businessinfomag.uk magazine 12 BULLETIN SUSTAINABILITY STOP BUYING IT URGES 3STEPIT Technology lifecycle management provider 3stepIT is calling on businesses to stop buying IT outright and to adopt a more flexible technology lifecycle management approach instead. Its appeal follows research showing that the number of devices per employee has gone up by 14% during the pandemic, from 2.1 to 2.4, with 81% of businesses purchasing more devices to support the transition to remote working. A survey of 955 European business decision-makers for the company’s Stop Buying IT report also found that 52% of businesses still buy IT outright, even though 77% use flexible acquisition models for the procurement of cars and printers. Carmen Ene, CEO of 3stepIT & BNP Paribas 3 Step IT, said: “The traditional cash purchase model is placing a huge burden on businesses. Investment in new technology requires massive upfront capital expenditure and significant time, while considerable resources need to be ploughed into sourcing new equipment, managing and disposing of it, often through a complex web of suppliers and systems.” She added: “We’re calling on businesses to Stop Buying IT outright and to start benefiting from the better cash flow, flexibility, efficiency and security that a technology lifecycle management solution can provide.” 3stepIT claims that its end-to-end approach to acquiring, managing and refreshing IT devices, as well as being cost-efficient and convenient, can help organisations improve security by giving complete control and visibility of all IT devices, with real-time insight into device health, including information on anti-virus and protection software. The company’s lifecycle management approach also helps minimise e-waste by collecting, refurbishing and reselling end of life IT devices. Three quarters (77%) of respondents agreed that e-waste and its impact on the environment is a concern for their business, with 71% admitting that the IT department is under pressure to be more sustainable. 3stepIT.com MANAGEMENT WHY SALES PEOPLE NEED OFFICES December 8’s announcement that people should work from home if possible is likely to have been greeted with dismay by many, especially extroverts who thrive on face to face contact. Paul Owen, CEO of UK sales transformation specialist Sales Talent, warns that isolation can be particularly hard for sales people who, with constant pressure to perform and hit targets, have a stressful job at the best of times – and very little support when it comes to their wellbeing. He said: “I have serious concerns about the mental wellbeing of work-from-home salespeople.We are extroverts, we feed off interaction with other people – a type of interaction we often don’t receive from prospective clients, so need to find elsewhere. In the office, we have plenty of places to feed the extrovert’s need for connection; at home, we’re alone. And that can be very dangerous.” Owen says that most people get into sales because they get on well with others and have a high sociability factor, pointing out that good salespeople connect well with 90%+ of the people they meet, often 95%+. However, when they start in sales, they fail for much of the time and that 90% is reversed: they might not be disliked by 90%+ of those they meet, but they are usually rejected by them. In the office, a network of other salespeople provides plentiful support for those who spend most of their day ‘failing’ together. That communal work – the release valve of colleagues facing the same pressures and outcomes – plays a key role in keeping salespeople motivated and balanced. Those working from an empty flat or house, however, have no banter, no jokes, no mickeytaking to help counter the near-constant rejection and see them through the day. He said: “It becomes increasingly difficult, when faced with that lack of support day after day, week after week, to maintain a positive mindset. Almost inevitably, those doing sales jobs from home see their productivity dip – and that adds to the pressure on their mental wellbeing as well. The fear of missing targets grows at the same time as that sense of being in it together is lost.” Clearly, it is possible to do sales jobs from home. Salespeople around the globe have done sterling work while confined to quarters over the past 18+ months. However, Sales Talent points out that just because a sales job can be done from home, doesn’t mean it should be. Owen details multiple reasons why the office is a better working environment for sales teams. In addition to the sociability and support that the office provides, he asserts that it’s easier to stay on track and maintain focus and discipline when surrounded by others doing the same; that learning by hearing others in action and getting tips from them the moment you need them, not later when you don’t, is superior to at-home training sessions; and that friendly competition can push colleagues on to perform at their best. He added: “Being in the office also means that salespeople have the chance to see the bigger picture – to interact with other teams within the company and better understand the product or service that they’re engaged to sell. After all, sales doesn’t exist in isolation. The more deeply it can be embedded within an organisation, the better.” https://salestalentuk.com/ TECHNOLOGY CALLING ALL YOUNG INVENTORS Samsung is once again challenging 16-25 year-olds to come up tech solutions to problems in education, sustainability, social isolation and diversity & inclusion. Now in its second year, the Solve for Tomorrow competition, which to date has received 1.8 million entries globally, will give one lucky winner £10,000 to develop their idea, as well as six months’ mentorship from Samsung and Digital Catapult, the UK’s leading advanced digital technology innovation centre. Last year’s winner, 24-year old Alec Conway from Rochester, created a digital locker that gives homeless people somewhere to store possessions and a PO BOX address so that they can apply for jobs, bank accounts and hospital appointments. Entries for the 2022 competition close on February 20. Find out more at www.samsung.com/uk/ solvefortomorrow Carmen Ene Paul Owen
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