This article was originally emailed as issue 143 of our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/10/2021. You can register here to receive them monthly.
WE TREAT ANIMALS BETTER THAN OFFICE WORKERS
This title is rather an oversimplification of Nigel Oseland’s new book but it’s a great way to start an animated discussion! Covid has prompted widespread conversations about what we need to provide for our personnel to thrive but, despite the earnest debate and the invention of new terminology like hybrid and blended working, I see signs of many organisations reverting to the pre-pandemic status quo. In ‘Beyond the Workplace Zoo: Humanising the Office’, Nigel had created a really thought-provoking review of what’s wrong with much Corporate Real Estate thinking and what could be done to put it right. Despite its demanding, research-based origins, it’s an easy, stimulating read and Nigel distils complex thinking into simple, comprehensible language. Find out more about the book and check out the comments from several industry thought leaders on Amazon.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
Over the last few weeks, we have introduced a number of initiatives to make it easier for customers to indicate their experience when dealing with us. This has resulted in a flurry of feedback and it is great to see customer comments both through our own in-house survey and through Trustpilot.
It is especially gratifying when clients mention individual staff by name for going above and beyond to provide great service. You will start to see some of these quotes on our main website and in our social media, as well as directly on Trustpilot.
DSE ASSESSOR TRAINING
Following my recent observations about the backlog of workstation assessments, many employers will be finding that they need to train new or refresh existing assessors.
As mentioned previously, our one-day virtual DSE Assessor training course gets excellent reviews and we have now set the diary into the New Year. Find out more here and take advantage of Early Bird prices.
WORKSPACE DESIGN SHOW
A brand new workplace interiors event comes to London next month. The Workspace Design Show takes place on November 4th – 5th at the Business Design Centre.
Showcasing the latest products from over 70 manufacturers, it is the UK’s new exhibition focussed purely on Workspace Design and includes thought leadership presentations from the UK’s top architects, designers and corporates. Find out more and register here.
SUPPLIES & PRICING
In your personal life, you will have already experienced shortages and price rises. In the commercial market, we are being squeezed on all sides by raw material price rises, long-distance container shipping costs, local logistics and transport issues and personnel shortages.
Against this backdrop, we are seeing growing numbers of large employers preparing for large-scale roll-outs of homeworker chairs, desks and accessories. If you are now reviewing your homeworker plans, I would urge you to start the supplier conversation immediately because I believe the situation will get worse before it gets better. Delivery lead times are already being extended by most manufacturers and component supplies will also impact availability sooner rather than later.
Posted by Guy Osmond 
My most recent ‘big issues’ webinar addressed the four work types: Communication, Collaboration, Contemplation and Concentration. For some reason, attendance was unusually low so perhaps we just didn’t advertise it enough. Feedback from attendees was very favourable and the (40 minute) video is available 
As regular readers will know, I am a great fan of the Workplace Trends events and have already mentioned their October conference in the past. With the full speaker list now confirmed, there has been a slight repositioning and, as you may have noticed, a new title. The programme includes a diverse mix of speakers from organisations like Google, Vodafone, Gensler and Tetra Pak. The one thing they have in common is that they are all at the top of their game. You can attend virtually or in person in Central London on Wednesday October 13th. More details and registration 
We are proud to be a Corporate Member of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors. Their output, especially since the outbreak of Covid, has been prodigious and shows no sign of losing pace. For many people, ergonomics has long been associated only with office chairs and car dashboards. To challenge this, a key element of the CIEHF’s current programme is to raise awareness of the countless fields where ergonomics and human factors make key contributions to design, safety, comfort and wellbeing. You can scroll through their free white papers 
Wednesday September 22nd is UK National Fitness Day. Find out more 
Are you an existing customer? Interested in entering our monthly prize draw by writing a product review? We are finalising our plans for this ongoing campaign. Full details next month, so watch this space!
In last month’s eBulletin, I mentioned how furniture manufacturers have been particularly busy creating new designs and concepts over the last year. To reflect this, we have updated the Workplace section of our website to include a 
There is a new competitor to the Clerkenwell Design Week event series. 
