Muscular pain is widespread in companies across a range of industries. Frequent lifting and repetitive motions can cause muscular pain in employees, but so can excessive sitting and deskwork.
But muscular pain doesn’t just hurt the employees; it also hurts employers and the company overall. Your employee’s discomfort will ultimately extend beyond the point of pain and seep into other aspects of the job and how well it is performed.
Here are four of the reasons muscular pain hurts employers… and tips on how you can curb their effects and get your employees feeling great and working in top form again.
1. Presenteeism
One of the most pervasive effects of muscular pain is presenteeism – when an employee is physically at work but does not perform at full efficiency. Some studies estimate that presenteeism costs US employers between $150 billion and $250 billion per year. In one study, employees admitted to being unproductive 57.5 working days of the year; this means employees are fully productive only 75% of the time.
Muscular pain is one of the leading causes of presenteeism. When pain interferes with physical comfort, concentration, and even ability to perform tasks, employees are unable to work as well as they otherwise would.
2. Absenteeism
Perhaps the most frequently discussed effect of employee pain is absenteeism, or missing work. Absent workers are estimated to cost US employers around $150 billion per year. Although employees are likely to work through the pain (see presenteeism above), they may end up missing one or more days of work if the pain is debilitating enough. Instead of working at lowered capacity, they are unable to work at all. This often results in the employee rushing to make up for lost time when they do return to work.
3. Healthcare & Workers’ Comp Costs
A direct monetary cost of employee pain is, of course, healthcare and workers’ compensation costs. Depending on the severity or persistence of the pain, employees may need medical attention and time away from work to heal. Both healthcare and workers’ comp costs have risen dramatically in the last five years; workplace injuries cost US businesses $61.88 billion in workers’ compensation claims annually. When you also factor in the time needed for healing, your company is losing a lot when an employee is injured or suffers from chronic pain.
4. Lowered Employee Retention
Employees can become dissatisfied with a corporation in cases of muscular pain. This may be due to the work environment and how it contributed to the pain. Or it may be due to how accommodating or responsive an employer is in helping the suffering employee get back on track. For a number of reasons, this can lead to the worker finding employment elsewhere. Losing an employee – especially under such circumstances – is never ideal. It also means you need to find a new worker for the job and provide training as necessary.
Studies show the combined cost of absenteeism, presenteeism, healthcare plan, workers compensation and disability leave ranges from about $10,000 per employee to $35,000 per employee. With so many employees missing work due to back pain, doctors’ visits or even surgery, a 10 percent to 20 percent reduction in posture-related costs would add up to significant savings. A company of 1,000 employees could save $1 million to $7 million per year.
How To Eliminate The Pain
With all these negative side effects of muscular pain, how can you ensure that your employees heal quickly and get back on track? One method that will help across the board is to develop an overall culture of health. Make sure workstations are comfortable and ergonomic-tested, and encourage employees to eat right, exercise regularly, and find healthy ways to manage stress. Implement wellness programs that can help employees reach their mental and physical health goals.
A program that directly helps with muscular pain will also help alleviate or eliminate existing pain, as well as prevent future pain. Consider a deep-tissue treatment therapy program that works on-site; DORN is one such provider that helps with all kinds of muscular pain.
When employees do have pain, encourage them to take some time off to fully recuperate rather than returning to work each day, performing more poorly and exasperating the problem. Also be sure you have a good return-to-work program.
Remember, prevention is the best medicine, and it’s better to limit risks in any way possible. Look at your worksite, and make modifications that may help it become more comfortable and less hazardous. Invest in good ergonomics – you may want to provide better chairs or even standing desk stations. Ensure that employees always receive proper training and are educated about any physical work or machinery they will be using. You should also consider implementing a focused MSD prevention program to assist employees in being pain-free at work.
Muscular pain doesn’t stop at the employees – it also extends to the rest of the company. Its effects are far-reaching, but with the right perspective and tools, you can help your workers live pain-free. When your employees are happy and healthy, your company will also be healthy.
