Home office leads companies to auction obsolete items

Companies that have chosen to adopt a hybrid or all-remote work model are looking to auctioneers to sell off-the-rack goods in offices, from furniture to electronics. In some cases, even the office itself is being offered for sale.

The move reflects the decision of the companies for the remote regime even with the advance of vaccination against Covid-19. Executives report that the decision is related to issues ranging from improving the quality of life of employees to reducing operating costs, by keeping part of the team at home.

One of the largest pension funds in the country, Petros, owned by Petrobras employees, held furniture and electronics auctions this year, after opting for a hybrid work model. Items such as tables, chairs and sofas were offered for sale, as well as electronics such as cell phones, tablets and printers.

“The auctions are in line with the policy of administrative efficiency, cost reduction and seeking revenue. With this, Petros seeks to recover part of the investment made in the acquisition of these goods, in addition to saving on possible storage costs, considering that we have adopted the hybrid work model”, said the director of risk, finance and technology at Petros, Leonardo Moraes.

Exchange

Kantar Ibope Media has also decided to keep the fully remote format for some areas and adopt the hybrid model for others (most people will spend two to three days a week in a home office). With this, the company is exchanging desktops for notebooks, which would make working under these conditions easier.

Melissa Vogel, the company’s president, explains that a technology update policy was implemented, including workstations, mice and “headsets” (headphones with attached microphones). Despite having been exchanged, the old equipment is in perfect condition for personal use and, therefore, the idea of ​​auctioning it to employees arose.

“The objective is not to guarantee resources for the purchase of new assets, but a way to make the acquisition of this equipment feasible by our employees, especially those with low incomes, as the initial bid is approximately 20% of the market value”, adds Melissa Vogel.

Who gives more

One of the main companies in the sector, Sato Leilões this year held around 30 specific auctions to deactivate company spaces, a record number. The auctions carried out ranged from office items, such as chairs and tables from R$50 to R$200, to properties valued at a few million reais.

According to Antonio Hissao Sato Junior, founder of Sato Leilões, deactivation auctions do not occur due to company failures, but due to the option of the remote work regime. The most frequent clients are European multinationals, although there are also national private companies and funds among the clients.

“Employees of these companies end up having coworking spaces for weekly meetings. And these spaces have their own furniture”, explains the founder of Sato, which has operations in São Paulo, Rio and Brasília. “The auction market is very heated, including in other segments, with the car market.”

Another company responsible for holding the auctions is Superbid, headquartered in São Paulo. Ana Matheus, commercial manager of the Superbid Group, explains that the buyers are small companies looking for furniture and equipment at cheaper prices, and also individuals who want to set up a home office.

“We see a very large demand, especially for chairs, since everyone is setting up a small home office at home, per workstation, those with larger sizes, as some small companies are remodeling the office and buying smaller furniture”, he says.