Home office leads companies to auction obsolete items

Companies that have chosen to adopt a hybrid or entirely remote business model are looking at auctions to sell office goods, from furniture to electronics. In some cases, even the desk itself is up for sale.

The move reflects companies’ decision to use the telemedicine system even as COVID-19 vaccination progresses. Executives reported that the decision concerned issues ranging from improving employees’ quality of life to reducing operating costs, by keeping part of the team at home.

One of the country’s largest pension funds, Petros, which is owned by Petrobras employees, held auctions for furniture and electronics this year, after choosing a hybrid business model. Things like tables, chairs, and sofas were offered for sale, as were electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, and printers.

“The auctions are in line with the policy of administrative efficiency, cost reduction and revenue quest. By doing so, Petros seeks to recover part of the investment made in acquiring these merchandise, in addition to saving potential storage costs, considering that we have adopted a hybrid business model,” said Director Risk, Finance and Technology at Petros, Leonardo Moraes.

exchange

Kantar Ibope Media has also decided to keep the remote format completely for some regions and adopt the hybrid model for others (most people will spend 2-3 days a week in a home office). With this, the company is exchanging desktop computers for laptops, which makes working under these conditions easier.

The company’s president, Melissa Vogel, explains that a policy of modernizing technology, including workstations, mice, and “headphones” (headphones with connected microphones), has been implemented. Although replaced, the old equipment is in perfect condition for personal use, and therefore the idea of ​​u200bu200bselling it by auction to employees arose.

“The goal is not to secure the resources needed to purchase new assets, but a way to make the acquisition of this equipment possible by our employees, especially those with low incomes, as the initial bid is about 20% of market value,” adds Melissa Vogel.

Who gives more?

Sato Leilões, one of the main companies in this sector, has held about 30 specific auctions to de-energize company spaces, a record number. Auctions held ranged from office items, such as chairs and tables, from R$50 to R$200, to property valued at several million R$.

According to Antonio Hisao Sato Jr., founder of Sato Leilões, the deactivation auctions do not happen because of the company’s failure, but because of the option to work remotely. The most common clients are European multinational companies, although there are private national companies and funds among clients.

“Employees of these companies end up having co-working spaces for weekly meetings. And these spaces have their own furniture,” explains the founder of Sato, which operates in São Paulo, Rio and Brasilia. “The auction market is very hot, including in other sectors, with the auto market.”

Another company responsible for conducting auctions is Superbid, based in São Paulo. Anna Matthews, Superbid Group’s commercial director, explains that buyers are small businesses looking for cheaper furniture and equipment, as well as individuals who want to set up a home office.

“We see a very high demand, primarily for chairs, because everyone is creating a small home office in the house, for every workstation, the ones that are the big ones, where some of the smaller companies are remodeling the office and buying smaller furniture,” he says.