Talking With Sue Furlan of Signode

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a top area of concern for Sue Furlan, director of benefits for Signode, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of protective packaging systems.

Furlan sat down with Hinge Health Director of Content Marketing Jenny Sucov at the Movement 2023 conference in Chicago to share the several reasons why and what her team members have told her about the transformative power of movement.

Jenny Sucov (JS): Are there specific concerns in the manufacturing industry with regard to MSK or other wellness benefits?

Sue Furlan (SF): One of our big issues is MSK [health].

MSK affects a lot of different things. If people are in pain when they're at work, they are not paying close attention to things because it's a distraction, so it can make it easier to get hurt.

We partnered with Hinge Health and the fun part is that the first year we started, I had an employee find me to tell me how grateful they were that we offered this kind of benefit.

Last year, when we did open enrollment, we used a couple of the employee testimonials in a video and the HR people told me that as they rolled it out to their locations, somebody in the audience would pop up and say, "yeah, that really helped me."

JS: Tell me more about the employee who reached out to tell you about their experience with Hinge Health.

SF: They found my email and sent me a message saying how proud they were of Signode for offering a benefit like this.

Their life was living on the couch and they didn't think it was going to be any different. Now, they get up and move and are able to participate with their grandkids. It's completely different for them.

It meant a lot to hear that.

JS: Is it more challenging to get employees to engage with benefits or to get management to authorize new solutions?

SF: It's always a struggle to get people to engage. We tell them about the benefits, they think about them, and then they forget.

We have care navigation to help remind them, but it comes down to them having to reach out to someone [to start]. We don't want them to suffer in pain.

We have an older worker population and that's what they do. We are trying to encourage them to realize that there are opportunities for life to be different—just try it.

JS: Some people think older employees won't use technology-based benefits. Did you see that with your group?

SF: No, I haven't seen or heard that at all.

JS: What's something interesting or inspiring you are taking home from Movement 2023?

SF: I thought it was powerful that you had some Hinge Health participants tell their stories today. It's hard not to be moved by the guy who talked about having a kid and wanting to be more engaged with him.

That's where you hear about how you change a life. It's like the person who came to tell me about their experience with Hinge Health when we first put it into play.

Overall, the conversation about movement, making life different, and making a change by trying something new will have an impact on how I approach open enrollment this year. It was energizing.

These responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.