This article was originally emailed as our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 14/08/2019. You can register here to receive them monthly.
HEALTHY PEOPLE – HEALTHY THINKING – HEALTHY WORKPLACE
Just down the road in Southampton, we shall be exhibiting at this October event for the third consecutive year and [drum roll] we have been nominated for a sustainability award! More information about this in next month’s eBulletin. In the meantime, do put this in your diary and come and visit if you have any personal or professional interest in the environment. There is an interesting and informative seminar programme and a really diverse and fascinating mix of exhibitors from electric car suppliers to some of the best coffee you have ever tasted at an exhibition! You can find more information and free registration here.
We have now started planning for the autumn and have another Roadshow and DSE Training date in the calendar. This one is on the outskirts of Edinburgh in October. Having used city centre venues for recent events, we are going out of town this time but it is very accessible by car, train, tram – and bicycle (as we have been advised by one of our ergonomist friends!). Next to the A720 Edinburgh Bypass, close to the airport and less than 5 minutes’ walk from Edinburgh Park tram and railway stations, it is easy to access from outside Edinburgh as well as from the city centre. Click here for more about the FREE roadshow and the only double-certified DSE assessor training in the UK.
SCOTTISH HEALTH & WELLBEING AT WORK CONFERENCE
I plan to be in Edinburgh a lot this autumn! In November, I shall be back again to speak at this all-day event at The Scotsman on North Bridge. Covering a wide spectrum of wellbeing issues, speakers will look at physical and mental health from a number of perspectives. I shall be speaking about issues to consider in an Agile Working environment and, appropriately in a city with a banking lineage dating back to 1695, financial wellbeing is also on the agenda.
After a full house at our last event, we have scheduled the next London DSE Assessor training on September 13th. This is right in the West End, kindly hosted by iwoca at their office in Tottenham Court Road. Numbers are limited so please register here as soon as possible or contact Stuart Entwistle, our Training Manager, with any questions. We are always looking for training venues with great facilities in good locations (not just in London) so, if you are looking to train some of your own people and would be prepared to accommodate outside visitors, we are happy to talk about a deal! You can speak to Stuart about that too.
Many thanks to those who responded to our short survey about Investors in People. For those of you who didn’t, we asked how important an Investors in People accreditation was when considering a prospective supply partner. The results were: A lot-29%, A little-52%, Not at all-19%. The total response was quite low (despite running a link on all our company emails for several weeks as well) so, along with other discussions, we have concluded that we already have all the culture and processes embedded in the business so it is no longer worthwhile for us to have IiP just as a ‘badge of honour’ and will not be renewing. The draw winner (of a Red Letter Days £200 voucher) was Sarah Tapley of Tapley Ergonomics.
Posted by Guy Osmond 
Whilst we are putting the world to rights about DSE, we thought it was about time to set the record straight (again!) about 
Last month we asked you about the significance of Investors in People as an accreditation. Not many people responded so this month we are making it clear that you have a very good chance of winning a £200 Red Letter Days gift voucher for about two minutes of your time! The context is that we have had Investors in People for nearly 12 years and Investors in People Gold since 2013. Would that be significant if you were considering us as a supply partner? Just answer the two questions 
We last mentioned the Vela chair series exactly a year ago in July 2018. This specialist product genuinely improves the lives of the individuals for whom it is suited and we have been delighted with the many satisfied clients we have supported. In particular, we have found that we can dramatically improve the lives of people living with MS. The manufacturer has just launched a focussed campaign for MS sufferers in the UK and we are proud to be a sponsor. Find more product information on our web page 
Although our day-to-day (and better known) activities are still principally those products and services that derive from DSE assessments, our project conversations continue to become more and more diverse. At the moment, our web site still only partly reflects this so it is worth mentioning that, since the last eBulletin, we have discussed, specified, quoted and/or supplied trading desks, acoustic screens, a glass-walled meeting room, café seating, 24 hour control room seating, a reception counter, storage wall, a bespoke wood-veneer desk, stud walls, a kitchen area and acoustic screens. From a simple office refresh to a fully project-managed fit-out, we have the resources, product portfolio and contacts to meet your needs. 
Our Motus 3000 is now well established as one of the leading sit-stand desks on the market. Combining high specification with a surprisingly low retail price, it has become our best-selling product from the range. The popularity of Motus owes much to its simplicity, with easy controls enabling users to switch positions throughout the working day. The 4-memory controller ensures that no time is lost between height changes and that comfort, energy and productivity are kept high. The width-adjustable two-stage steel frame also adheres to EU height standards and is available in a wide range of sizes and worktop finishes. 
It is just over a year since we launched our current web site. Obviously, detail changes take place daily but we have just completed a major simplification and configuration exercise with the 
As mentioned previously, the arrival of a new Logic chair from the RH division of Flokk is a very significant event. After more than 20 years, this is only the third incarnation of this iconic design. Full production and our own stock samples are still several weeks away but you will be able to view and try the range at Flokk’s Clerkenwell showroom by the end of this month. If you missed our sneak preview at the Physio First Conference, you can still be one of the first in the UK to see it. Just 
As employers become more and more focussed on staff wellbeing, I keep suggesting this ‘hearts and minds’ standard as an excellent basis for a strategic approach. Many of the organisations we encounter have an evolving piecemeal wellbeing programme (a bowl of fruit here, a cycle-to-work programme there) and are seeking a way to step back and be more tactical. At the recent CIEHF conference, I attended the ISO 27500 Masterclass, facilitated by Tom Stewart, one of the originators of the standard. If you would like more information, 
The effectiveness of nudge techniques was another topic at the CIEHF conference. Coincidentally, recent research circulated by our friends at Bakker Elkhuizen demonstrates one successful application. We often discuss how to motivate personnel to take full advantage of their equipment. In particular, finding ways to encourage sit-stand desk users to stand and move can be challenging. Recent research at Texas A & M University used a longitudinal study of two groups to demonstrate the effectiveness of Work & Move software. You can download the paper 
In other conversations about sit-stand, we like to introduce the perch option into the discussion. This concept is long-established in Scandinavia where the Capisco chair is very widely used. Our SPS (Sit-Perch-Stand) promotion offers an outstanding and highly competitive package. By combining our Motus sit-stand desk, a Capisco chair and a Viewlite monitor arm, we have created a compelling work environment suitable for office or home use at an outstanding price. 
As mentioned last month, all the arrangements are in place for our next two events. 
Linking some of our one-day DSE Training events to the Product Showcase has proven very popular with delegates. They really appreciate the availability of so many products during the training. This ensures a much more hands-on experience with plenty of opportunity to put theory into practice. The 
Wherever and however you interact with us, you have probably noticed how much our product and service portfolio is evolving. This is because almost all our conversations with clients now start with wellbeing as the headline topic in one form or another. Whether we are talking about improving the posture and comfort of an individual or addressing the workplace needs of an organisation, mental and physical health and wellbeing underpin the discussion. It is therefore important to us that we share with you the latest thinking, keeping you abreast of the conversations that are taking place globally about workplace design and staff wellbeing. To help me with this, we shall be introducing a number of guest bloggers to provide their own expert view on a variety of topical issues. The 
We did not create anything this year. We only do so when we have a suitably fun idea. Our favourite industry story for 2019 (and a particularly good one) came from Mark Eltringham at Workplace Insight: ‘
Osmond Ergonomics 