Sussex Police approached us to replace 185 of their control room chairs, and had a specific brief. They wanted to find a solution that would work for 99% of their staff around the clock, and the replacement chair had to meet the following criteria.
- Chairs guaranteed for 24/7 usage over 5 years
- Hard wearing fabrics and materials
- Highly adjustable to suit all shapes and sizes
- Cost -effective with replaceable parts to extend the life expectancy of the chairs
- Highly ergonomic to reduce their spend on specialist chairs
The RH400 office chair was chosen from a range we put forward. Our priority was to create a safe and comfortable environment for the 185 contact handlers that work in their contact centre around the clock, processing over 70,000 calls a month. Since the installation, we’ve been back on site to deliver 5 training sessions to help all of the contact handlers to set-up their chairs to suit their own needs.
To ensure that the solutions we provided had been effective, we revisited the project 6 months later and spoke to their Contact & Operations Manager to see how the team were getting on.
I feel that the decision we took has been hugely beneficial to the force. We will continue to benefit in the future as the chairs are guaranteed for longer, so we won’t have to re-purchase for many years to come.
Contact & Operations Manager, Sussex Police
The negatives have gone away. The request for specialist chairs and equipment have reduced and people have told us they like them.
Contact & Operations Manager, Sussex Police
How did they get on?
What do you think the impact of the new chairs has been on staff moral?
“it’s difficult to pinpoint all the positives because I haven’t had officers running, knocking on my door, and thanking us for the chairs! However, the negatives have gone away. The request for specialist chairs and equipment have reduced and people have told us they like them.
The only thing we’ve had to do since the chairs have been delivered is replace two seat pads to add in coccyx cut-outs. Before, we were inundated with requests for specialist DSE assessments. Since we’ve replaced our chairs, we’ve had significantly less complaints”.
Have you had any issues with the new chairs?
“Before we started working with Posture People, we didn’t invest in ergonomic chairs. Since install, we’ve had one or two that have needed minor repairs which we’re pleased to report were promptly fixed. Previously, we had to organise repairs for 6-7 chairs every two weeks. Previously we had new chairs but they had a limited warranty of 2 years for 24/7 use. We made it clear from the start that we wanted a long warranty to reduce our spend on repairs, and that’s what you’ve delivered”.
“We we’re a bit concerned that people wouldn’t get the full benefit of the chairs if they didn’t know how to set them up. You’ve sorted that all out for us by delivering the 5 training sessions to cover the different shift patterns. They seem to confidently set themselves up when they start their shift”.
We’ve been working with you for more years that we’d like to admit. We use to see chairs tucked out of view so the next shift wouldn’t pinch and alter them – has this reduced?
“We’ve still got the specialist chairs that Posture People supplied before the project, and these still suit the team members that had specific needs. Although we are trying to encourage the team to learn all of the adjustments, we still have people put their names on their chairs (even though they are all the same). The sense of ownership just goes to show that they like them!”
It’s great to hear that chairs have been successful! Do you think that the exercise has been worthwhile?
“Initially, It was a difficult pitch to command; that amount of chairs in one go came at a cost. My argument was that, if someone comes to me with pain, we call in Posture People. You then come in and assess, recommend specialist products and everyone’s happy. We thought ‘why can’t we be pro-active – why can’t everyone be comfortable and happy’ and we can make it fit for purpose from the start. We don’t get people arguing over the good chairs anymore!”
We thought ‘why can’t we be preventative – why can’t everyone be comfortable and happy’ and we can make it fit for purpose from the start.
Contact & Operations Manager, Sussex Police