US-based Humanscale targets WFH space in India

The pandemic may have enforced a ‘new normal’ for the world to align in order to conduct business, with lakhs of employees working from home in the aftermath realising how they and their work stations should adapt in ergonomically stressful conditions even while enjoying the comforts of home and family.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, 2020, India has seen lakhs of employees set up an office in their very own homes. In fact, Work-From-Home (WFH) is today an accepted norm in almost all sectors, as it promotes a good work-life balance and enhances productivity.

Downside to WFH chore

But there is a downside to this. With remote working on the rise, more and more employees are experiencing pain and discomfort due to poor workstation choices at home. Working from the bed/sofa/dining chair, however appealing, might do permanent harm to one’s posture and productivity.

New York-headquartered Humanscale, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products that help improve the health and comfort of work-life, proposes to address the needs of the WFH space here and has announced the opening of its first exclusive showroom in Bengaluru.

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JV with S Cube Ergonomics

This would be a joint venture between Humanscale and its India distribution partner S Cube Ergonomics founded by Sathish Nandagopal who has over 26 years of diverse sales experience in the industry with leading brands like Interface, Alucobond, Honeywell, minimax, Ceasefire, and Krueger International.

The 2,400 sq-ft showroom will be a complete ‘Ergonomic Experience Centre’ and target the B2B segment (architects, designers, building project managers, facilities managers, IT managers, and corporate heads) as well as retail and MSME segments (WFH professionals, students, small and medium enterprises).

Eyes retail, SME segments

Alastair Stubbs, Country Manager India, Humanscale, said that it has been present in India for almost 15 years and has focused on the high-end corporate segment until now. “Along with S Cube Ergonomics, we will now target the retail and SME segments where we see a huge opportunity. Plans are afoot to have another 2-3 exclusive showrooms in other cities by end of this year,” he said.

Also read: Covid and the workplace

The key highlight of the new showroom would be the ‘Freedom Chair’ created by Niels Different, winner of 10 international design awards. It redefines the concept of traditional task chairs, Stubbs said. The ‘Freedom Chair’ automatically adapts to the user, allowing him/her to move freely from posture to posture.

Also on display would be the recently launched WFH Executive Package, a keyboard tray that allows the user to sit in a healthy, neutral position; NeatTech, an efficient cable management system; Study-From-Home (SFH) Student Package, a complete study station for both school and college-going students.