A Case Study for Onsite Wellness: PT Solutions at Work

INDUSTRY: Fitness Centers

COMPANY: Medtronic

EMPLOYEE POPULATION: Global

LOCATIONS: 5

UNDERLYING BACKGROUND

The physical areas of greatest concern for employees and members at the Medtronic, Rice Creek campus included neck and shoulder tension, low back pain, and the challenge of finding enough time to make an appointment at a clinic or with a physical therapist. Many also expressed stress due to the demands at work and difficulty fitting movement into their daily routine. The onsite Fitness Specialist, who had previous experience, certifications, and education in rehabilitation, posture, mobility, and strengthening exercises, was seeking a way to utilize these skills to address these concerns.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

To create a holistic and well-rounded program that meets employees where they are, it should provide an accessible way to improve their range of motion, build strength, and reduce pain or tension.

• In fall of 2022, the initial introduction of the program was a 30-day calendar challenge with different exercises and reps to be completed each day
  - Successful program with over 200 participants adding the habit to their daily habit tracker in their app
• The program success led to a more expansive and on-going service
  - Introduced a weekly live offering “Positive Posture Break Sessions” (virtual service), three times a week for 10 minutes
  - First year saw an average of 500 participants per month
  - Second year saw an average of 300 participants per month
  - Participants are able to earn points on their wellbeing portal for participating
  - The “Positive Posture Break Sessions” continue to be the most successful virtual service offered to employees
•  Additional expansion offerings
  - Due to the success of both the 30-day challenge and on-going breaks, employees worked with our onsite staff to create more opportunities to improve their posture
  - Break sessions for team meetings, town halls, and retreats
  - Small group and one-on-one training sessions to provide more direct, in-person feedback (onsite only)

OUTCOMES

• Increased engagement in wellbeing portal by tracking the habit and redeeming voucher codes for points
• Raised awareness around importance of proper ergonomics, benefits of stretching, strengthening, mobility, and flexibility
• Helped reduce pain and shoulder/neck tension among participants
• High participation consistently in live sessions for the two years the program has been running
• Encouraged supportive community within teams
  to prioritize movement within workday

"Even though I’m a physical therapist, I always find this reminder pop up on my calendar to be so important for my own health and wellness."

"Wonderful as always; much needed break in my stressful day."