OneStream

Phil Rider, Chairman of OneStream this month opens discussion on preparing for ‘Generation Y’ as we launch the first in a series of articles written by Phil and OneStream Board of Directors based on technology and the workplace – keeping you informed and hopefully interested!

“With Generation Y (people born after 1982) now coming into the workplace, they have an expectation that the company they work for will embrace the latest technology in the workplace, just as they do routinely in their private lives. It is normal for these people to conduct their lives on the move, whether via email, Facebook, the Web in general and using mobile devices to do that is an expectation. Many have multiple devices to do this and expect to be in full contact wherever they go.

If you, as a business do not embrace this technology fully, you will be left behind and not just in the search for the best talent.

Do you have a policy on the increasing trend of B.Y.O.D (Bring your own devices)? Do you allow access to Social media sites at work/during work time? How do you monitor such usage? Can you even prevent it?
‘Converged communications’ is the current buzz in the telecoms industry and if you are unsure of it’s potential for your business, then you should contact OneStream to arrange to talk with one of our specialists.

By bringing together your fixed lines, mobiles and computing under a single umbrella, you stand to gain an improved service through a single supplier. One point of contact in the event of any problems, via a single phone call, together with co-operation between the disciplines as they are all with the same company!

In essence we are talking about adding value to your business, and whilst that would normally mean cost savings for most companies, it also gives you many intangible benefits such as hugely increased flexibility of working in terms of both location and time, which have direct impact on the bottom line.

OneStream as a Vodafone Platinum Partner, has invested heavily in training and infrastructure to enable your business to take advantage of the very latest technological developments. Our experts can advise you on the above, offer you class leading products, integrate fixed, mobile and IT together and even run it for you.

If you are concerned about upfront cost, you will find everything is moving to an OPEX model of cost per month, per head, and in our hands you can afford it.”

Call us on 084 5000 6000 or email info@onestream.co.uk  to see how we can help your business embrace new technology that can help you work more efficiently.

Today we are pleased to publically announce the appointment of Chris Share as Managing Director of Digital Phone Company Ltd and OneStream. In this role, Chris will take leadership of the day to day management of the company supported by the Board, for both our retail brand; Digital Phone Company and B2B brand; OneStream.

Chris has been with the business for nine years and has been on the Board as Finance Director for the past five years so he brings a wealth of experience to his new role.

Announcing the appointment, Phil Rider, Chairman of the company commented “As we continue to grow the Company both in East Anglia and in Scotland, more of my time is being spent in a customer facing role and it is now right for Chris to step up to MD. He brings a sharp intellect and eye for detail to the role as well as having the complete respect and admiration of his colleagues on the Board, a Board which now boasts over 100 years’ experience in our industry. This change puts us in a great position for continued success over the coming years and I would take this opportunity to congratulate Chris on his appointment”

Chris, delighted to have been giving this opportunity said “It is an honour to be asked to take up this role at a hugely exciting time for our Company and industry as we continue to drive forward towards a truly integrated marketplace within telecoms, fixed line and IT. At Digital Phone Company we have always promoted a culture of developing people in line with our IIP status and my appointment is testament to that belief. From a personal perspective I expect to drive the evolution of our Company and am fortunate to be aided by a strong Board and talented sales team who put the customer at the centre of everything they do. We are currently in the process of rebranding our B2B offering, OneStream which will be re-launching with increased vigour both within East Anglia and our new Scottish division; growth is certainly a key item on the agenda.”

This appointment will create a new job opportunity for a Management Account within the company to lead the established Finance department. Chris is also already actively looking to grow the sales teams in both East Anglia and Scotland and future appointments will be announced shortly.

 

A Vodafone survey shows Managers in organisations of all sizes are open to new ways of working and employees doing personal tasks during ‘traditional’ work time.  Key findings include:

• The nine-to-five work day is on the way out, according to seven out of ten British bosses.
• Two-thirds of managers (65 per cent) ask employees to work outside work hours, at least occasionally, but almost the same number (63 per cent) don’t mind if staff do personal tasks during work hours.
• Bosses are tolerant of employee’s personal calls, emails, Facebook, Twitter and booking appointments, but draw the line at staff doing their weekly shop online during work time.

Vodafone: Newbury, 30th November 2011 – Seventy per cent of UK managers think that the old idea of ’9 to 5′ working is dying out in favour of more flexible working arrangements, according to a new survey commissioned by Vodafone. Among these forward-looking bosses, nine out of ten enable their staff to work flexibly to some extent, rather than expect them to stick rigidly to traditional working hours.

Technology at the heart of cultural shift
The survey showed that bosses appreciate the impact of technology on modern working patterns: 62 per cent think the line between work and personal life has become blurred since people started using smartphones and working from home.

The trend towards mobile and home working is well established, but still has some way to go. Altogether, six out of ten managers (59 per cent) said that they allow their employees to work from home to some extent.
However, only 15 per cent provide employees with the tools for doing so (such as laptops, broadband connectivity and remote access to company systems), while just over two-fifths (43 per cent) of managers rely on employees using their own technology if they want to work from home.

Currently, only 12 per cent of bosses equip their employees with smartphones as standard, while around one-third (34 per cent) give smartphones to some staff. Another 15 per cent reimburse employees for using their own smartphones.

Peter Kelly explained: “Working smarter, not harder has become a bit of a cliché, but that’s exactly what’s needed, and the technology now exists to make this a reality. Therefore, finding ways to effectively harness technology to the benefit of businesses and employees should be high on the list of priorities for UK bosses.”

Generation Y coming through the ranks
The study reflected some of the impact of ‘Generation Y’ – those born after 1982 – coming through the ranks and into management positions. Generation Y employees are generally perceived as being highly connected and technology-literate, not drawing distinct lines between their work and social lives, and seeking a working environment with less rigid structures that they can emotionally engage with.

Peter Kelly added: “Clearly Britain’s bosses are open to the ‘Generation Y’ ways of working. However, they still have some way to go to realize fully how much this change in working culture and attitudes can benefit them.”

  This news item was posted by OneStream Marketing Manager whilst working from home thanks to the remote access technology we have in place. If you would like to explore ways of improving your current technology systems to ‘work smarter’ call us on 0845 0006000 or email info@onestream.co.uk

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Click here to view pdf of full online published report by Vodafone.