Healthy and Happy Home Learning, one of the latest titles from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors, is a really useful guide for every parent with school-age children. Whilst it may have been inspired by the issues identified in home schooling, it goes much further and addresses the physical, mental and social health of children from a range of perspectives. Topics include posture, movement, mental wellbeing and environmental factors with simple suggestions and valuable links to lots of other publications. Download your own free copy 
In the age of TikTok, Teams and Zoom, it seems so retro to be listening to a broadcast that is ‘sound only’! However, I have recently rediscovered my love of the podcast, especially now that I am starting to do some driving for work once again. Largely responsible for this renewed enthusiasm is the 
We have been tracking user behaviour on our primary website since we changed platform last year and we have now made some changes to reflect what we have learned. In addition, our site at homeworker.uk.com has been merged into the primary ergonomics site, creating a ‘Homeworker powered by Osmond Ergonomics’ section. The topline menu still gives a dropdown route to most sections but the new links now provide better direct routes to product groups. Take a look 
Both figuratively and actually, this event was, unfortunately, a washout. Attendance was very low. Whether this was because of a lack of marketing, the weather, the pandemic or two Euro semi-final football matches in the same week, we shall probably never know. Suffice to say, I was the only visitor present during half my showroom visits. On the positive side, this meant I could attend showrooms for which I had not pre-booked and, once inside, showroom personnel had plenty of time to talk. It is very clear that the manufacturing industry has been exceptionally busy over the last several months and there are lots of new products and ideas. Whether your post-pandemic office plan is all-in, all-out or hybrid, there is plenty to discuss about how workplace design can support culture, engagement, wellbeing and productivity. For a face-to-face or virtual chat, 
We have added three new topics to our forthcoming free webinar programme. Following the success of our Posture Awareness for Homeworkers (which will return later in the year and is still available for in-house commercial delivery), we have added two further Posture Awareness sessions about Laboratory work and Vehicles. In addition, I shall be delivering a variant of the session I did in Clerkenwell at CDW Unlocked: Communication, Collaboration, Concentration & Contemplation – the where and how of Hybrid Working. Find out more and book any or all of these 
If you are a regular user, you may already know that it is now possible to add a half minute cover story video to your LinkedIn profile page. I have been experimenting with this and my first video (or second, or third, depending when you look!) is now live. I am interested to find out how people respond to this new facility so, if you can spare 30 seconds to watch the video and about the same again to respond to the poll 
Following the success of their ‘One Year of Homeworking’ campaign in March and April, our friends at Bakker Elkhuizen are about to launch the next phase of their thought leadership campaign. This time it is about Hybrid Working.
Our webinar in May attracted our largest audience ever. It is clear that many organisations are still thinking about how to deploy their workforce and optimise their real estate. The five most common business models appear to be – As before – Turbocharged ABW – Clubhouse – Hub & Spoke – No office. What might you do?
After a miserably cold and wet Spring, our garden is suddenly full of new shoots, buds and flowers. Even some of the plants that we thought had been killed by frost have sprung into life!
Regular readers will know how highly I value the Workplace Trends events. They bring together global workplace experts to present and discuss research, experience and expectations for the future of workplace. After a fascinating and inspiring Research Summit in April this year, the next event will be both virtual and in-person in London on October 13th, 2021 (subject, as always, to any government restrictions at the time).
During one week in April, I attended two conferences that demonstrated how effective a virtual format can be when well executed. Most notable at each event was the diversity and global reach of the speaker panel, the topics and the audience. Removing the restriction of a physical location really extends the potential and influence of an event in a dramatic way.
When I mentioned price rises in February, I expected the topic to occur again but I didn’t expect it to be quite so soon! Four of our manufacturers have now issued their second price list in 2021. Increases are averaging 4-5% on top of the rises already implemented within the last five months.
Mental Health Awareness Week
During May, we shall be returning everyone to the office at least some of the time. Our internal research makes interesting reading. Of those currently homeworking full-time, nobody wants to return to the office permanently! Of the staff (including logistics personnel) who had experienced some musculoskeletal discomfort in the last month, half said it had got better and the remainder said it was about the same. 12.5% felt that their mental health had deteriorated in the last six months.
Last year, a 
As you may have discovered in March, we are now closed until 10:00am on the third Monday of each month. This gives us the opportunity to bring the whole team together (still virtually at the moment) for our ‘Monthly Outlook’ when I provide an update about the business trading activities. We discuss what is happening in the business and beyond, general trends, our plans and expectations plus everyone’s contribution. It’s a great forum and, as an experiment for the next few months, we have added a further dimension:
There is no doubt that musculoskeletal (MSK) problems are on the rise. Prolonged periods of homeworking without proper assessment, adequate training or appropriate equipment are taking their toll. Many employers have simply not addressed these issues adequately and employees are now paying the price. We know that mental and physical health are interconnected and, whilst there has been a lot of publicity (rightly) about the mental health issues, attention to physical health matters has been lower profile.
One of the many things we have learned from our extensive homeworker experience is that space is nearly always an issue! We have been looking at this problem for some time and, finally, I am pleased to say that we have both fixed height and sit-stand solutions. We have decided on 900mm x 650mm as a compact worktop size that can offer reasonable ergonomics if well managed and, especially, if combined with a monitor arm and/or laptop stand.
As well as our Open House events which have been so well received, we are now rolling out our virtual DSE Assessor training to our corporate clients with equal success. As you’ve probably heard me say before, the IIRSM rated this one of the best courses the reviewer had ever seen when we received our Approved Training status from them and the course has now also been accredited by the CIEHF.
At this time of year, we would normally be meeting many of our industry and professional contacts and friends at the NEC for the annual conference and exhibition. Indeed, you may remember bumping elbows with us on our stand or in the aisles last year, only days before the first lockdown.
We get lots of excellent feedback from customers and, when we occasionally screw up, we are quick to address our mistakes and do everything possible to put matters right. Most of the feedback we receive comes direct to us by email, phone calls or LiveChat and we have an internal awards system to recognise our team members when they provide great customer service.
Osmond Ergonomics 