Osmond Ergonomics

This article was originally emailed as issue 185 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/04/2025. You can register here to receive them monthly.

BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF NEURODIVERSITY

Following the recent success of the taster session provided by Robert Manson (see next item), we are delighted to host a half-day virtual neurodiversity explanation course on May 14th. This will be delivered for us by Robert on behalf of Creased Puddle. In it, he will provide excellent insights into the nature of neurodivergent conditions, behaviours and traits and the structure of a Workplace Needs Assessment. Robert will also describe support tools, furniture, equipment and assistive technology to improve productivity and effectiveness. Finally, he will suggest processes, management techniques and accommodations to support neurodivergent individuals. It is an ideal course for delegates who have little or no knowledge of neurodiversity and want a deeper understanding. Find out more and book here.

FACE-TO-FACE EVENTS

Our first two quarterly events in 2025 took place in London in March. Holistic Wellbeing: Aligning People, Purpose and Place was generously hosted by Flokk and featured Debbie Watts and Hayley O’Connor exploring workspace design for the senses to support both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. Then Bex Moorhouse asked ‘Who owns Wellbeing?’ and outlined her ‘Me-We-Us’ approach. A week later, we were at the Senator Allermuir showroom for Workplace Ergonomics for Individuals: Challenges in a Hybrid World with Jim Taylour discussing workplace ergonomics in the broadest sense for both office and homeworking. Then Robert Manson gave us an abridged overview of the neurodiversity course outlined above. We have a very exciting session already scheduled for June 18th. Make a note in your diary and watch out for more news on social media or in next month’s eBulletin.

DSE ASSESSMENTS

SIT-STAND-PERCH

It’s strange how some products sit in our portfolio for a while, ticking along, and then there’s a sudden flurry of interest. Sometimes, there’s an explanation and sometimes we have no idea what the reason is! Either way, it prompts me to raise their profile here. The Flokk Capisco is a steady seller that generates continued interest amongst homeworker sit and stand desk users we also have a portfolio of stools that are sometimes better suited to domestic use for budget or for space reasons. Take a look at our selection here.

EXTENSION SCREENS ON THE MOVE

Do you or your colleagues take a portable monitor when you are on the move? This seems to be a comparatively new, but growing population. We have clients whose auditors have laptops with 10” screens that are not much use for viewing spreadsheets! A USB-C extension monitor is a lightweight and practical solution. If this is a scenario you recognise, do these mobile workers also take a separate laptop stand, keyboard and mouse? I am trying to get an idea of the size of this population and the equipment they carry. Please send me any thoughts or comments.

This article was originally emailed as issue 184 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/03/2025. You can register here to receive them monthly.

CIEHF WORKSHOP

A few members of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (including me!) have felt that Workplace has been somewhat neglected by the Institute in recent years. This has not been a deliberate intention so action has been taken to put that right. My December webinar with Chris Allen, was one of the early actions to raise the workplace profile within the professional ergonomics and human factors community and this was very well received. There is also work progressing in the background to update the Mobile Working Risk Management System document (which has been downloaded nearly 17,000 times). At the upcoming CIEHF conference, we have secured time on the Wednesday morning for a Workplace stream and this session will include contributions from Dr Nigel Oseland and Dr Kerstin Sailer. As I write this, details are being finalised and the event website has not been updated yet, so watch out for my LinkedIn postings for further information.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENTS

It is now a year since we launched the Osmond Inclusive Wellbeing Services brand and it has been both a steep learning curve and a satisfying evolution of our products and services portfolio. We have said from the outset that, if we were starting from nothing today, ergonomics would be just one element of our wellbeing proposition, so the next stage is to merge the services into a holistic package whilst still maintaining our essential ‘Single Point of Contact’ and long-standing Customer Service reputation. Our revised website, which will be ready within the next couple of months, will serve that purpose. Watch this space for news of the launch!

IN-PERSON EVENTS

SENSORY NOOK®

The Nook range is not new (I first looked at it before the pandemic) but it has only recently become appropriate to include it in our portfolio. Whilst similar in overall design to many other pods, its unique features make it an ideal addition to any neuro-inclusive workplace. Its castors also make it very adaptable. Available with a choice of numerous options, a Nook Pod will make an ideal decompression zone in bustling environments – perfect for comfortable solitude, quiet meetings or focused work. Contact me for further information.

