How Sanofi introduced hybrid work with Seatti

About the company

Sanofi is a global healthcare company headquartered in Paris whose history reaches back into the 19th century. The German country group counts almost 7,750 employees across three sites. The company researches the causes of diseases and looks for medicinal approaches to treat them. As many pandemic protection measures expired, it became clear that the way people work had to change, in favour of flexibility. Seatti was the first tool Sanofi introduced for that, at its Berlin site.

Challenge

Before the pandemic, Sanofi too worked in a very conventional model: one large office, clearly structured, smaller offices partly with anterooms, separated by hierarchy and department. After two years of home office the company could not and did not want to go back.

Two camps had formed among the staff: those who enjoy working both from home and in the office, and those who prefer being on site. To take both groups along, Sanofi decided on a hybrid model. At the same time the physical structures were to be broken open. Instead of separate single offices with anterooms, an open space emerged in which the leadership sits in the middle of the team.

Solution

Five requirements for the tool

Before the search began, the task force defined what a management tool has to deliver.

Easy to integrate. The tool had to fit into the existing ecosystem. From an IT perspective above all, nobody should have to install a separate app just to book a workspace. Seatti runs in the interface everyone already knows: Microsoft Teams.

Easy to use. Interface and features had to be self-explanatory so that the start works without a queue of questions.

A social character. The move to open space was meant to bring departments together. So it was a condition that the tool makes visible who comes into the office on which days, creating an incentive to return.

Measurability. For the utilisation of the booked areas, an integrated dashboard had to be available, anonymous and GDPR compliant.

Adaptability. Sanofi wanted to make zones bookable rather than individual desks, with different rights per area.

Seatti met all of these requirements and was introduced at the Berlin site.

Change communication along four routes

After months of home office, not everyone was aware that change was necessary. Sanofi therefore relied on open, multi-stage communication. Employee surveys brought the staff into the process. A dedicated podcast accompanied the change, with one episode devoted to hybrid work. Internal emails covered everyone who does not listen to the podcast and opened a direct channel back to the task force. One worry surfaced there above all: that reducing the floor space would leave too few desks and make the journey in pointless. That was precisely the fear the booking tool removed. At the Berlin site, flyers were added on top, with a page of their own for Seatti.

Impact

After nine months, the first valuable insights could be gathered.

“We are nine months into the project now, and exchange has increased incredibly, and our cohesion as one company has increased enormously.”

Acceptance

The new model was well received overall, with a recognisable pattern along the age structure: under 40 enthusiastic throughout, between 40 and 50 enthusiasm clearly in the foreground, above that more scepticism and more weight on working in the office. It cannot be generalised, but it is a trend.

“Subjectively it feels as if our average age had dropped by 20 years. As if we had gone from 56 to 36.”

Preferred days

The feared shortage did not materialise, and office occupancy spread out well. Seatti's meetup function made it visible that the core office days shift to Tuesday and Wednesday, while Fridays are noticeably quieter.

Attractiveness as an employer

Compared with other Sanofi sites, Berlin has a visibly easier time attracting leaders. The hybrid model makes the company markedly more attractive in the city and puts it alongside the Berlin start-up scene in the competition for talent.

“If more corporates adopt this model, the recruiting market is going to get really tough for start-ups!”