PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR A HYBRID WORKING WORLD
Bridging the gap between physical and mental health.
Stress & Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are two of the most common causes of work-related ill health.
Both conditions share common risk factors and frequently co-exist and are mutually influential. Mental health conditions can also increase the likelihood of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), for example, people with depression are at a greater risk of developing back pain. And there lies a vicious cycle, as MSDs can also have a significant impact on mental health. Living with a musculoskeletal disorder can lead to anxiety and depression, and depression is 4 x more common in people with persistent pain compared to those without pain.
In 2021, research looked into the physical and mental impacts of home working. The Royal Society of Public Health found that 39% of people working from home throughout the pandemic had developed Musculoskeletal disorders. Nearly half (48%) of people working from their bedroom or a sofa said they had developed musculoskeletal problems.
In the same study, an interesting finding uncovered a gender disparity where women were more likely (44%) to develop musculoskeletal problems as a result of working from home.
Remote working will continue after the pandemic, primarily in the form of hybrid working with employees splitting their work between office and home. It is so important for employers to keep in mind the close link between musculoskeletal and mental health.
As musculoskeletal disorders, psychological and psychosocial effects are closely linked, Beingworks has teamed up with Bespoke Wellbeing to offer an exclusive service to organisations to help them mitigate effects of musculoskeletal disorders on employee mental health that may have arisen as a result of remote working and better help employees navigate the emerging new world of work.
• 1 in 4 employees will be living with a musculoskeletal injury
• Musculoskeletal injury accounts for over 30% of all sickness absence
• Musculoskeletal disorders also cause organisations problems such as sick pay, lost productivity, loss of key skills, retraining costs, legal costs, and injury benefit.
• Employers are responsible for managing the risk of MSD in the workplace, which includes appropriate treatment and rehabilitation
There is an opportunity for significant savings as many musculoskeletal disorders are manageable and can be prevented.
• Physiotherapy for employees is proven to be a highly effective way to support employees to prevent, reduce, and manage musculoskeletal injuries. This helps keep staff happier, and healthier, at home and at work.
• Return of investment for providing physiotherapy for staff is £3-£12 per pound invested.
We are now providing organisations with a range of informative and interactive sessions for healthy hybrid working behaviours.
Our Physio Services include:-
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Group Ergonomic Risk Assessment in the form of a 1 hour fully interactive training session with self-assessment and summary report.
A live and interactive group webinar with an occupational health physiotherapist to show your employees how to assess their own work area. This is packed full of tips for good working practices to help them look after their own physical and mental health. We also introduce ‘desk-a-cise’ exercises for sedentary workers which they can access through a rehabilitation app. We then send your employees a display screen equipment (DSE) self-assessment form which we will check through and create a RAG rated summary report to ‘traffic-light’ those employees who need additional support.
Group webinar
This interactive training webinar includes.
• How to set up your home DSE correctly- posture advice- good working practices- avoiding social isolation and- how to support mental wellbeing
2. Self-assessment questionnaire
After the webinar, all employees will be sent out an electronic self-assessment form to complete using the educational components included in the webinar. We will prompt those who do not complete.
3. RAG rating report
Once all self-assessments are completed, we will provide you will all the completed forms, plus a summary report which divides the responses into green, amber, and red. The green reports require no action, the amber report requires some minimal/standard kit, and the red identifies employees who may need further assessment (see ‘Advanced 121 Ergonomic Assessments’ below) and input for specialist equipment or support.
• 6-month individual access to an exercise app (Physitrack) to educate employees on how to do desk exercises.
Length: 45-minute webinar, 15 minutes Q&A
Max. Participants: 25 Employees -
Highly effective 1:1 Physiotherapy via secure video consultation
• Assess symptoms and establish recovery timescales
• Provide evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation programmes using an exercise app
• Educate and reassure employees on how to self-manage their symptoms
• Identify any work tasks or demands which may be contributing to the disorders
• Give advice on any work modifications that need exploring.
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• Advanced ergonomic desk assessments are for employees who have an underlying health condition or other challenges in the workplace. We will complete a health/injury interview, ergonomic review, and physiotherapy assessment to best support your employee.
• This includes a comprehensive report with easy-to-use recommendations on how best to support your employee in the workplace. This could include work adjustments, equipment recommendations, skill development, or other occupational health recommendations. Where appropriate, we will also give physiotherapy advice and an individualised rehabilitation programme to help injury recovery.
• They are suitable for employees who are home or office-based as these are available virtually (via secure video consultation) with a physiotherapist.
• If equipment is recommended, we can help you source and order this through our ergonomic equipment partner.
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• Interactive webinar / sessions led by Physiotherapists. A unique approach to employee education addressing physical & mental health in the workplace.
Our team is passionate about health promotion and preventative strategies when it comes to keeping your employees fit and healthy in a hybrid working world.
