Following on from our post in which we explained the many advantages of investing in OrthoSole for employees, we thought we’d share with you some of the fantastic results that some of our corporate customers have already achieved since introducing our insoles to their workforces.
Our team arranged a month-long footwear trial at one of the largest energy firms in the UK.
Two groups of field staff were invited to take part in the experiment. These particular groups were chosen based on the fact that they had the highest rates of absenteeism in the organisation due to ill health and postural issues.
Our President, Ronnie Irani, attended an initial team meeting in order to introduce the product and “fit” insoles to each engineer taking part in the study.
We then asked for feedback from the staff trial group at the end of the four-week period to determine the following:
- Whether the insoles had improved the comfort within their footwear
- Whether they felt that the product had improved their overall health and wellbeing
- Whether they felt that they experienced less pain than previously whilst using the products
- Whether the product was still usable
- Whether they would recommend OrthoSole to others, based on their experience
We’re pleased to say that that the majority of those taking part in the study felt the use of OrthoSole definitely improved their health and wellbeing. They also believed that the products had a positive effect on their posture and were instrumental in reducing any pre-existing muscoloskeletal discomfort.
Another interesting finding was that the outcomes were much the same across employees of all ages, proving that the advantages of wearing our insoles on a daily basis are much the same between all generations.
And though the company were delighted to see such striking results amongst their team, they were even more pleased to discover the money that they could potentially save on staff absences if the results of the trial were to be applied across the entire workforce. We worked out that our products could save them well over £29,000 in medical fees and days lost over the course of three months!
Reducing absenteeism at a leading food and drinks manufacturer
Princes Ltd is one of Europe’s fastest growing food and drinks groups.
When Stuart White, the Health & Safety Manager at the firm, first approached OrthoSole, he was looking for solutions to three problems:
- The prominence of plantar fasciitis amongst certain areas of his site, which is located in Long Sutton
- The fact that he and his team could only choose from two types of corporate footwear, both of which were doing little to reduce slips, trips and falls in a busy factory environment
- An urgent need to reduce absenteeism across the workforce
OrthoSole swiftly explained the benefits of our insoles, and supplied a range of products to allow staff to find a solution that delivers maximum comfort for them.
Within weeks, Stuart was receiving feedback from plantar fasciitis sufferers that the insoles were “helping so much”. He states that: “We had looked at so many solutions to help [staff members who suffer from plantar fasciitis] but this is the first product that has offered the solution to the problem and delivered on it.”
With regards to improving the comfort and practicality of his team’s footwear, Stuart believes that since introducing OrthoSole, “we as a company can fulfil our duty of care by looking after our people and supplying the correct footwear for the conditions on site. Even though there are only 2 types of footwear to choose from, everyone now has footwear tailored specifically for them”.
And when it comes to the overall wellbeing of his staff, Stuart knows one thing for certain: “offering a product like OrthoSole into the workforce has raised employee engagement greatly. Instead of the usual talk in the canteen of ‘have you heard what they are doing now,’ it’s been great to hear people talking about “have you got a pair of those new insoles?’. For the price of less than a day’s sick pay, absence has reduced, which on its own is a cost saving, but the part you can’t put a price on – people’s wellbeing – has risen too.”
Stuart is now in the process of introducing our insoles to all of the companies within the Princes Ltd group.
Taking a proactive approach to long-term wellbeing at a global drinks company
In a similar case, the acting Health & Safety Manager of a global drinks enterprise reacted incredibly positively to a product pitch delivered by Ronnie at his large-scale production site in Wakefield.
Initially skeptical of the concept, the representative soon saw the benefits that our insoles could bring to a workforce that was increasingly suffering from musculoskeletal issues. In his own words, “anything was worth a try” to improve his staff’s current position.
To ensure a fair trial, he purchased a thousand points worth of kit for his onsite Union Safety Representative group. They wore the insoles for over a month, spending over 80% of their time on their feet – either standing or moving around – during 12 hour shifts.
The feedback received at the end of the trial was extremely positive, particularly from the team members who were already suffering with bad backs, hip issues or knee issues. Somewhat surprisingly, the Manager also found that there were less complaints about the comfort factor of the company’s safety footwear, because the insoles were in place to provide customizable support within otherwise standard shoes.
He also has the following to say about OrthoSole:
“My last point, but certainly not the least, is the most important in my view as a Safety Professional. This is the fact that purchasing items such as these in-soles is a very proactive approach to long term health and wellbeing, not something in GB we have been particularly good at until recently, and also the positive impact this has with employees who feel valued, cared for and therefore are naturally more engaged with you as an employer, along with the more obvious fact that these insoles actually prevent absence and sickness, therefore benefiting bottom line costs, increasing productivity and increasing teams morale.
“All of this at a very low cost, when you consider the benefits and longevity of the returns.”
What have we learned from these case studies?
The results from case studies such as these prove to us that OrthoSole’s shoe inserts can be used to:
- Dramatically improve the health and wellbeing of staff in all industry sectors who are on their feet much of the time
- Reduce staff absences due to medical issues, including (but not exclusive to) back and lower limb pain
- Simultaneously boost engagement and productivity, leading to a happier, more profitable place of work
- Achieve all of the above benefits at a nominal cost of just 6-7 pence per day, per employee
Discover how OrthoSole’s products can transform your corporate footwear and significantly improve your staff’s comfort levels. Talk to us about introducing our insoles into your workplace today, or learn more about OrthoSole in the workplace here.
