, instead of a fixed workplace at the office. Working from home one or two days a week became standard. "Then corona came along and that turned everything upside down," says Sandra. "Suddenly a lot more was possible than we thought. All of a sudden there was support for seriously considering how we could do things differently."  

Working smarter

Sandra herself started at Athora in 2018 as IT User Adoption Consultant. In that role, she helped employees making use of Microsoft's tools. Working smarter in your digital workplace and making work more fun and easier. Last year, she moved to the position of Strategy Consultant. "In that position you look more toward the future. To new developments in the market and the changing needs of employees in their digital workplace." So working out this new, hybrid way of working is right up Sandra's alley.   

Starting point

PASS stands for Pick a Smart Site/Spot/Solution. This way of working is based on four principles. "The first principle is that you work activity-based. As an employee, you make smart choices every day about where you do what type of work. That may feel individualistic, but that's where the second principle comes in: you are responsible as a team for the contribution you make to the organization as a whole. Teamwork is therefore very important. And making good team agreements. A third principle is that you yourself are responsible for your vitality and your performance. And keep an eye on the physical and mental health of your colleagues. The fourth principle is that it must be appropriate. In other words, it must be feasible in practice. The personal situation is key at all times. So if you don't have a good home office, or the situation doesn't allow for it, then you are always welcome at the office."  

Metamorphosis

To reinforce this new way of working, the office in Amstelveen in particular has undergone a major metamorphosis. "After almost two years of working from home, it is very appealing to go sit in exactly the same corner with your team again. But we want to break that automatism by dividing the building into different zones that suit the type of work you do. No team has a fixed spot anymore."    

Connect, Collaborate, Concentrate

It gets quieter the higher you go in the building. That's the premise of the new layout. "The first floor is a vibrant meeting place. With nice seating areas, a good coffee bar and restaurant (PASSAGE) where you can go all day."   

On the other levels are spaces where you can collaborate and have meetings as a team. "In the Collaborate zone, you'll find floors with desk areas, both open and closed team areas. There you can come together as a team to exchange ideas or brainstorm. And if you really want to concentrate, you can go to the upper floors. The Concentrate zone is the quiet zone, where you can do individual focus work, if for some reason that is not possible at home."  

New meeting tools

Athora's digital workspaces were already fully adapted to remote working. The meeting rooms are now also equipped with the most modern meeting tools. "You no longer have to go to the office for every meeting, but make your own smart choices. With the new digital resources, you are no longer a 'second-class citizen' during a meeting if you participate remotely." 

Good energy

Sandra is exited about this challenging project. "We really developed this together and that's super cool. I find a lot of things interesting and fun, so this is right up my alley. After almost two years in which we've been through a lot and had to work in isolation, this is something that brings all of us back together. And now the time has finally come to start experiencing PASS with each other and discover how it really works in practice."