Business Info - i143

Print EASY PICKINGS STILLWITHIN REACH Cost savings and reductions in paper use – sometimes characterised as the ‘low hanging fruit’ of managed print services (MPS) – still have a long way to run, according to the new Managed Print Services Landscape report from Quocirca. The research company’s survey of 300 IT managers in the UK, France, Germany and US shows growing demand for MPS as IT managers continue to address the inefficiencies and cost of document workflows: n 79% anticipate increasing MPS spend in the next 12 months, with 27% planning a significant increase; n 50% say printing is still very important; n 72% have not fully achieved consumables cost reduction objectives; n 71% have not fully realised environmental impact reduction objectives; n 63% say they are in the optimisation phase of MPS deployment, focused on delivering workflow tools to improve business processes; n 37% say MPS is very important to digital transformation – up from 23% in 2018; n 84% say embedded MFP apps are useful for integrating paper-digital workflows; and n Security, sustainability and innovation are the top supplier selection criteria. Quocirca Research Director Louella Fernandes said: “Security and sustainability may be high on the agenda, but the fundamental driver of MPS is cost reduction and this has still not been fully realised by the majority of organisations due to their enduring reliance on print.” www.quocirca.com Office supplies CONSOLIDATION NOT CARBON UK businesses could reduce carbon emissions associated with the delivery of office products by more than half if they worked with suppliers to consolidate multiple, smaller orders, claims global office supplies company Lyreco. Its analysis of 15,000 deliveries to some of its biggest clients shows that consolidation of orders of £100 or less could save 58% of the carbon in transport deliveries. GeorginaWeston, strategic account manager at Lyreco, said: “Increasingly, companies are looking for long-term strategies to decrease their carbon footprint and increase their green credentials. Just as important is taking action now with simple, clever changes that make a big difference, such as planning ahead to consolidate deliveries to sites. As 90% of the carbon footprint of a company is held in its supply chain, even what is seemingly a small change can make a big difference.” To further reduce the environmental impact of deliveries, Lyreco is trialling hydrogen and carbon alternative transport. www.wearelyreco.com Print A SHARED COMMITMENT Social Print & Copy (SP&C), Scotland’s first social enterprise within the print & copier sector, has chosen to partner with Epson because of the two companies’ shared commitment to sustainability and CSR. SP&C was created by charity partners and print industry professionals to provide customers with ethical print solutions. As a Community Interest Company, it will donate its profits back to the charity sector through a community grants program due to be launched later this year. SP&C will predominantly stock and sell Epson printers due to their low-energy consumption, low waste and low running costs. Ian Gray, Director of Social Print & Copy, said: “Our customers’ stories are consistent; they are bombarded with complex, multi- layered contracts that are hard to understand and often cost more than promised. SP&C seeks to change the way our sector meets its printer and copier needs with cheaper costs and simple contracts. Epson stood out to us as their proposition on printing solutions focused on customers reducing their CO2 emissions and waste, rather than blindsiding them with broken promises.” Wellness MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO Unmind, the workplace mental health platform used by companies like John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Just Eat, British Airways and Slaughter & May, has secured $10 million in Series A funding led by Berlin- based Project A, with the continued support of Felix Capital. Set up in 2016 and currently available to more than 350,000 employees in 50 countries, Unmind’s digital platform enables employees to measure, manage and improve their mental health and wellbeing through scientifically-backed assessments, tools and training that they can access anytime, anywhere. www.unmind.com BULLETIN 01732 759725 magazine 07 BULLETIN IT Support WHAT’S MY PASSWORD? ‘I don’t remember my password’ is the most common IT help desk request, cited by 31% of 300 IT professionals surveyed by Ivanti, followed by ‘I can’t login’ (27%) and ‘Why is the internet/my computer slow?’ (22%). Not surprisingly, password resets are also considered the most annoying request, ahead of questions about slow running computers and malfunctioning printers. Benefits MIND OVER MATTER In light of growing interest in mental health, leading global professional services firms have increased their strategic focus on both emotional and financial wellbeing programmes, while physical wellbeing programmes have remained largely static. Aon’s UK Benefits & Trends 2020 Survey shows that 51% of employers now have financial wellbeing strategies in place, up from 21% three years ago, while 68% have emotional wellbeing strategies, up from 41%. These were the least developed pillars of employee wellbeing when Aon last ran the survey in 2017. The Top 5 causes of anxiety at work 1 Having to meet unrealistic targets – 31.3% 2 Having to work long hours – 29.9% 3 An excessively high workload – 29.1% 4 Pressure from a manager – 26.8% 5 Tight deadlines – 22.2% (Source: www.cv-library.co.uk)