Ian Mean MBE, Director of Gloucestershire Chamber, recently interviewed Ben Caton, Managing Director from Ergochair to find out how their customised chairs can improve efficiency and comfort in the office.
I looked up ergonomics in the Oxford dictionary, and it told me that it is “the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment.” It was the explanation I needed to understand the rationale of an interesting company making very special office chairs—and appropriately called Ergochair.
Based in Yate near Bristol, Ergochair has achieved double-digit growth every year for almost a decade and now has a multi-million turnover making these chairs—many of them customised to the individual’s working needs.
Managing Director Ben Caton, 35, who used to run health clubs, tells me:
“The powerful statistic that got me about Ergochair was that in the last 15 years, we have helped over 115,000 people sit better and lead more comfortable lives.
“For me, as someone who was the end user of the product before I ran the company, it’s the science behind that human being’s wellbeing in whatever posture they use throughout their day.”
Ben asks a very pertinent question about how we look after our employees in their work environment: Are we really aware enough in this country of the benefits of what we need to do for the wellbeing of our staff?
So, how can a company justify spending what might seem quite a lot of money on one of Ben’s customised chairs ranging from £600-£1,200?
“You wouldn’t think twice about buying a really good mattress,”...“and then thinking that’s going to make a real difference to my sleep.
“However, there are people who would question the provision of a good office chair. Just look at the time spent—they are pretty similar!
“How much time do you sit down at work? Four or five years ago, it might have been the majority of the working day—it all changed with Covid.
“Working at home, people are probably sitting on a dining room chair, a sofa, or a bean bag. For homeowners, not many of them have a good office set-up in their garage.”
Ben Caton sincerely believes that providing a good office chair is quite an easy way of keeping staff happy.
“If I said to any business owner, I can give you a way to hold on to that incredibly talented member of staff for an extra five years, the return on that chair investment would not be questioned.”
Ergochair has six new products coming on stream this year and their growth aspiration, according to Ben Caton, is to become the pre-eminent player in Europe.
“We are making progress in the UK, but the Europeans have found a way to blend architectural beauty and design-led thought with a passion for ergonomics and the wellbeing of their staff.”
Ian Mean MBE is Business West’s Gloucestershire director and The Business Magazine contributing writer
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