Page 22 - BOSS Today Issue 12

Office comforts

Finding sales in

Ancillary products designed to make the office a better place for employees
aren’t just good for the worker – they may be great for your margins too

n Englishman’s home of products that you might call Even then, headaches, tense workplace at all.
amay no longer be his only office comforts. shoulders, neck aches and eye Fellowes, which has
castle. In the long hours work That, at least, is what and wrist problems were still operations in 15 countries
culture that the past few years Fellowes, a company which being mentioned by over a worldwide, knows the situation
have cultivated, it seems an supplies many such products to quarter of all respondents as in the UK is considerably
English man and woman may dealers all around the country, is ailments that were interrupting worse than it is, say, in the
want to make themselves just as hoping. productivity. Netherlands or Germany. And
comfy within the office. After all, But research it recently And more than two decades that is why it has been stepping
if they spend most of the week commissioned suggests the after repetitive strain injury up a marketing campaign,
there, it may as well be home. average UK office still has some first came into the public with support through its
You would think, then, that way to go in becoming the consciousness, and long after dealer network, to convince
helpful considerate employers ultimate in comfort. The survey workstation risk assessments UK employers that they really
would want to make such a of over 1,000 workers around the became a legal requirement should be doing better.
new found home space as UK found that on average they for employers, only 45 per cent
comfortable and bearable as were spending 51 minutes a day of those questioned had been Cartoon
possible, with ergonomic chairs, rearranging their workspace to given such an assessment. The cartoon figure of Professor
footrests, armrests for people make it more comfortable. That One in five claimed there was Ergo, who can help you assess
who are always at their monitor, works out as 24.4 office days a no help or support from their your workstation, is already a
and much, much else. A range year spent just fidgeting. employers in creating a healthy familiar figure in the company’s

22 BOSS TODAY | May/June 2012

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