This article was originally emailed as issue 147 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 09/02/2022. You can register here to receive them monthly.
TIME FOR ACTION
Nearly two years after the start of the pandemic, I am surprised how many businesses have still not properly come to terms with the needs of their homeworkers. Back in September 2020, I proposed my 3 Phases of Workplace Accommodation and Phase 2 was ‘Getting a Grip’. At the time, I had no idea that so many organisations would still be in Phase 2 seventeen months later!
Whilst some employers now have staff portals for individual equipment requests or an approved products catalogue for homeworkers, many others continue to ignore the issues or have simply not understood the extent of the problem. With the conspicuous focus on mental health over the last two years, physical health issues have been overshadowed and often ignored. It is worth remembering that days lost through mental health absence have been far less than musculoskeletal absences for the last ten years. I am convinced that many employers will be surprised by the level of musculoskeletal issues they are now facing. The good news is that we are fully prepared and equipped to assist! Whatever phase you find yourself in, we shall be delighted to help you catch up.
1202 – THE HUMAN FACTORS PODCAST
I am most grateful to Barry Kirby for the recent invitation to participate in his podcast series: 1202–The Human Factors Podcast. He has welcomed a wide variety of guests since it started in September 2019 so I was delighted to be in such impressive company.
We had a relaxed and wide-ranging conversation around the topics of workplace ergonomics, hybrid- and homeworking. I encounter so much misinformation and idea laundering these days that it’s easy for me to slip into a rant on these topics. I think I avoided doing so this time but you can make your own judgement here!
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Our commitment to wider knowledge sharing in 2022 continues to gain momentum. Our first blog of the year looks at Instagram Nightmares – those carefully curated images that look fabulous at a glance but make ergonomists tear their hair out!
We have also started to prepare a series of brief videos to provide hints, tips, quick-fixes and ideas to improve health and wellbeing at home and in the office. Finally (for the moment), I have been inspired by my recent podcast experience to create a format for a series of ‘in conversation with …’ events. Stay informed about all this through the social media links below or our resources portal.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK & PRIZE DRAW
We have been requesting more customer feedback recently and the results have been really heartening. I am delighted to see how much the conscientious efforts of my team are recognised. You may well have seen some of the comments through our social media channels and you can see real-time feedback on Trustpilot.
For those willing to spare the time to give us more comprehensive responses, we offer a prize draw every two months. The prize is a Voucher Code for £180 and the December/January winner was RR of Southampton.
Posted by Guy Osmond 
The great debate about office and homeworking continues and, however it plays out for you or your organisation, there will be a need to carry a laptop (and accessories) between locations. Typical laptop bags are designed to protect the computer rather than the user. By contrast, ours are designed to protect the user and the laptop (in that order), offering a variety of storage options, comfortable carrying, good load distribution and quality manufacture. We have just added these two new Port Designs bags to our carefully selected portfolio.
Osmond Ergonomics 