Looking back at a long weekend break with some other couples, you felt reinvigorated in so many ways. It did you the world of good to get away from the factory that you have built from scratch and refocus the mind. You love your achievements but somehow forget that sometimes you need a break from it all.
The getaway has helped you in several ways. You and your wife have had quality time together, and had some great fun alone and in great company of friends from the business world, all after the same thing. And you managed to sneak in a round of golf, while the ladies had their spa treatment.
It was while out on the course that you received the biggest favour. You thought that you were running a successful operation, and indeed the balance sheet would back that up. But in reality you were missing a trick on how to maximise your potential by looking after your employees better to get more out of them. You are so glad that one of your playing party told you about the benefits of an employee prevention program for so many reasons.
- You consider yourself to be a good human as well as someone who it is good to work for, so you wished to offer all your employees the very best working conditions that you could put together. A lot of work in your factory involves lifting and repetitive actions and is tiring on the body, as you know as someone not scared to go on the shop floor and get your hands dirty.
- Looking at the figures with your HR person, it spelt out that a high percentage of any absentees were being caused by injuries or strains being accrued in the factory. You know from bumping into staff on their days off that they genuinely looked tired at times. You wanted to find a way for them to avoid such ailments so that they did not suffer pain and discomfort and so that you could operate with a full production line.
- If you are producing goods and offering services at 100%, it would lead to increased sales, quicker turnaround times and an increased client base, which in turn has started to provide greater profits, which can be reinvested in new equipment and giving your hard workers a bonus. Employing the services of a local SEO team also offered you huge benefits to the business.
- The program opened your eyes to just how negligent you were being to both your business and those who operated it. By offering to collaborate, you quickly got them onside, as they saw you wanted to make a difference to help them lead a healthier life. Rather looking for cures to conditions, you were preventing them.
- The professional team that you brought in could not have been more helpful, engaging fully with you so that you understood the program. Providing workshops so that the staff also got to grips with what you were looking to achieve was a masterstroke as they became further engaged and bought into it.
- The coaching they received was excellent, and something you also enjoyed undertaking. You were taught how certain behaviours would prevent injuries, by learning proper techniques and how to look after the body.
- The support that your coordinators offered was soon taking effect, as it gave the whole factory a boost in morale, and time being taken off by staff was cut dramatically. It also gave you a huge lift, as you saw production increase, saving you money within weeks. You saw a more focussed and dedicated group carry out their roles using what
- they had learned and have fun in doing so as musculoskeletal injuries were prevented.
- You saw some real teamwork as your proud employees started to look out for each other. They saw potential issues and one or two practices have been readjusted consequently so that your empowered team have cut down on risk, as they beam with pride while doing so. One of the team told you the tale of a friend at a nearby job who said that they wished their employee took such care of them, as your business began to earn a reputation as a great place to work, meaning that you will never be short of applicants. You have arranged to take all your employees for a special night out to say thank you for their efforts.
- The program was specifically adapted to your needs, as the specialists customised it so that it helped hugely in the prevention of repetitive strain and manual handling injuries so that you had something tailor made that kept the attention of everyone involved, unlike some other courses you had attended and wondered what you were doing there.
- Your workforce is now a happy one, with smiles all around. You know from starting out as an employee, before you went alone, just how tiresome some tasks can be in a workplace that doesn’t seem to care about you. A friend back in the day, suffered from depression through it, so your intervention in preventing any mental health issues is close to your heart.
- It’s not just those on the factory floor who have benefitted, as the small team in the office learned skills in posture and how to work properly at their desks, meaning it’s been a real collective team effort.
- The success of the program will continue through refresher courses, health coaching, and newsletters, installing the initiative as a permanent feature, rather than a quick box ticking exercise which is forgotten by everyone within a couple of weeks.
Listening to your friend by bringing in a professional team with the expertise to deliver an employee prevention program is the best bit of business your company has done. You are already reaping the rewards of a refreshed and engaged workforce whose time away from work has been greatly reduced. The factory is now producing to full capacity, saving you thousands of dollars while profits rise.
