At the end of September it was finally time for telecom giant Tre to move into its newly constructed offices in the Globen district. Despite being a neighbour to the vast Ericsson Globe and Tele2 Arenas, the new 3huset, a 14-storey tower block, has added another landmark to the area.

Early Monday morning. Inside the lobby of Tre’s new offices you’re greeted by loud music and people lined up, greeting colleagues and welcoming visitors to a new working week with much applause.

“We have a very strong corporate culture. Our Labs innovation week starts today, and we came up with the applause welcome as a fun way of launching it. And it’s very ‘Tre’,” explains Helena Körberg, who met us at reception before we descend the tiered seating/stairs and pass the stage in the spacious atrium, which you could call the heart of the building.

For the past three years, Helena has project managed the construction of, and relocation to the new 3huset; a project that also strongly reflects Tre’s corporate culture.

“Lots of companies view a relocation as an opportunity to change their corporate culture. For us it presented more of a concern: ‘What if we lose our corporate culture?’ It’s something we discussed a lot with Fabege. The opportunity to adapt the building to our own culture played a big part in our decision to construct a new building.”

Importance of environmental certification

The entire building is environmentally certified, with indoor parking for 160 bicycles and 62 charging stations for electric cars. Environmental certification is important, particularly for employer branding. Helena explains it’s an issue that’s frequently raised, both in discussions with employees and during recruitment.

“Of course it’s one of many sustainability aspects, but it’s an important one. Lots of people are environmentally aware and want to work for a company that shares that awareness. The building’s environmental certification sends a clear signal about our values.”

Around a pool table at the one of the building’s many coffee machines, a couple of guys are planning their working week. The new office houses several different environments. Everything from desks, focus booths, focus rooms and desk groups that can be booked by various teams, to sofas and armchairs, a large cafeteria and other open social spaces. It’s all linked by a bright red staircase that can be seen through the entire building.

Find your own WoW

The layout is reminiscent of an activity-based office, which in many ways it is. But Three has chosen not to use this term as there are so many preconceptions of what that implies. Instead, they use the term Your WoW or Your Way of Working.

Offering the right environment for every kind of task is important for a company as large as Three, which has around 1,000 people based in the building. Otherwise there is a risk of the company losing the personal touch and sense of togetherness, which could result in many employees opting to work from home or at a café instead.

“Before the relocation, we had a clear vision that whatever you’re working on, everyone at Three can ask ‘where’s the best place for me to complete this task?’, and always feel that place is somewhere in 3huset. You should always be able to find your own WoW that allows you to perform at your best.

The feeling of togetherness is also the reason we introduced what we call ‘the start’. This is where you have your personal cupboard in the same ‘start’ as your closest colleagues, and a standing desk that you can gather the team around. The start fulfils both work and social functions.
“At the start, you can begin the day together with your closest colleagues and lots of teams use it for both their morning meetings and status meetings during the day. But it’s also natural to choose workstations close to one another, even if you don’t sit at a desk all day every day.”

As well as individual needs, different departments have different significant requirements. For example the large customer service department, which has more desk space as customer service personnel tend to need more stationary workstations as opposed to flexible alternatives.

“But when they’re working on tasks that can be carried out in other areas, those alternatives should still be available in the building.”

Coming home for a new start

When asked what’s been the best thing about relocating, Helena Körberg say’s it has given Three a new start. It’s a building built for them and employees already feel at home.

“A phrase that frequently came up when we were interviewing personnel prior to the relocation was ‘everyday party’. From the architecture to the interior design, we now have a building that fits that description perfectly!”