New Location, Streamlined Workflow

When Kia Germany moved into its new headquarters, it also switched to a new booking tool for greater functionality. Now, the company uses desk.ly to manage 170 workstations, meeting rooms, company cars, and visitor parking spaces across nearly 4,000 square meters. Find out why the platform won over IT, HR, and the works council.

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Optimizing the Flex Office—but how?

OMR has more than 400 employees across various divisions—one of which is OMR Podstars. The team has nearly doubled in size in just a few years. OMR has grown so rapidly that space in its Hamburg offices became limited. However, giving up the location in the Schanze neighborhood was not an option, because its proximity to the trade fair grounds and the surrounding area are simply a perfect fit for the company.

At the same time, everyone on the OMR team enjoys the benefit of being able to work from home occasionally. In surveys, OMR found that not everyone needs a dedicated workspace. That’s why the available office spaces are shared flexibly— hence the term “flex desks .”

"We have more employees than office space. So we had to figure out how to make it work. desk.ly has had a positive impact on OMR by allowing us to easily integrate hybrid work."

Sophie LabudaSenior People Manager, OMR

"I use 10 to 15 software solutions in my work, and they have to be intuitive."

Moritz SchubertDirector of Sales & Partnerships, OMR

The desk booking tool must meet certain criteria because ...

The office space is spread across two buildings and five floors, each with very different floor plans.
OMR continues to grow rapidly and needs a desk booking tool that can be scaled and customized.
The team expands significantly on a seasonal basis around the OMR Festival. Bookable seats must be flexibly reserved or released.
To foster a sense of community company-wide, both HR and IT should have admin rights, rather than each department having them individually.
There are various types of workspaces that employees can filter by. These include a dedicated “Dog Office” out of consideration for people with allergies and, by popular request, quiet workspaces for focused work.

"From a people perspective, the integration with Google Workspace—which we use—is particularly useful for us."

Sophie LabudaSenior People Manager, OMR

Why desk.ly?

We were particularly impressed by desk.ly’s intuitive booking process and the many customization options for bookings and user permissions. As a result, desk.ly integrates seamlessly into the OMR tech stack.

The search function is also popular among employees, as it lets them see where their favorite coworkers are seated. The company, on the other hand, benefits from having a better overview of occupancy rates and the percentage of employees working from home.

The Challenge

A Framework for New Flexibility

With the move to its new headquarters in Eschborn, Kia Germany also took a close look at its existing booking tool. The team was no longer satisfied with some of the settings on the old platform. At the same time, annual audits play a key role at Kia. The new solution therefore had to meet two requirements: It had to simplify day-to-day office workflows and come from a provider certified to ISO 27001.

"The implementation itself could be completed in 24 hours. You have a very straightforward backend, with a very clear structure, and most of the time it only takes two or three clicks."

Michael ŽigerAssistant Manager, Cybersecurity

The Solution

Functionality Meets Usability

During the selection process, we were particularly impressed by the wide range of features, including automatic bookings and check-ins.

The rollout was streamlined: Aside from a few coordination meetings, the technical implementation was completed quickly. The team can easily adjust settings themselves in the backend.

If they have any questions, Kia can reach desk.ly support directly via chat or phone. This personalized support was also a factor in the decision, as it takes the pressure off the IT department.

The Results

Processes Optimized for Sustainability

With nearly 4,000 square meters of space, it’s easy to lose track of who’s sitting where and whether first-aid and fire safety officers are present on every floor. The overview in desk.ly—including user tags for these key roles—now provides clarity.

Find Colleagues Faster
Employees can see who’s sitting where. This makes quick coordination much easier.
Less planning effort
Available seats can be booked for several days in a single step. This eliminates the weekly question, “Have I booked yet?”
Automatically checked in
In the morning, all you need to do is plug your laptop into your workstation. desk.ly Connect detects usage and automatically handles booking and check-in in the background.

Office Safety

First Aid and Fire Safety Ensured

In the past, the names of first-aid and fire safety responders were posted as laminated sheets in individual areas. Updating them was time-consuming, and it was difficult to get an overview. Today, these key roles can be viewed as user tags in desk.ly.

For Yasmina Schleifenbaum, People & Organization Specialist and Safety Officer at Kia, this significantly enhances internal safety. She uses reports to verify that first aid responders are on-site on every floor. She also uses this data to plan the next fire safety training session, ensuring that someone from every floor participates.

Works Council and Data Protection

Co-determination and the “Made in Germany” Factor

Kia’s Human Resources department works closely with the works council on issues like this. The focus was on a question regarding data protection: Can the HR department use the tool as a monitoring tool? To clarify this, desk.ly arranged a joint meeting with HR and the works council. At the meeting, the works council asked its questions directly and was able to address its concerns.

Kia Germany

Kia Germany represents the Kia brand on the German market. Approximately 170 employees from more than ten countries work at the headquarters, which moved from Frankfurt am Main to Eschborn in 2026. Spanning just under 4,000 square meters, the new location combines open workspaces with offices.

OMR

Podstars by OMR, Germany’s leading podcast network, has been offering services in all areas related to podcasts—such as concept development, production, and marketing—since 2015. With three studios, Podstars markets over 100 podcasts and produces 70 additional shows in-house. As part of Online-Marketing-Rockstars (OMR), Podstars is a subsidiary of Ramp 106 GmbH, a media and events company with approximately 400 employees in Hamburg. OMR is one of the largest knowledge and inspiration platforms for the digital and marketing scene in Europe and is known for the OMR Festival, which has been held since 2011. OMR also publishes studies, hosts seminars, and offers other formats such as a job board.