HEADSET BENEFITS VALIDATED

Headset Medical Study
Results from a commissioned study conducted at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, provide, for the first time, strong evidence that office workers can reduce neck, shoulder and upper back muscle tension as much as 41% by using headsets.

In the course of the three-month study, 62 people (33 women and 29 men), ranging from 20 to 63 years old, were involved in tests that evaluated the various levels of muscle tension resulting when office workers engage in other tasks while using the telephone.

Study participants were employed in a variety of professions, such as attorneys, reporters, and consultants, and occupations, including small business owners, sales and customer support, engineering and financial operations. Several held management and executive positions. All of the subjects used the telephone a minimum of three hours a day to perform their jobs. In the first half of the test, study participants were asked to use a conventional handset while performing a series of tasks. Tasks included reading, note-taking and typing on a computer.

In the second half, the participants exchanged the handset with a Plantronics Headset, and repeated the series of tasks. The results overwhelmingly favored Plantronics headsets over handsets, providing the first scientific evidence that validates the physical benefits of headsets.

Neck and upper back muscle tension is one of the most common ailments of office workers today. This new evidence now confirms Plantronics Headsets as a cost-effective, preventative solution for office workers.

The H.B. Maynard & Company study, also commissioned by Plantronics, first confirmed that headsets improve workplace efficiency and productivity as much as 43%. These new study results, combined with the results from the Maynard study, prove without a doubt, the benefits of headsets in today's demanding work environment. Employers and employees alike will benefit from using headsets, from lower medical costs to happier, more productive workers.

Plantronics introduced the first lightweight telephone headset in 1962 and has since become the world leader in communication headsets. Plantronics is the primary provider of headsets to telephone companies, call centers, telemarketers and businesses throughout the world. The company's products are distributed worldwide through resellers, retail stores and catalogs.
© Plantronics, Inc., 9/99 ST78-2 Activities Significance