Internal relocation Maria Montessori building

1. Why are we reducing office space?

The reduction in office space is necessary to meet our budget cuts and to avoid a reorganisation of academic staff. Given that the current occupancy rate of the Maria Montessori building during office hours (measured in 2024–2025) averages 32.5%, with peak occupancy not exceeding 40.8%, this reduction is feasible while still ensuring sufficient workspaces for all FSW staff. The reduction will save approximately €0.8 million per year.

2. Who made this decision?

The decision was made by the faculty board, following discussions with the directors of education and research. It is part of FSW’s cost-saving measures and has been discussed with the Faculty Joint Assembly (FGV). The project group also includes a member from the Representative Council (OC) to help explain the process and provide advice.

3. What will happen to my fixed workspace?

Workspaces will be shared more frequently. Specific needs (e.g. for concentration, privacy, or accessibility) will be taken into account. Additional desks will be added to offices where necessary and feasible.

4. What will happen to my ICT equipment?

All workspaces are already equipped with the necessary ICT facilities. Take your laptop home as usual and pack any ergonomic ICT equipment. Non-standard setups can be labelled with a moving sticker so they can be moved by the relocation service. (A standard setup includes a docking station, keyboard, mouse, and monitors.) If you experience ICT issues at your new workspace, you can contact the housing team by phone.

5. How is it decided which office I will be assigned to?

The faculty board has designated which parts of the building will be allocated to each research institute, associated programmes, and the faculty office. Within these areas, the Managing Directors (MDs) of the institutes have created a “zoning” plan based on staff numbers and FTEs. Within these zones, the MDs (DCC), department chairs (BSI and RSCR), and the facilities manager (faculty office), with support from management assistants, will assign individual workspaces.

6. When will I find out what my new workspace is?

By 1 September 2025 at the latest, via your Managing Director or department chair.

7. How were the zones determined, and was the allocation fair?

The calculation and allocation of required space was based on the university-wide space needs model from Radboud Sustainable Working. This model is based on:

• A standard number of m² per FTE, based on the defined “integrated workplace norm” (9.5 m² per FTE).
• An average on-campus presence of 70% of contracted hours.
• A buffer for the presence of (external) staff with zero-hour contracts, such as external PhD candidates and special professors. This was determined per unit using presence contracts.
• A buffer for “integration loss” of staff.

This resulted in a calculated number of workspaces to be allocated per unit.

8. Will special accommodations be made for staff with specific needs?

Yes, these needs have been identified and will be taken into account during the move.

1. When can I start packing?

Moving boxes have been placed in the common rooms since early July, so anyone who wants to start packing can do so. The deadline is 18 September.

2. What exactly do I need to pack?

Please take a look at the moving instructions checklist on this website for more information. 

3. Will I get help packing/moving my belongings?

Each staff member is responsible for packing their own belongings. Moving boxes are available in the common rooms, along with stickers. Write your name and future room number (once known) on the sticker. The boxes will be moved for you to minimise disruption.
Additional paper bins have been requested and will be placed in the common rooms.

4. Can I give input on the layout or facilities?

In principle, all current furniture and layouts will remain. Between October and December 2025, we will assess whether any adjustments to workspaces are needed.
Special ergonomic furniture will be moved with you. You can label it with a moving sticker that includes your name and the destination room.

5. Can additional furniture (desks/cabinets) be added to offices?

In some rooms, yes; in most, no. This depends on legal requirements regarding ventilation and fire safety. If you have questions about specific rooms, please contact thuis [at] socsci.ru.nl (thuis[at]socsci[dot]ru[dot]nl).

6. Where can I submit specific requests regarding my workspace?

Several colleagues are currently working on allocating workspaces across departments. If you have specific preferences or concerns (e.g. who you’d like to share a room with), you can contact the following people:

• DCC and AI: Management assistant of the department or Mieke van Holstein
• BSI
  • Unit AO: Brigitte Claessens
  • Unit SCP: Johan Karremans
  • Unit KLP: Mike Rinck & Elisa Koehof
  • Unit ON: Toon Cillessen & Marieke van Lier
  • Unit OLO: Ard Lazonder
  • Unit OGG: Jacqueline Vink
  • Unit CW: Marieke Fransen
• Education PWO: Ron Scholte
• Education Psychology: Rob Holland
• RSCR
  • Department CAOS: Gerben Nootenboom
  • Department Sociology: Gerbert Kraaijkamp
  • Department Gender & Diversity: Marieke ten Brink
• Faculty Office: Esther Huijs & Marjolein Rikken

7. What if I struggle with the change?

A move can be impactful. We are handling the transition with care. If you find the change difficult, you can discuss your concerns with your supervisor or email thuis [at] socsci.ru.nl (thuis[at]socsci[dot]ru[dot]nl). HR will offer various training sessions after the summer that staff can join. 