THE GUY OSMOND PODCAST

We had a mishap with this month’s scheduled podcast: we were unable to record it in time for the usual first Monday of the month. As a result, there was no March episode. However, we are recording two sessions this month. Our April guest is Jennifer Bryan. We haven’t recorded it yet and there’s lots to  explore, so I’m not quite sure where the conversation will go! The May edition will be with Paige Hodsman, talking about her ‘Didn’t I just say that?’ research. My daughter-in-law, Rebecca O’Dwyer, will also be joining us to add insights as a young female manager in the finance industry.

This article was originally emailed as issue 183 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/02/2025. You can register here to receive them monthly.

NO BOTS HERE

I love AI. I use ChatGPT, Grammarly, NotebookLM, Perplexity and other tools for research, ideas, tidying up my thoughts and correcting my spelling, but I never get it to do the writing for me. I tried it once and it was a disaster: I thought I could get ChatGPT to write the whole article and then I could just tinker with it afterwards but I ended up abandoning the AI piece and starting from scratch. We hear that marketing is all about ‘authenticity’ but I don’t understand what’s authentic about publishing material you didn’t create. I research, prepare and write every eBulletin and will continue to do so. For more authenticity, see our two upcoming events below, my podcasts and published articles like this one for the British Safety Council.

ERGONOMICS CHALLENGES IN A HYBRID WORLD

For DSE assessors, Occupational Health, Health & Safety, Facilities Managers and Ergonomists, our first 2025 event is at the Senator Showroom in London on Wednesday March 26, 2025. From feedback and conversations, we know you want topics that take you beyond your current experience and expand your knowledge so we have two excellent speakers. Jim Taylour (formerly of Orangebox and now at Senator) will talk about today’s workplace from his perspective as an ergonomist and furniture designer. Robert Manson will summarise several neurodiverse conditions with suggestions about adaptations and products to address individual needs. Attendees will also have a discounted opportunity to attend a virtual half-day course covering this topic fully in the near future. As always, we shall also have products to show you. Find out more and register here

HOLISTIC WELLBEING: ALIGNING PEOPLE, PURPOSE & PLACE

FLOOR WALK SERVICE

Despite strong evidence supporting hybrid working (when done well), many people are now spending more time in the office. As a result, we have noticed an increasing need for ergonomics awareness services. One offer that is proving both popular and valuable is our Floor Walk Service. Typically, Stuart Entwistle, our Training Manager with 20+ years’ experience and thousands of DSE assessments completed, simply walks through your office and talks to anyone who needs assistance with chair set-up, posture, sit-stand desk settings, monitor height, etc. Often, this is tied in with a Health & Safety Awareness Day or other event, which may also include one or more of our Posture Awareness workshops. For a bespoke proposal, contact Stuart directly.

SOCIAL MEDIA

If you follow social media, you may have noticed a boost in our activity in recent weeks. We have changed agencies and tuned our output so that we align our messages better to current marketing methodology and platform demand. More importantly, we aim to increase the value and usefulness of our posts, introducing even more of the latest research and insights into our messages. One possible downside is that you may have seen much more of me on video! I am told that the social media algorithms love video. I wish I felt the same: I find the recording easy enough but watching it back is excruciating! If you can bear to watch, you can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

This article was originally emailed as issue 182 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/01/2025. You can register here to receive them monthly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our 2025 focus will be on making life even easier for our clients. We know the constant pressure experienced by the managers we work with and how hard it can be to juggle responsibilities and priorities. Many organisations have bewilderingly complex processes so we often find ourselves explaining to individuals how their employer operates and what they need to do to get action. We have even been known to tell people where to find things on their corporate intranet even though we have never seen it! Those are the sort of lengths we go to in order to ensure clients get outstanding service when dealing with us or navigating their employer’s internal communications process. In particular, we shall be stressing the single point of contact to get anything done. Our highly trained Customer Service team can respond to any enquiry and, if they don’t have the answer instantly, they will know where to find it quickly. Whether you need Osmond Ergonomics or Osmond Inclusive Wellbeing Services, a phone call (0345 345 0898), an email or LiveChat on either of our websites all connect you to the same small, knowledgeable team – no bots, no buts, just answers!

THE ENTICING OFFICE – WE KNOW WHAT WORKS: WHY DON’T WE DO IT?

As promised last month, my podcast is back! After a few months break, our first episode of the year was released at 6:30am on Monday 06.01.25. This month’s guest is Dr Nigel Oseland and we explored the impact of hybrid work, the necessity for physical offices, how to make them more inviting, the essential role of well-designed spaces in creating collaboration and innovation, as well as the quest for solitude and the challenges of managing hybrid teams. The discussion stemmed from some of Nigel’s research and my two-part blog inspired by it. For the podcast, choose your platform here.

