Outside Society

The striking images of people working in the middle of the nature in this self-sufficient open glass structure catches the imagination of many of us. Please meet Outside Society?

‘We stand for a completely new work experience and provide a unique outdoor workspace at inspiring locations in the middle of nature. In this way, we create a creative working atmosphere far away from the grey daily routine of the office, which breaks through thought routines and where new team spirit emerges. Nature plays a special role and is a source of inspiration for fresh ideas and new perspectives’.

The pandemic turned our lives upside down: we were forced to work from home and only managed to meet and communicate remotely with our team colleagues. Much of the informal communication was lost, which made working together difficult. The isolation and physical distance became a test of endurance for many. This is how the idea of Outside Society came about. We saw the pandemic as an opportunity for a new work experience and without further ado opened the first "Outdoor Workspace Pop-up" in Bern. Our motivation was to enable hybrid teams to meet physically even during the pandemic. True to the motto "Switch off, take a breath, refocus, break through thought routines and recharge your productive batteries", we created an inspiring workspace in green surroundings where meetings and workshops can be experienced in decelerating nature. Our goal was to get teams and co-workers out of the often grey, familiar work routine and to offer them the opportunity to work inn a place where they usually spend their free time: in the forest, by the water, surrounded the fresh air. Our glass construction, which opens on three sides, made it easy to hold a corona-compliant meeting. In addition, this idyllic location on the river Aare gave a holiday feeling and turned out to be the ideal location for a short team workation.

How do people and/or organisations involved respond to ‘Outside Society’? Could you share your experices?

Nature as a working environment offers teams a unique opportunity to make their physical meetings more productive in the context of hybrid collaboration. Depending on the needs of the team and the current challenge, nature can bring the necessary distance, freshness, change of perspective and deceleration to achieve team moments of presence and focus in a digital, accelerated working world.

Both individual and team work can be taken outdoors. In our autark, solar-powered outdoor workspace, we offer space for up to 10 people and enable a maximum outdoor feeling without having to forego the comforts of an office. The glass cube can be completely opened on three sides and is equipped with a flexible furniture system, a coffee machine, a refrigerator, WLAN and sockets that run on solar power and allow mobile devices to be recharged. In addition, meeting infrastructures such as flipcharts, a screen, moderation and writing materials are available. An outdoor terrace with cosy seating lounges is available for breakout sessions.

Why is taking work outdoors and the connection with the nature so important for office workers?

The Institute for New Work at the Bern University of Applied Sciences accompanied Outside Society 2021/2022 and published a study on the topic of "New Work in Nature - successful teamwork through the biophilia effect". It specifically shows that nature is always profitable for teams when the goals and topics of a meeting are aligned with it. The results show that especially the topics of strategy, innovation and creativity as well as team development work are suitable. The teams surveyed also cite the need for distance from day-to-day business, the desire for variety and the search for sources of inspiration as motivations for choosing nature as a place to work.  

At the individual level, the relaxing effect of nature and the associated lower symptoms of exhaustion were particularly emphasised. At the team level, among other things, a positive effect of the working environment on the team dynamics was noted, which became noticeable through a positive climate in the team, a higher psychological security and a strengthened sense of togetherness.

Any ideas on how we can improve the relationship between work, wellbeing and (urban) nature?  

Nature as a place to work is an interesting alternative to conventional office space. Depending on the needs of the team and the current challenges, nature can provide the necessary distance, freshness, change of perspective and deceleration for a focused exchange within the team. Working in nature is therefore more than just a fun factor, as is known from team development events in climbing parks or other destinations. Instead, nature can be a promising extension of the space available to positively support new forms of cooperation and thus increase not only flexibility but also team cohesion.

Meet Outside Society also on June 15th: during the Outdoor Office Day a Co-Working Day will be hosted. Fun is guaranteed! Thank you Evelyne Schmidt.