The TWINO financial technology company is opening a hybrid office in Riga at the Milla Design Quarter in Dzirnavu Street, thereby continuing a strategic decision made last year on a change in work culture and a chance for employees to work from anywhere in the world.
The new TWINO office has been created as a communication platform between various audiences, not only between company employees but also the startup ecosystem, representatives of the financial technology field, and other involved parties. The office will also serve as an improvised studio for various events in the sector.
“More than a year ago, TWINO made a strategic decision to change our current work culture. At the very start of the pandemic, we decided that we would maintain the opportunity for our employees to work remotely after the health crisis as well. We, therefore, decided to transform our office too, favoring a smaller, but more modern environmentally friendly and magnetic office space in the center of Riga. We worked for almost a year on our new office concept and its improvement, and we are now ready to open up the doors of the new TWINO office”, explains TWINO Group CEO Anastasija Oļeiņika.
The new office has been developed over two floors, with one being created as an open collaboration space, communication platform, and place for socializing – the TWINO Showroom, while the other floor contains workspaces, a lounge area, a collaboration space, huddle room, a Coffee shop (kitchen area), as well as zones that are more private. Great emphasis is being placed on transformation in the office – in both the spaces, as well as the furniture. For example, space is being used as a working environment during the day but can be transformed into an improvised studio or lounge space in the evening. The conference table can be transformed into a table tennis game, while the furniture can be changed over from easy-to-use couches, into tables and similar.
Sustainable solutions and ergonomic furniture have been used in the office and employees have bicycle parking available to them. The office environment has been created to be accessible as possible – low doorsteps, a lift, etc.
The clean or hot desk principle is to be observed at the new office, meaning that when work is finished for the day, an employee should place their work items and personal belongings in a storage locker, created in the shape of the TWINO logo, thereby emphasizing the company’s identity. At the TWINO hybrid office, everybody has an opportunity to select or alter their favorite workspace according to the day’s plan. Meeting areas and collaboration zones have been created, but there is also the opportunity to work alone.
Even though the TWINO office has been ready to take on employees from the start of the year, the company delayed opening it, to comply with the epidemiological recommendations prescribed by the state. With the current improvement to the situation, TWINO has decided to gradually open its office to its employees from June, introducing the so-called team bubble principle, which provides for attendance at the office to be divided up into teams of up to 20 people. This transitional concept will allow employees to meet their teams face to face, while simultaneously minimizing epidemiological risks as much as possible, as the teams will not be coming into contact with each other. During the transitional month, TWINO employees will have the opportunity to work at the office one day per week in accordance with a previously approved plan. After the lifting of restrictions, TWINO employees will be able to attend the office without restriction.
The company’s internal surveys reveal that TWINO employees have adapted well to the new working conditions, and among other things, work productivity has increased substantially, which confirms once again that the decision to change the office concept was the correct one. 50% of TWINO employees have expressed a desire to work at the office two or three days per week, while the other employees have selected different hours for working from the office, as stated by the CEO of the company.
“A workplace focused on the person was the main motif in working on the creation of the new TWINO office. The creation of a feeling of belonging, teamwork, involvement, empathy, and respectful relationships are at the core of the office’s interior design. Even in today’s digital age, offices are important to companies for providing a separate identity, maintaining a positive work culture, and promoting social interaction”, summarises the CEO of TWINO Group.
TWINO’s new office is located at Milla Quarter, Dzirnavu Street 42, between Krisjana Valdemara and Skolas streets. The quarter is located at the historical site of the Kimmel Beer Brewery, after the reconstruction of the ensemble of historic buildings built in the second half of the 19th century. There are restaurants and a bakery on the ground floors of the buildings, while several exclusive offices have been created on the upper floors.
