Organizations often find themselves in a perpetual cycle of reacting to urgent situations, akin to a game of “whack a mole.” Despite the recognition of the value of proactive initiatives, these projects often take a backseat to addressing immediate problems. This continuous loop of react and repair only ends when a significant event forces the organization to stop and consider options for a lasting solution that aids the shift from a reactive to a proactive stance.

We've all been there, haven't we? We understand the potential of proactive initiatives to revolutionize our business, save us time and money, and, most importantly, enrich the lives of our employees. However, the challenges of immediate pressing priorities that require constant effort to resolve often lead us to put these initiatives on the back burner. There is also a perception that proactive and prevention programs are “cost-avoidance” initiatives. When implemented correctly, however, they not only save companies substantial money and time but also contribute positively to the bottom line.

The key to maintaining wellness and productivity lies in early intervention. By identifying key indicators early, we can implement effective solutions, providing a sense of reassurance and security for the company and its employees. A few leading indicators are outlined below:

• Increased Absenteeism due to injuries or health issues. The long-standing employee, a work warrior in a physically demanding job, begins to feel “broken.” Not one to complain or report an injury – but whose body is starting to feel the “wear and tear” after many years on the job. They begin to call in sick more often.
• High Employee Turnover is a leading indicator of the need for a prevention program, especially in physically demanding jobs. New hires who haven’t worked in a physically demanding job before may not easily discern whether they are sore or injured. The investment in recruitment, training, and onboarding is lost if the employee doesn’t have the support to understand the difference or they don’t have access to programs that help them be more prepared for the job. So, they leave. This turnover affects the company's bottom line and indicates a need for proactive measures to prevent such losses.  
• Rising worker’s compensation claims can highlight systematic issues that a prevention program could address. By catching early aches and pains with an onsite prevention program, you reduce the cost and severity of injury claims and keep employees on the job, which is a win-win for the company and the employee.

Many indicators, both leading and lagging, indicate that early invention and treatment programs are crucial for maintaining wellness and productivity and reducing costs; I have highlighted just a few above.

To move out of the whack-a-mole situation and avoid the next reactive crisis, some non-disruptive prevention and early intervention programs can be implemented to begin shifting to a more proactive work environment and avoid impending doom.

Below are two programs that can assist your organization in moving from reactive to proactive.

• Invest in Functional Job Analysis and Functional Job Descriptions: Conducting a functional job analysis and compiling the findings into a document creates the foundation for understanding the job's physical demands.  At WorkWell, we employ a meticulous approach to identifying and evaluating each job's core essential functions and tasks and measuring the critical physical demands inherent in these tasks and functions. Through an in-depth process, a trained professional with deep knowledge of ergonomics and MSK measures and documents various aspects of the job. The resulting functional job description, or FJD, is then reviewed and validated by individuals who actively perform and supervise the job.

FJDs are the foundation of successful injury prevention programs.

• Managed Onsite Services:   WorkWell’s Managed Onsite services, designed with a focus on best practices, compliance, ergonomics, and occupational MSK support, are tailored to meet the specific requirements of your workplace. Leveraging your safety culture, we create personalized solutions to enhance overall well-being. With the expertise of our WorkWell team, we implement programs systematically and efficiently, always putting the needs of your employees and work environment at the forefront. This prevention-focused program is crafted to proactively identify and mitigate risks before injuries occur, utilizing strategies like job analysis, ergonomics evaluations, and employee education. Onsite programs work. They produce cost savings and a reduction in the number and severity of injuries. In just five months, a recent new customer saw a 75% reduction in the number of claims and $115,000 in savings over the same period last year.

Your organization can shift to prevention by starting with one or both programs outlined above. These programs provide steps in the right direction but do not drain existing resources. By utilizing a managed service provider, they become an extension of your team and allow you to move from reactive to proactive, which over time ensures that the game of whack-a-mole will happen less and less. Why wait for something to become a crisis before you act?