Over the past year, we’ve seen massive changes to work arrangements due to the pandemic. Key to these changes is the transition to a more flexible working model—meaning that people could be working remotely from home, the office, or a hybrid of the two. And with these changes happening in the workplace comes a new opportunity to market to our clients.

So in this post, I’m going to share why it's essential to connect to our communities so that we can offer solutions to their ergonomic problems. You'll discover why there's such a BIG unaddressed need for ergonomic services out there, especially as organizations are transitioning to permanent hybrid work. I'm going to share some remote work statistics below and show you how you can use this information to build a business case for your services. 

Going Hybrid

For quite a while, we’ve been hearing people say that remote work is the new reality and it is here to stay. Due to the pandemic, most office workers were compelled to learn to do their work from home. Now that workplaces are welcoming employees back, many organizations are finding that their employees aren’t eager to give up flexible work. What I’ve noticed from watching the media news, talking to my clients, and conversing with the members of my program is that most organizations are adopting a hybrid work model to allow their employees to continue to work remotely. 

As ergonomic professionals, this is really interesting to know because not only can we facilitate the process by ensuring that employees are using the right equipment, we can also offer other services. This means that we have the ability to pivot our business to serve these clients.

However, we still need to make a business case so that employers can see why they should invest in ergonomics and why they may want to work with us. For instance, they might think of avoiding ergonomics to save costs, so we need to develop a business case to convince employers that they need to move forward with us. One component that you can leverage to position your services is using statistics. 

Key Statistics of Work-From-Home

Worldwide ERC research, in collaboration with Deloitte Tax LLP, analyzed this trend. Here’s what their research shows:

1. Prior to the pandemic, 2.5% of respondents anticipate 50% of the workforce to be remote. Compared to the future anticipation from now, 36.1% of respondents anticipate 50% of the workforce to be remote.

This is a subtle yet really important transition because many employees prefer working in a hybrid workplace model. In this arrangement, employees can choose to do deep work while working at home and build deeper, more collaborative relationships with colleagues at the office. Remote work also made employers reconsider their policy, as many employees rethink their decisions of where they want to work. Consequently, this shift has changed policy requirements over the past year.

1. Roughly 64%-72% of research participants have implemented some form of work-from-anywhere policy within certain national boundaries, tax jurisdictions, or nearby organizational offices.

Many organizations are willing to cover a few of the basic home office expenses for remote workers, but there is less alignment on some of the more nuanced expenses that arise from remote working.

1. The research shows that 46.7% are willing to cover office supplies and equipment, while 11.5% are willing to cover office space and furniture.
2. Salary (27.9%) ranked highest of the rewards elements being adjusted under remote work policies, with variable compensation (13.9%) and health and wellness benefits (14.8%) lagging behind.

So what do these statistics imply? As Ergonomics Professionals, it’s our absolute duty to be marketing our services so that we can help employers fulfill their duty of care and ensure the safety and welfare of their employees. Not only that, implementing workplace ergonomics can help to attract and support talented employees. Communicating with the employer is crucial because many of them are not aware that not providing a better ergonomic workplace to their employees is a huge risk.

Communicate With Employers

Factoring ergonomics into the shifting remote work culture is essential. Although this shift to remote or hybrid work has created opportunities for enhanced productivity and employee satisfaction, it also prompted potential risks for work-related injuries. For instance, with the employees potentially dividing their time between working from the office and home, most of them will not be using the same desk every day. This means that they’ll have to adjust the desk according to their personal needs each day. For that reason, there will be an increased need for adjustable equipment and training to make sure that they're using the equipment safely and optimally.

This is why communicating with our clients during this time is important. That’s just one example of the ergonomic concern that many organizations are either ignoring or aren't aware that it exists, and it’s our responsibility to share the message that we’re the ones who can help them. 

Marketing our services takes time and patience. It requires consistent activity to be able to connect with those employers. What the research demonstrates is that doing your due diligence and researching is vital to be able to find out what those organizations need, want, and desire, as well as what their misconceptions about ergonomics are, and what their limiting beliefs are. Getting that information allows us to build services to attract more clients.

Additionally, using statistics and doing your ideal client avatar research allows you to develop a strong messaging and make a narrative that can bring them into your world. Remember the saying: “Facts tell, but stories sell.” So make sure to adjust your core messaging to be relevant to the latest workplace statistics and incorporate messages of prevention and care. I believe that what we can offer is so valuable. It really comes down to how we position our services. 

Learn How to Level Up Your Marketing and Ergonomic System

At the end of September 2021, I’ll be opening enrollment for my signature program Accelerate. What separates this program from other ergonomics programs out there is that it allows us to connect with other healthcare providers and ergonomics consultants with the intention to grow their ergonomics consulting business and enhance their marketing. You can also have access to the many time-saving resources that you can use on your marketing campaigns so you can focus on connecting with your ideal clients and building more traction for your services. So if you want to learn more about how you can grow your ergonomics consultancy, sign up to the waitlist for the Accelerate program. You can get early access to the free training series that I'll be doing before the opening of the enrollment.