2025 EVENTS

CORECHAIR ELITE

We had an overwhelmingly positive response to this new chair at the ACPOHE Study Day. The event, for occupational health physiotherapists, addressed the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain and the new CoreChair Elite was shown to be just the solution for sufferers of this debilitating condition. This new model is an enhancement of the established CoreChair Classic but the backrest is a dramatic enhancement to the product (with only a small price increase) and you don’t need to suffer from pelvic pain to love the unique design, function and comfort. Full production is still a couple of months away but contact us if you want to arrange a demonstration.

DSE TOP TIPS

This article was originally emailed as issue 180 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/12/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

15 YEARS OF THE eBULLETIN

With 180 newsletters now behind us, we are proud to have shared the eBulletin on time once a month, every month for the last 15 years. When we started, sit-stand desks were an exotic Scandinavian import, the earliest laptops existed with monochrome screens and mobile phones were used for talking to people! Since that time, we have chronicled the furniture, accessories, technologies, research and innovations of the changing workplace. We shall continue to do so! The eBulletin is one of three free subscription services we offer. Product Radar provides a single page update every time we add a product to our portfolio that we think should be ‘on your radar’. It is published whenever we have something new to show you. Our Top Tips newsletter is a much more recent addition, aimed specifically at DSE and Workplace Needs Assessors, and published weekly. Each issue highlights a single topic and includes a video clip or downloadable pdf that subscribers can use themselves or share with clients or colleagues. You can update your subscription choices for any or all these services here.

NEW PODCAST SERIES

My podcast returns in January with a wide-ranging discussion about creating an Enticing Workplace. My guest, Nigel Oseland, has completed extensive research about what makes people prefer to work in the office or at home. I blogged about the research a few months ago and this podcast was a great opportunity to for us to catch up and explore some of the themes. As with my first season, new blogs drop at 6:30am on the first Monday of the month so you can access our conversation from Monday January 6th. When it’s live, you will find it with my other podcasts here.

DIDN’T I JUST SAY THAT?

Nigel is also involved with some fascinating research alongside Paige Hodsman. This is exploring how men and women hear each other differently – or maybe not at all! I first saw Paige present their literature review ‘Hearing Women in the Workplace’ at Workplace Trends a couple of months ago and they are now looking for survey participants. If you can spare 15 minutes to take part, please do so here.

WHERE HUMAN FACTORS MEETS LEADERSHIP

You may have seen me post on social media that human factors are more central to workplace conversations than at any time in the last 30+ years. Yet I hardly ever encounter ergonomics or human factors (E/HF) professionals in workplace conversations, apart from those involved in DSE assessments. As a Workplace Sector initiative, the CIEHF scheduled a webinar to discuss the interface between workplace and E/HF. I was delighted to host that conversation with Chris Allen of MONTROC Consulting. It was a very informative and entertaining session so well worth an hour of your time. The recording can be found here.

SEASONS GREETINGS

As we approach the year end, may I take this opportunity to wish you a joyous festive break, surrounded – I hope – by your loved ones. The world can be a challenging and scary place at the moment so let’s cherish and take advantage of the opportunity to count our blessings and remember those less fortunate. In order for my team to do that, we shall be closed from lunchtime on 24.12.24 until 02.01.25.

This article was originally emailed as issue 180 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/11/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

SETTING THE SCENE FOR EFFECTIVE WELLBEING ACTION
We had to rearrange our proposed London event last month so, with a change of speaker and a slight repositioning of the content, you can still attend. It is now on Thursday November 28th. I am delighted to welcome Chris Allen to the speaker panel. His topic is ‘Posture, Profile & Presence: the cult of wellbeing culture’. If you don’t already know him, you can get a good insight into his knowledge, passion and experience on Episode 4 of my podcast. Also joining me is Rosie Russell, whose talk at our Oxford event was very warmly received. At the new event, her topic is ‘So much diversity, so little time: a pragmatic approach to wellbeing’. I could go on at length about how engaging and informative these speakers will be but the best option is to book your place! There are morning and afternoon sessions to suit your diary

WILLO

By the time you read this, I shall have just returned from the Biophilic Design Conference in London. This was the first event of its type in the UK (and, possibly, the world!), so I expect to have plenty to comment about in due course. I attended both as a delegate and an exhibitor. I’ve mentioned the 3D-printed Willo tree before but this was the first workplace event where we have shown them. Being able to display a pair of trees together created an impressive feature, especially in the amazing setting of the Barbican Conservatory.

