When the director turns on the music, peace descends on the open-plan office

When the clock strikes 8.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Dorthe Lykke Jørgensen, Retail Client Director, turns on the music at Sydbank in Sønderborg. A single song is played from the playlist, and then the radio is switched off.

That is the sign for the branch’s 25 employees, who immediately make themselves comfortable at their computers with coffee, water and whatever else they need before it is time for an hour and a half of concentrated work. Small talk, the exchange of views and ideas or questions for colleagues are put on hold for later. Only the phones may ring and interrupt the silence.

"We want to create the peace that we felt was often lacking," Dorthe Lykke Jørgensen explains.
Since June, both her branches in Sønderborg and Gråsten have enjoyed specific dedication time slots. These are a permanent part of the employees' calendars on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am, when the workday begins.

At 9.50am, another song is played from the playlist. The music marks the end of the dedication time slot, and it is now time for a joint ten-minute break, during which you may go for a walk or have a chat with your colleagues at the coffee machine before getting on with your work.

Working efficiently and making fewer mistakes

In an open-plan office, where employees are constantly bouncing ideas off one another, it is sometimes difficult to find the peace required to perform the tasks.

Therefore, Dorthe Lykke Jørgensen and her management team were inspired by the tool "Fordybelsespyramiden” (the dedication hierarchy).

Here, one of the methods for ensuring peace amid ringing phones, an overflowing inbox and colleagues looking to exchange views and ideas is to set aside dedication time in the calendar.