.svg)
A family business with a long tradition and a modern way of working
With around 2,000 stores across Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, an award-winning online presence and more than 12,500 employees, Ernsting's family is one of the most significant omnichannel retailers in the European textile sector. Headquartered in Coesfeld-Lette (Westphalia), the company offers fashion and accessories for the whole family.
Founded almost six decades ago, Ernsting's family has maintained a family-oriented corporate culture to this day. And as in many companies, hybrid working has long been part of everyday life here, with models ranging from full on-site presence to fully remote work.
Lack of overview and limited space
With the introduction of hybrid work models at their headquarters with more than 1,000 employees, Ernsting's family faced a problem familiar to many companies today: there was no transparency around desk utilization, and some teams already had more employees than available workstations, without a shared planning solution in place.
Our challenge was that we lacked an overview of how our desk capacity was being used. At the same time, we had the first teams with more employees than desks but no planning tool to organize themselves. So Excel lists or verbal arrangements were being used.
Julia Hattrup
Head of Internal Communications, Shared Desk Project Team
The solution needed to do more than just make organization easier for employees, it also had to provide the company with a reliable data foundation for strategic decisions about office space. They were looking for a tool that was intuitive to use and could be integrated seamlessly into the existing Microsoft environment.
From Excel lists to smart booking
The decision came after a structured selection process comparing five providers, with deskbird coming out on top. The rollout did not happen all at once but step by step, each time a team moved into a new area. This made it possible to closely align the rollout with ongoing renovation work. Today, all employees use the deskbird app, with fixed 1:1 assignments for some workstations and fully flexible booking models for others.
We selected based on specific criteria: intuitive operation, user-friendliness, a consistent layout across web and mobile applications, and above all the Microsoft integration, data protection and support. [...] deskbird convinced us on all of these points.
Dirk Graf
Head of IT-Frontend & Operations, Shared Desk Project Team
Beyond desk booking, room booking is already in use as well: the floor plan shows at a glance which rooms are available, which is far more practical for short-notice bookings than searching through Outlook. The mobile app has also been well received: people on the move can check at any time how the next day looks and easily make adjustments.
What I like about deskbird is how easy it is to use. At the end of the day, we're talking about a desk booking system, and that needs to be simple, it needs to be intuitive, and it is. I can plan my week in just a few seconds.
Frank ter Duis | Senior Team Lead IT Logistics
A tool that excites employees and data that brings clarity
The introduction of deskbird at Ernsting's family has had an impact on two levels: among employees and within the company itself.
Feedback from the workforce has been overwhelmingly positive. Many had been waiting for exactly this kind of tool, and once people opened the app for the first time, no further convincing was needed.
We receive a lot of positive feedback from our colleagues. Many were really looking forward to deskbird, finally a tool to help them organize themselves in a hybrid setup. What people particularly emphasize is how simple it is to use. You hardly need any instructions; you can just open the app and get started right away.
Julia Hattrup
Head of Internal Communications, Shared Desk Project Team
This kind of rapid acceptance is not something to take for granted. Introducing desk sharing is not only a technical step but also a cultural one, many employees strongly identify with their long-held workstation. That's why early communication and an open ear for concerns mattered just as much as the tool itself. deskbird's ease of use made that change-management work considerably easier.
At the company level, deskbird now provides the data foundation that was previously missing: How is office space being used? Which team books how many desks? With these figures, Ernsting's family can make space-related decisions proactively, rather than reacting only once space is already running short. For a growing company in particular, that is a decisive advantage
Desk sharing made simple - at scale
Ernsting's family shows that desk sharing can work even in large companies with complex structures, provided the tool is right, the rollout is well thought through and the cultural change is actively supported. With deskbird, the company has found a solution that excites employees, brings transparency to its office space and puts strategic planning on a solid data foundation.
-1.webp)
