Your laptop

An important device. New colleagues may choose between a blazingly fast Windows/Linux laptop or a beautiful Macbook. You also choose which keyboards, mice, mouse pads, headphones, and other peripherals you use if you don't like the standard equipment (This role can help).

We have set up plug-and-play workstations throughout the office. That way, colleagues can easily sit in all spots, and you don't have to dive under your desk first every workday to untangle all the cords.

You may use your laptop privately. However, there are some rules for laptop usage, and you will find them on the ✅Am I Secure Checklist.

Flexible working at the office

Can I work at a location other than the office? Of course, you can! The office is a really nice and cozy place, and you're colleagues are fun to be around, so there is a good reason to be at the office. However, we value maximum freedom in choosing where (and when) we work.

What is not allowed is to work 24x7. You are paid for a certain number of hours. You work that number. No more, no less. Do you work a few extra hours now and then? Fine! You can pick up these hours yourself at other times. You can easily keep track of this yourself online. (also see ⌚Time for time),

If you work more hours structurally, then you are doing something wrong, or there is something wrong with your contract 😉

In our office, we have flexible workstations with a standard mouse, keyboard, and height-adjustable desk. Do check out the 🪑Workplace Ergonomics. Chairs are often set up for a specific person which regularly causes a chair dance in the morning. If you are tired of your sit-stand desk, you can always plop down in a beanbag.

Please note: We're all about freedom here and trusting people to make their own calls. But, there might be times when we need you in the office, like when a colleague is coming back after being sick for a while, or if someone's not quite hitting the mark and we're helping them get back on track. We'll figure out what works best for each person and the organization individually.

Flexible working station with 2 monitors - One non-functioning monitor?

Some of our flexible working stations have 2 monitors, and for some of these you need an extra driver to get the second monitor to work. These are recognisable by this little box that is attached to the back of the monitor:

You can download the driver (’DisplayLink’: ) here (Mac, Windows, Ubuntu ; look for the heading Drivers & Downloads).

Working from home

Working from home can be super handy. Depending on your home situation it can be the perfect place for deep work. But, there is a catch.

We cannot check whether your 'home office’ is suitable for long-term work. It is important that you think of the risks. Little checklist:

• is there enough silence/rest at home?
• is the (sun)light on your screen not disturbing?
• do you have good workplace ergonomics at home?
• a good posture prevents complaints on f.e. your wrist, shoulder and back? See 🪑Workplace Ergonomics.
• the right hardware (camera, microphone, headset)?

Did you know that Google Calendar allows you to set your work location?

Meetings

First of all, do you really need a meeting? Alternatives for meetings can be highly beneficial (ref: ⏱️Asynchronous work ).

For synchronous meetings:

Our meetings are online by default. That’s our ground rule. When all participants who want to join your meeting (e.g., Governance + Tactical) are at the office, you could, of course, jump into a meeting room together. If someone’s working from home, we strive for equality and inclusivity, so please join the meeting online. Another option is to make arrangements with your team to use the Google Meet units in our meeting rooms. You can find them in the Big, Medium and Small Meeting Room. This is an option when some people are working from another location, like home, and are okay with joining the meeting on the big screen via the Google Meet unit. Note that this must be a fair consultation together, that everybody feels okay with having this type of hybrid meeting, and that people do not feel pressured or left out. When meeting in this hybrid setting, pay extra attention to providing your remote working colleagues with a good experience too. Using Google Meet Units is easy as long as you reserve the room through Google Calendar:

• Remote users can join by clicking the link in the invite.
• People in the room can start the meeting by clicking the meeting displayed on the Google Meet Units.

Working from somewhere else (aka workation or temporary or even permanent remote work)

Can I? Yes you can. Details, tips and tricks → 🌎Working abroad

Keys and the alarm

You'll receive a keytag and an alarmtag for the office. The keytag is simple: hold it up for the reader and the door will open. If the alarm is on you will know notice that on entering ;)

When the alarm goes off between 19 and 7 Mon-Fri and the whole day on Saturday and Sunday, someone from the security company will come by to check it out, which they will charge for ;)

Visitors

We love having other people in the office. We do have some security things to keep in mind, since we are an ISO-certified telecom provider. That’s why there is a Procedure for non-colleagues entering and using our office.

The idea is that most visitors are accompanied by a colleague, and then this procedure is not necessary. So if you receive a visitor, a vacancy candidate, or a potential partner, you don’t need to follow this procedure. The same applies to tours you give.

• Tours are possible; we prefer tours during the lunch break and taking pictures of colleagues feel really weird so don’t 😅
• Tours held by externals are always reported by calling 0508009008. The warm welcomer (or the person who picks up the phone when no warm welcomers are in) will put a message in Slack (#spindle_office).
• Our office can be used by external people.
• We have a “new” agenda, ‘Main Office’ where you can write down / plan who and when external people will work in our office.
• A message is sent in Slack (#spindle_office) by the inviter. We prefer a few days before the non-colleagues visit the office;
• This also goes for (school) students and other events.
• On the day itself, the external people will get a tag and wristband/visitor pass by the inviter.
• If externals use the office, they leave it as they found it or better.

"Your health is our concern"

Sounds like a joke but we really care 🙂. So check out the 🍏Occupational health and safety policy.

Other relevant pages