Heading back into the office? It’s great to see colleagues again, but they make it so hard to get anything done. Even if that feels completely true after 18 months of working from home, it may not be.

According to new research, being constantly interrupted by co-workers can be good for business. The study published in the Journal of Management surveyed hundreds of workers and their co-workers and found that if intrusions are “in-role,” or have something to do with work, they can increase engagement, collaboration and, the degree to which employees are willing to help the organization as well as each other.

“Our research showed in-role intrusions boost important and desirable behaviors of employees,” said Ryan Outlaw, assistant professor of management at the IU Kelley School of Business. “This is important for managers to consider when looking at post-pandemic work arrangements.”

Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/heading-back-to-the-office-not-all-workplace-interruptions-are-bad-for-business

The Vancouver-based GameOn is launching multiple B2B product lines this month. The company provides broadcasters, TV networks, OTT platforms, leagues, tournaments and sportsbooks with white-labeled fan engagement technologies around sports, TV and live events.

“As the MX Player and Willow TV products go live next month, we’ll see our B2B license and revenue-share business model go into full swing,” said Matt Bailey, GameOn CEO. “Both partnerships, and any announced moving forward, will generate recurring revenue with minimal direct expenses. This is a nod to our high-margin product strategy.”

Press release: https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/95062/GameOn-Readies-for-Multiple-Product-Launches-New-Revenue-in-Q4?k=B2B

HP has announced an inaugural technology conference for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US. The event has support from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel and Microsoft. The virtual conference will accelerate digital equity.

HBCUs, which are considered engines of social mobility for many Black and African Americans, the right partnerships to accelerate digital transformation is key to being successful in this new world for tech companies.

“The diverse talent that HBCUs foster are integral to driving innovation not just in the tech industry but across all sectors. Diversity is a business imperative; when we attract and nurture people from diverse backgrounds and increase their representation in the workplace, we can strengthen the company’s long-term growth,” said Lesley Slaton Brown, chief diversity officer at HP Inc. “We look forward to building on our existing partnerships with HBCUs to raise the bar and put together this one-of-a-kind initiative that can help build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society where HBCU students have equal access to opportunity and their institutions are armed with the knowledge needed to unlock transformational growth.”

Press release: https://press.hp.com/us/en/press-releases/2021/first-ever-tech-conference-for-hbcus.html

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Kate Baggott is a former Managing Editor of B2BNN. Her technology and business journalism has appeared in the Technology Review, the Globe and Mail, Canada Computes, the Vancouver Sun and the Bay Street Bull. She is the author of the short story collections Love from Planet Wine Cooler and Dry Stories. Find links to recent articles by following her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-baggott-9a0306/

• B2B News for September 3, 2021: Coworker Interruptions, GameOn Lauches, Equity-Focused Virtual Conference – September 3, 2021
• B2B News for September 1, 2021: Hawke Media Expansion, Pricing Strategy and New Cloud Service Levels – September 1, 2021
• B2B News for Friday, August 27, 2021: Pandemic Profits, the Return of Stock Options and Pete Souza at CMW – August 27, 2021