Protalus Launches Workplace Footwear Program As Skilled Labor Shortages Intensify

TUALATIN, OREGON. NOVEMBER 12, 2026 – Protalus has launched Protalus Works, a workplace-focused program that brings its Landing Gear in-shoe inserts to employers with workers who spend hours on their feet, standing and walking on hard, flat surfaces for prolonged periods of time.

Protalus M100 in-shoe inserts, part of the Protalus Works workplace footwear program for employees who stand and walk on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time.

The launch comes in the wake of acute labor shortages that are putting more pressure on employers to retain experienced workers in physically demanding roles across standing-intensive sectors such as construction, warehousing, manufacturing, facilities management and the skilled trades.

Sixty-four percent of markets surveyed in JLL’s October 2026 Global Construction Costs Index reported skilled-labor shortages, compared with 48% for unskilled labor. Sixty-four percent of markets also noted that electrician shortages are affecting construction project costs and timelines, while 58% reported the same for plumbing and HVAC trades. Meanwhile, nearly 70% of organizations said skilled-trades labor shortages are a key cause of disruption, but less than 45% are prepared to manage those risks over the next 3-5 years, according to a separate Global State of Facilities Management Report released by JLL in October.

Furthermore, recruitment pipelines are not keeping pace with the demand for roles that require physical exertion and involve standing and moving across surfaces like concrete, tile, and asphalt. That shortage of new talent accentuates the importance of keeping existing workers healthy and productive.

“Working 10–12-hour days on concrete floors, I developed severe blisters and foot pain that kept me away from work, costing me several hours,” said Chase Lucido, a commercial electrician at PowerComm Solutions and member of IBEW Local 48 in Portland, Oregon. “I was skeptical about insoles until I tried Protalus. I went from constantly shifting my feet and struggling to stand for long periods to finishing long workdays with zero foot pain.”

At 21, Lucido is among a younger generation entering the skilled trades at a time when employers are struggling to recruit and retain workers.

“Our employees spend the better part of eight hours a day on their feet. That makes proper footwear and ergonomic support essential to their long-term well-being,” Certified Group EHS Director Ronald Havard said. “Quality ergonomic inserts, paired with properly fitted safety footwear, improve body mechanics and reduce tension in the back and legs.”

Certified Group, an affiliate of Mérieux NutriSciences, has provided Shoes for Crews safety footwear across all 31 of its locations for more than three years. The company is currently using Protalus’s Landing Gear inserts at two facilities in Atlanta and Columbus, with a phased rollout of Protalus’s Landing Gear slated for the remaining locations by the end of 2027.

The foot moves through multiple planes, and its subtalar joint axis, which sits between the lower ankle and the heel, tilts across all three planes, creating a complex oblique hinge. However, hard, flat surfaces are designed for durability, equipment, maintenance, and operational efficiency. Since such surfaces do not provide a geometry that corresponds with the foot’s natural motion, the heel, arch, ankle, and lower leg organize around that constraint. Repeated compensation accumulates across multiple shifts over the years, causing physical wear and tear, fatigue, and other health issues that affect employee productivity, retention, and presenteeism.

With its deep 24.5-mm heel cup, Landing Gear is designed to influence alignment at the foot and ankle, improving body mechanics for employees navigating workplaces where concrete floors cannot be altered easily.

“Hard, flat surfaces do not account for the foot’s natural three-dimensional movement in the same way that variable surfaces like sand and grass can,” said Henrik Norremark, CEO of Protalus. “Every step is effectively a landing. Landing Gear uses a contoured in-shoe surface, providing the foot a landing pad that matches the way it bends and moves naturally as it meets the ground, much like landing gear helps manage contact between an aircraft and the runway.”

In independent testing conducted by BioMechanica, 28 of 31 participants who used one configuration of Landing Gear inserts were found to fall in the study’s defined alignment range, compared to only three people who used a basic foam insole.

Keeping experienced employees healthy, safe, and productive is no longer just an HR priority. As many as 2.1 million skilled jobs could go unfilled by 2030, leading to as much as $1 trillion in annual economic losses, industry estimates suggest. 

That’s why maintaining the health of plumbers, construction workers, healthcare teams, warehouse employees, cleaners, and maintenance workers who stand and walk on hard surfaces is a business imperative.

There’s a concrete business case for it. According to an ergonomics cost calculator developed by Washington State’s Department of Labor & Industries, modeled productivity improvements of 2.5% and 5% pointed to an estimated payback period of 3-7 days, while testing how quickly a footwear intervention could pay for itself under different assumptions. These scenarios surface the kind of analysis facilities teams and employers can use while assessing the need for an ergonomic intervention.

Protalus’s Landing Gear inserts are priced at $39.95 per employee per year, with no inventory for employers to manage. Employers scan a QR code and have the inserts shipped to workers’ doorstep. They also gain visibility across every site in the form of a dashboard that shows the order history and level of adoption.

ABOUT PROTALUS

Founded in 2012, Protalus develops in-shoe inserts designed to support natural foot movement, alignment, comfort, and stability. Its products, which include Landing Gear models such as the M-100, T-100 and T-100 Elite, are informed by biomechanics research and testing. These inserts are used by consumers and workers across a range of standing- and movement-intensive environments. Protalus has received nearly 100,000 customer reviews and works with employers to cater to workplace needs through different types of footwear inserts. To learn more about Protalus’ entire lineup, visit Protalus.com.