Increasing employee engagement means moving beyond the desk and embracing a more holistic approach, says Donna Defalco

Does your current ergonomics program ROAR? Or is it just a means to quantify ROI on a stat sheet? Move on. Now’s the time for High Touch Engagement and it promises to give you a Return On all Allocated Resources… it’s the ROAR Factor!!

What’s the difference between ROI and ROAR?

• Measure all the allocated resources, not just out-of pocket costs
• Measure all the returns, not just reductions in medical cost or similar objective outcomes
• Focus on programs that make people feel great, and what makes them want to roar!

Measure how well you are doing in helping people feel great.

Why we should look to further engage employees

According to Gallup, only 13 percent of employees are highly engaged, with the remaining 87 percent either not engaged, indifferent, or actively disengaged. We all know that employee engagement is critical to success, but only 25 percent of all corporate programs have a strategy to address this human capital issue.

Gallup also estimates that employee disengagement costs organizations an estimated $450 to $550 billion a year. Meanwhile, their survey of 1.4 million employees found that teams scoring in the top 25 percent of respondents for engagement experience several benefits:

• Lower turnover: 65 percent
• Fewer safety incidents: 48 percent
• Lower absenteeism: 37 percent
• Higher productivity: 21 percent
• Higher customer metrics: 10 percent

How can you reach the other 87%?

Extending your current ergonomic program to engage the other 87% will offer solutions that touch your employees beyond the desk and embrace total worker health. This “whole” approach addresses the risks associated with individual musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the cost associated with MSDs and at the same time making employees feel great , maximizing their work and life performance.

A highly engaged workforce positions the organization for success. External factors have less impact on organizations with an engaged workforce. Engagement enables growth and profit in either a positive or negative business climate. Engagement makes your employee’s feel like roaring!!

So is high touch ergonomic engagement worth the investment?

Employee’s notice when a company is putting forward their best efforts to ensure their health and safety. If an employee does not experience fatigue and discomfort during their workday, it can reduce turnover, decrease absenteeism, improve morale and increase employee involvement. By offering solutions that go beyond the desk to engage employees in high touch activities at work and play, you educate them and strengthen their musculoskeletal system. When implementing a Knowledge2Action® program you do more then just get an employee to look and listen, this type of programming touches them in a way to makes long lasting changes at work and at play that enhance a culture of trust. Just imagine if you only engaged 10% of the 87% of unengaged employees, the ROI would be $55 Billion!
Invest in the wellbeing of the future of your company and your employees through high touch ergonomic engagement.
Create a happier, less stressful and better work environment and let your employees ROAR!

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* O’Donnell MP. What is the ROAR Factor for your health promotion program? (Hint: we used to call it ROI.) Am J Health Promotion. 2015;30:v–vii.

Available at: http://ajhpcontents.org/doi/10.4278/ ajhp.30.01.v. Accessed September 26, 2015.