ACPOHE STUDY DAY 2024 

We are delighted to be co-sponsoring this event, which will take place in the Flokk London showroom. There are still spaces available and this page gives comprehensive details about the content and agenda. It is suitable for physios and other health professionals working in occupational health and ergonomics and you don’t have to be an ACPOHE member to attend. Our ergonomics workshop will specifically look at chairs aligned to one of the key agenda topics – pelvic pain.

PODCAST

With 12 episodes now completed, the podcast is taking a short sabbatical and will return at 06:30am on Monday January 6th, 2025. I am already in conversation with prospective guests and our 2025 season will still have the same objective: to engage in interesting conversations with fascinating people who are experts in their field. You can find the first season here. If you don’t have time to listen to them all, try Episode 11, which is my summary of the first ten encounters.

EXHIBITIONS & CONFERENCES 2025

We have stopped participating in large-scale face-to-face events since the pandemic but we are now reviewing our position again. Although we used to exhibit at two or three national events each year, we gave that up to focus on our numerous online channels and activities. We have continued with in-person client visits and our own specialist events but is it time to get back to the large-scale commercial gatherings? Showing Willo at the Biophilic Design Conference is our first ‘toe in the water’. I would love to know what events you enjoy. What are the ‘must attend’ events in your 2025 calendar? Please let me know what you think.

This article was originally emailed as issue 179 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 10/10/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

EDI STRATEGY & EFFECTIVE WELLBEING EVENT

Building on the recent launch of our Osmond Inclusive Wellbeing Services, I am pleased to commend to you our first in-person OIWS event. It’s actually two events because we are running a morning session and then repeating it in the afternoon on Tuesday October 22nd at the Orangebox showroom in Clerkenwell, London. We are taking a holistic approach to wellbeing and believe it sits best within the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion strategies of good employers. In conversation, we have also discovered that parts of it sit with HR, Health & Safety, Occupational Health, Recruitment, Talent Management and a variety of other professionals with an even bigger variety of job titles! If it’s on your agenda, you can find out all about the event, the choice of times, the speakers and the content on the registration page.

HSE & ERGONOMICS

Last month, I was a panel guest at the IWFM Rising FMs and Workplace SIG discussing workplace ergonomics in the hybrid workplace. It was an animated discussion with excellent questions and we touched on ‘the demise of the DSE assessment’. We have noticed that homeworkers, in particular, are getting less support and attention from many employers and (uncharacteristically!) the HSE has been responding to this with recent publications. Their new booklet about evidence relating to musculoskeletal disorders and visual problems for DSE users and their Body Mapping Tool are freely available resources.

PODCAST

Kirsty Angerer, provided some really interesting insights – and data – from more than a decade of workplace experience around the world. You can find Kirsty’s episode, along with the whole of Series 1, on this page or go directly to the Spotify, Apple or Amazon/Audible podcast platforms.

SCANDINAVIA

IN THE PRESS

On the subject of articles, we have had two further items published this month. In September’s edition of Tomorrow’s Health & Safety, I have gone into more detail about the apparent neglect of homeworkers referred to above. Meanwhile, the British Safety Council has published another piece, this time co-written by my colleague, Alex Reffell, and myself about supporting neurodiversity in the workplace.

This article was originally emailed as issue 178 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 11/09/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

NEW ERGONOMICS WEBSITE

It’s here! After lots of research, false-starts, conflicting apps and general frustrations, I can tell you that I am genuinely ecstatic that our new website is now actually live! You will see a cleaner design, more intuitive shop, better filtering and a VAT inclusive/exclusive feature that actually works consistently! There is more to do and we have further developments and features in the pipeline but let’s not waste time telling you about it: take a look for yourself at www.ergonomics.co.uk. (N.B. If the site looks the same, you may need to clear the cache memory of your computer).

OUR FIRST OIWS EVENT

Following the successful launch of our new Osmond Inclusive Wellbeing Services division, our first face-to-face (and free) event is now scheduled for London on Tuesday October 22nd. I shall be joined by Jim Taylour, Rosie Russell and Kirsty Angerer to discuss Turning EDI strategy into effective Wellbeing action. Click here for details and the registration form.

WEEKLY TOP TIPS FOR DSE ASSESSORS

A few weeks ago, we started sending a weekly Top Tip email to all the delegates who have completed our DSE Assessor training course. Each email includes a useful resource, such as a video, downloadable pdf or web link and arrives at 10:45 on a Thursday morning. This has been so well received that we have decided to share it more widely. If you are a DSE Assessor (or interested in DSE assessments), sign up by simply emailing our Training Manager, Stuart Entwistle, providing your contact details.

