Let’s face it. You have employees in pain and your company is paying for it.
Over half of adult Americans are diagnosed with a musculoskeletal condition each year1 and nearly 70% of employees report experiencing regular discomfort.2 To put that into perspective, if your company has 1,000 employees, on average 700 of them are dealing with muscle and joint pain daily.
Beyond the massive costs employers incur related to the treatment of these conditions in both worker’s compensation and healthcare claims, companies are also paying for the significant hidden costs associated with loss of productivity and employee morale.
When the direct costs of treatment and the indirect costs of lost days are accounted for, musculoskeletal disorders cost $874 billion in 2015, or 5.7% of the U.S. GDP.3 Not accounted for in that $874 billion are the losses associated with reduced productivity of employees who are present at work, but less productive due to chronic pain.4 Similarly, although less quantifiable perhaps the most significant, the adverse consequences pain has on an individual’s quality of life are not included in this cost metric.
The bottom line is that pain and musculoskeletal conditions are extremely prevalent and having a massive effect on companies’ operations. But why are they so common?
The reality is that musculoskeletal conditions are complicated and multi-faceted. Unfortunately, the current predominant solutions available to employers do not address the variety of causes of muscle and joint pain. While “stretch and flex” programs, ergonomic interventions and wellness initiatives all address a piece of the puzzle, none of them on their own address this complicated issue in its fullness.
Even the most innovative and well-intentioned companies often fail to understand that there are many dynamic and complex components that contribute to preventable workplace injuries.
EXPECTATION OF WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO WORKPLACE PAIN & MSDs
Most workplace solutions assume there are only a few major factors contributing to the musculoskeletal conditions and only focus on addressing those sources.
REALITY OF WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO WORKPLACE PAIN & MSDs
In reality, what’s causing your employees to break down is far more expansive and complex than is generally assumed and thus requires a holistic approach to address all components.
Although implementing any sort of proactive initiative to address employee pain is certainly a good step in the right direction, failure to address the vast web of contributing factors with a well-rounded approach is likely to yield an undesired result. This misconception of what really is required to create lasting and sustainable change with regards to workplace pain and injuries is certainly a contributing factor to the fact that workplace strains, sprains, and other related conditions have remained stable or increased over the last several decades.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT EMPLOYEES IN PAIN?
Fortunately, your employees breaking down does not have to be accepted as inevitable. Targeted solutions to address the web of factors contributing to your employee’s muscle and joint pain exist. Vimocity takes the best practices from risk analysis, human performance, and ergonomics to deliver a customized solution that addresses a company’s pain points.
At Vimocity, we are passionate about helping people not only perform at a higher level at work but also empower them to take care of their movement health so that they can continue to do what really matters to them in life.5