· Stefan Haberberg · New Work · 3 min read
New Work
Work should give us energy, not drain us. We take New Work back to its roots — work we really, really want — and turn it into practice through trust, simplified structures, and leaders ready for the future.
Work should give us energy, not drain us. With tostep, New Work becomes pragmatic: creating trustful teams, meaningful structures, and leaders ready for the future.
How we turn our mission into practice
At tostep, our mission is to turn the daily grind into daily joy. Behind this is the original idea of New Work:
We create environments where people can do what they really, really want — work that energises them, sparks ideas, and makes success sustainable.
- Organizational Development & Change – Comprehensive support to transform culture, simplify structures, and enable teams to adapt quickly in a changing world.
- Strategy in Action – Turn vision into reality by translating big ambitions into clear priorities and measurable progress.
- Breakthrough Sessions – Short, intense, focused sessions designed to tackle specific challenges and generate innovative solutions for your New Work journey.
- Tailored Team Accelerator – A connected series of workshops that builds trust, accelerates delivery, and equips teams with new ways of working to thrive.
- Team Retreats – High-trust, outcome-driven offsites where teams reset, connect, and move forward with clarity and new energy.
What New Work Really Means
“We should stop laughing now — otherwise our colleagues might think we enjoy our work.” Stefan joked at the end of a client meeting.
At tostep, we believe the opposite is true: enjoying your work isn’t just nice to have, it’s the path to real success in today’s complex, global world.
Are we a “New Work” consultancy?
No — if you think New Work means fluffy perks like company-sponsored yoga classes and trendy offices with uncomfortable beanbags.
Yes — if you take it back to its roots.
The term was coined by philosopher Frithjof Bergmann, who defined New Work as “work we really, really want.” Like him, we believe people should spend their time on work that gives them energy instead of draining it. When we care deeply about what we do, we show up fully, with ideas and creativity. That’s good for us as humans — and in a competitive world, it’s essential for productivity and innovation.
So where do we start?
Often, what drains us isn’t the work itself, but the bureaucracy around it. Endless forms, approval cycles, and layers of process kill the spark to create something new. What engages us is impact: seeing that our work matters.
That’s why organizational change begins with simplifying work structures. Instead of adding more, we ask: what can we reduce? What can we streamline?
How change becomes real
Big declarations don’t create change. Small pilots do. We test new ways of working with one team, learn what works, then scale it across the organization.
In practice, this means:
- Creating an environment of trust where every individual feels seen as a basis for engagement and good collaboration.
- Reducing bureaucracy: streamlining processes and practices to be able to concentrate on value-adding activities.
- Adapting agile frameworks to the team’s specific needs, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all model, to boost productivity.
- Using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to turn strategy into action, so teams know exactly what matters most and can adapt quickly when priorities shift.
- Forming flexible expert teams that regroup once a goal is achieved to be able to react swiftly to changing market conditions.
Curious How This Applies to You?
We are passionate about turning New Work from an idea into everyday practice. Please reach out to discuss how we might support you in reaching your goals.
