Osmond Ergonomics

This article was originally emailed as issue 151 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 08/06/2022. You can register here to receive them monthly.

CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK

It was a delight to be back in London in May and networking face-to-face. Clerkenwell was impressively busy. The majority of products fell into one of two categories: 1) designs for collaboration, meetings, breakout and social interactions and 2) products and settings to get some peace and quiet from the people in 1)!

A conspicuous change in showroom displays was the absence of traditional desks. Almost everything that could be termed ‘a desk’ was part of something else and very few would be suitable for the serried ranks of identical workstations we used to know. By contrast, pods, booths and telephone boxes were everywhere. I was amused by the irony of bringing people back into the office from homeworking alone so that they could sit, alone, in an office telephone box!

Another significant observation was the strong environmental credentials that manufacturers have been working on in recent years. With a global focus on Net Zero trading, this is an area of interest that I expect to grow in the traditionally wasteful office furniture industry.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR DSE ASSESSORS (UPDATE)

Our free event at the Orangebox showroom on June 21st is ready. Places are filling steadily but there is still time and space to register. In case you missed last month’s information, it is aimed at experienced DSE assessors who are ready to be challenged and want to broaden their horizons. It is a  whole day programme with refreshments and lunch provided. You can see the full agenda and book your place here.

We appreciate that this may need to be postponed due to train strike activity but are continuing to take bookings and will keep attendees updated.

HOMEWORKING DONE RIGHT WEBINARS

You are probably too late to enrol for the second episode in this three-part webinar series but there is still time to register for Part 3: Posture Tips for Home and Office. All three instalments are being made available as an on-demand video after each live event. If you haven’t attended from the beginning, you can benefit from the full series in your own time: just find your missing event recording(s) here.

NEW PRODUCTS FROM BAKKER ELKHUIZEN

Over the last few months, our Dutch friends have been working hard on restyling some of their key products. Most significant are the new, compact additions to their laptop stand portfolio. Beautifully styled to reduce the quantity of material used, they are delivered in an elegant cork envelope and include a QR code link to their setup video. Our favourite is the Flextop 170 laptop stand.

TOP TIPS VIDEOS

We continue to add to these short videos at the rate of about one more each week so you are definitely missing out if you haven’t looked for a while! Each lasts between 30 and 60 seconds and addresses an issue we come across on a regular basis. Access is free so you can share relevant topic links with colleagues and clients as you see fit. Check the latest list here.