Architects’ office in the canton of Lucerne

Andreas Leu, co-owner, member of the management team
- Company
- TGS Architekten AG (architects’ office), Lucerne, Luzern
- Year founded
- 1975
- Number of employees
- 25
Health and well-being are always on the agenda
In our leadership team’s Monday meetings, we always have «employees» as an agenda item. That's when we bring up our observations – who might be feeling overburdened at the moment? Where are potentially difficult situations emerging? In short, what action needs to be taken? Once we’ve established that, someone from the leadership team takes care of the matter in hand and tries to engage in dialogue.
Regular group breaks
We almost always spend our morning and afternoon coffee breaks all together. They are a fixture at our company. I see it as an opportunity to “listen in” on the mood and note whether any questions or issues are cropping up. This enables me to respond in good time and work together with those involved to find solutions.
Mutual support among the leadership
Variety is the key
A workplace that can strike a balance
We aim to design and use our workplace in a way that allows for a good work-life balance. For example, we have provided a roof terrace and employees have organised yoga classes, which are open to all colleagues. We’ve set up the meeting rooms with movable partition walls and a bar so that, in the blink of an eye, they can be transformed into somewhere for us to enjoy a drink together.
Group activities build trust
Our events are important highlights in the calendar at TGS Architekten. As well as the three-day team event in winter, we also organise group activities in summer and autumn. These occasions give us the chance to get to know each other better and build trust. This trust provides a basis for finding constructive solutions together in difficult situations.
Managing digitalisation carefully
Architects swapped drawing boards for computers a long time ago. But the digitalisation of communication presents a new challenge which we have been keen to actively manage. One of our colleagues worked with external specialists to set up the processes, and all employees were given training. We want to take advantage of digital tools to help us work together more efficiently – and not to create more stress.