PRODUCT RADAR REBOOT

While all these new activities have been emerging, we have also decided to rekindle our Product Radar emails. We have neglected these for several months, mainly due to workload pressures. They don’t go out at a particular time: just every time we have a product we think you should know about. The simple message is ‘Is this product on your radar?’. You can see the archive here. To join the mailing list, complete your details and choose the Product Radar dropdown here.

ACCESS TO WORK SCHEME

There’s a lot of rekindling going on this month! Following conversations with the prime contractors, and alongside various discussions about neurodiversity, wellbeing and mental health, we have also rekindled our involvement in the Access to Work scheme. As a result, we are now quoting for and supplying our full range of products and services, including Salus, our new office / homeworker chair, to meet the ‘sub-£500’ criteria. Contact Kevin Webb, our National Sales Manager, for further information.

This article was originally emailed as issue 177 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 12/08/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

TEN PODCASTS!

August saw the release of our tenth monthly podcast with Workplace Experience Designer, Will Easton. This was yet another inspiring conversation and I just love them: it’s a joy to talk to people who are experts in their field about subjects they know and love. It seems our growing listenership agrees! For Episode 11 (released at 6:30am on September 2nd), producer Graham Coath and I will be reviewing the first ten conversations and highlighting some of the key topics. There will also be a chance to win some ‘merch’! Watch this space for more details.

INCLUSIVE WELLBEING SERVICES

Our new division is up and running after our soft launch at the end of last month. Expect to see and hear much more about this as our client base grows. If you are involved in the development or delivery of your corporate EDI programme, take a look at our new website here but, if you are in an Occupational Health or Health & Safety role, you will probably be more interested in our range of services brochure here.

QUALITY & ENVIRONMENT

We have just had our latest ISO9001/ISO14001 audit with zero non-conformities. We have held this certification since 2007 and, in 17 years, our audits have never identified more than one minor non-conformity. Our IMS (Integrated Management System) is central to the consistent delivery of high-quality products and services and we take pride in the recognition this certificate confers.

NEW WEBSITE – SOON!

We have been working on a new platform for ergonomics.co.uk for many months. We set some demanding objectives when we started the redesign and progress has been slower than we planned. However, it will be launched before the next eBulletin with more intuitive layouts, clearer information and a slicker shop. All previous functions will be retained and enhanced features will be added. Watch out for the new look!

ULTRABOARD 950 SPECIAL OFFER

For a limited period, we are offering the wireless version of this compact Bakker Elkhuizen keyboard at a special 31% discount. This model pairs with up to 5 Bluetooth devices, making it the ideal interface for your laptop, tablet or mobile. It is lightweight and portable and, having no numeric keypad, its compact size reduces the shoulder load for right-handed mouse users. More details here.

This article was originally emailed as issue 176b of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 12/07/2024. You can register here to receive them monthly.

MEETING YOUR EDI NEEDS

We are delighted to announce the official launch of Osmond Inclusive Wellbeing Services, the result of extensive research into corporate wellbeing and EDI programmes.

We have been examining neurodiversity, menopause, sleep deprivation, vision and hearing impairment to identify everything we need to expand our proven legacy offering into a truly holistic package. After more than a year of planning, Osmond IWS has new services, personnel, and partners, all of which are dovetailed with the same quality, care, integrity, and commitment you already know and recognise. Importantly, our existing Customer Service team will remain the central point of contact for both new and existing requirements.

In the paragraphs below, I have provided information about where to find out more, but if you have a burning need right now, call 0345 345 0898!

Equally, if neurodiversity, vision and hearing impairment, menopause or sleep deprivation are not part of your brief, please forward this email to any colleague(s) you think would be interested.

OIWS WEBSITE

Our new website at www.oiws.co.uk looks at Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in a corporate context, illustrating the benefits of a diverse workforce and investing in wellbeing. It lays out ways we can help and the processes we use.

INSIGHT PACK

Employers are getting to grips with EDI and this is the context for our Insight Pack. It outlines what brought us to this point, provides examples of successful EDI integration and provides some data about the return on investment in wellbeing programmes. You can request the Insight Pack here..

OIWS BROCHURE

The brochure illustrates all the different services we offer. Our portfolio comes from extensive research into what is already offered and what is in demand. You can access it directly here.

WHAT NEXT FOR THE EBULLETIN?