1. Will anything change for students or test participants (labs)?

Only office space is being reduced. Laboratories and teaching rooms will remain unchanged.

2. What will happen to the teaching rooms?

Only office space is being reduced. Teaching rooms will remain unchanged.

1. When will the move take place?

The move is scheduled for 22 September to 30 September 2025. Exact dates are not yet known, as they depend on the new room layout and the inventory of items to be moved. We will provide more clarity before 11 September. We are trying to plan the move as well as possible to minimise disruption.  

2. Where can I work during the moving week if I still need to be on campus?

If you need to work at Maria Montessori building for educational purposes, please notify the housing team (thuis [at] socsci.ru.nl) after 11 September. They will make a limited number of places available for this purpose during the relocation week. 

3. Can’t we move later than 1 October?

No. Financially, we cannot afford to move later than 1 October. We understand the timing is unfortunate, right in the middle of the first teaching block of the academic year. We will try to minimise the inconvenience as much as possible by, for example, providing moving boxes as early as possible and making a good moving plan.

1. What will happen to my fixed workspace?

Workspaces will be shared more frequently. Specific needs (e.g. for concentration, privacy, or accessibility) will be taken into account. Additional desks will be added to offices where necessary and feasible.

2. Will I be required to come to the office on fixed days?

The faculty continues to encourage hybrid working. In consultation with your supervisor, arrangements will be made based on your role and team. Some roles will still require physical presence. Based on the number of workstations and FTEs, it has been calculated that, on average, 70% of contracted hours can be worked in the MM building. Given the current peak occupancy of 40.8%, we expect there will still be enough workspaces for everyone after the move.

3. Will we still have enough meeting rooms?

When we return office space, we also return the “fishbowls” and meeting rooms in those corridors. After 1 October, we will therefore need to check whether there are enough meeting rooms and whether there are any (financially) viable alternatives that can be added..

Meeting rooms are often found to be empty despite being reserved. It’s becoming increasingly important to cancel reservations when meetings are no longer taking place.

4. Will we be able to reserve the common meeting rooms (the 'fish bowls'?

No. This is a deliberate choice. By not including the common meeting rooms in the reservation system, they remain available to anyone who needs a space at that moment. This encourages more frequent use. Reservable rooms are often left unused due to early bookings that are not cancelled in time.

5. Will more master keys be made available to allow more flexible use of rooms?

We are currently exploring how to make offices more flexibly accessible. We have requested a quote to replace locks with card readers (per office or corridor) and are also looking into providing more master keys. We will update you once more is known. 

It is also important that every employee who borrows a key returns it to the key cabinet as soon as possible after opening and closing, so that a colleague can use it again. Further details about card readers and keys will follow as soon as possible.

1. What will happen to the spaces we give back?

The vacated spaces will be re-let by Radboud University’s Campus & Facilities division to other university departments. The faculty is in discussions with Campus & Facilities about potential tenants. We aim to prioritise collaboration and added value, ideally filling the freed-up space with university units that are or could become valuable partners for FSW.

2. Won’t the rent per m² just increase if we give up office space?

No. Firm agreements have been made at the university level. The return of square metres and temporary vacancy will not be reflected in the rent price.

3. What does the university as a whole gain from us giving up space?

Other faculties are also returning office space. This enables the university to dispose of buildings, partially rent them out externally to generate additional income, and avoid external rentals during large-scale renovations required by law and regulations. The Campus & Facilities division is currently working on concrete plans based on the returned square metres.

4. Will the vacated spaces be re-let immediately on 1 October?

No. This is not yet clear. Discussions are ongoing with teams, departments, and university units we would like to welcome into the building. The process is being coordinated by Campus & Facilities, in close consultation with the FSW faculty board. It is still uncertain which units will move into the Maria Montessori building and whether this can happen immediately on 1 October. Some spaces may remain temporarily vacant. While this may feel contradictory, it could be the reality we face. The faculty requested a delayed move with reduced rent from 1 October, but this was unfortunately not possible.

5. Is the faculty board also giving up space?

Yes. A large part of the faculty board already shared a room and will continue to do so from 1 October.   

1. What if I struggle with the change?

A move can be impactful. We are handling the transition with care. If you find the change difficult, you can discuss your concerns with your supervisor or email thuis [at] socsci.ru.nl (thuis[at]socsci[dot]ru[dot]nl). HR will offer various training sessions after the summer that staff can join.