Not a particularly good result. Over 50% of people are experiencing pain and discomfort. In a corporate setting we'd recommend that those scoring less the 6 need to be required attend a prehab/rehab program, for their own benefit and that of the organisation.		40% of people were more than 10Kg overweight.
	Leg strength was, generally speaking good, but 30% of people couldn't squat up and down 20 times.		50% of people couldn't do 20 situps. Front of body strength is fundamental to musculo-skeletal health.
	Over 50% of people couldn't do 20 pressups. The best predictor of risk of lower back pain is the ability to do pressups.		25% of people couldn't touch their toes. Lower back pain goes with poor hamstring flexibility.
	Around 40% of people couldn't sit up straight with legs crossed and hands clasped behind their back, without falling over. A major cause of lower back pain is tight buttock muscles.		Generally speaking shoulder function was good, but you wouldn't bet your workers compensation premium on the people who scored less than 7/10.
Its always the case, few people have a regular strength and flexibility program. The group needs to put in train a regular and systematic training program, on site, that includes   1.  specialist prehab and rehab sessions for those at serious risk and those already dysfunctional and on compo   2.  daily strength and flexibility sessions in the workplace for everyone.
Average score: 53. Not particularly good. This graph show why people are experiencing pain. Too many people are not in doing the things they need to do to keep their musculo-skeletal system in good shape. There is a strong case of the group to implement an obligatory strength and flexibility program for those who scored less than 60 in this profile.

STRESS RISK PROFILE

Participants completed a simple stress and relaxation profile designed to assist them in making an assessment of how they were affected by stress. It is based on the habits of unstressed people.

If you do what unstressed people do you are less at risk of becoming stressed. I’m yet to see someone who said they were highly stressed or depressed who got a high score on this profile. A good score is over 70.

•      How would you rate your current stress level

•      Do you get a good night’s sleep?

•      Do you take your holidays?

•      Are you keeping yourself fit and healthy?

•      Is there balance in your life?

•      Do you take time off at lunch time?

•      How many hours a week do you work?

•      Are you good at giving back to your Self?

•      Do you meditate?

•      Are you happy with your family (and romantic) life?

The matter of stress always needs to be addressed by organisations as part of a personal development thrust, and aimed at all staff. If stress management type programs are to be conducted, all staff need to be involved, otherwise those at most risk and those who are currently most stressed (and too wrapped up in their own busyness) will not attend.

For those who spend long hours at work, I often wonder whether the behaviour is externally or internally driven. I suspect the latter. No body on their death bed ever said 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office.'

A few people are struggling with their family life. This is another fertile  area for personal development and counseling programs. It's hard to concentrate at work when your home life is in turmoil

SCORING GUIDELINES

Excellent, scoring 8 or more

Good, scoring 7 or more

Fair, scoring 5 or 6           

Poor, scoring less than 5

‘Pass mark’ on all parameters 7/10. 

A good score is a high score. A poor score is a low score.

	This is the profile of a stressed group of people.		This is a mixed result, The first casualty of anxiety and low levels of fitness is sleep. Find out the cause of the problem. Exercise more, drink less.
	A poor result. Paul Pearsal in his book Superimmunity' said you need a 21 day away from home holiday every year.		Not a good result. Too many people are not keeping themselves in the shape they'd like to be in - and which they need to be in.
	This can only be classed as a fair-to-middling result.		This is a poor result. It's imperative that people take time to switch off and get outside in the fresh air and and do some sort of exercise at lunch time.
	This is a good result. No one on their death bed ever said 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office.' The people working the longest hours are women with young children who have a shift before work, a shift at work, a shift after work and the graveyard shift as well.		Too many people either can't find or can't make the time to look after and nurture their Self.
	Very few people meditate. The reasons to do so are compelling.		Family life satisfaction is good for most people, but not for some.
Average score: 58. This is a very average sort of a score.  People could always do more to look after their Self. I recommend that people scoring less that 50 spend time with a counselor or life coach, or go to a personal development weekend to get themselves centred and grounded on looking after their Self - start doing the things unstressed people do to avoid becoming stressed.

CAREER SATISFACTION PROFILE

The parameters in the profile relate to a mix of factors influences by the participant, management and their colleagues.

•      How close are you to doing the job you’d really like to be doing?

•      Are you in the right job for now?

•      Is work giving you life or sucking life out of you?

•      Are you focused on your career options?

•      Do you get good feedback from your manager?

•      Do you receive an appropriate financial reward?

•      Do you feel you and your work are valued and appreciated?

•      Do you work for an organisation that cares about people?

•      Do you enjoy the company of the people you work with?

•      What’s the level of morale like in your work group?

Normally, when results on the overall career profile are less than 70/100, people agree that they’re not in the right job. Certainly those scoring less than 60 have sufficient issues relating to career management as to seriously consider going somewhere else.

SCORING GUIDELINES

Excellent, scoring 8 or more

Good, scoring 7 or more

Fair, scoring 5 or 6           

Poor, scoring less than 5

‘Pass mark’ on all parameters 7/10. 

A good score is a high score. A poor score is a low score.

	This is not a score that you'd write home about. Too many people are too far away from their ideal job.		Generally speaking, this is a pleasing result.
	Work is stressful for too many people Work is probably about as stressful as you want it to be.		One of the causes of stress and work dissatisfaction is not being focused enough on pone's career. For those who scored 7/10 it didn't matter.
	This is a patchy result. For staff. Staff need regular feedback about their work. It would appear that there are some managers who have forgotten that their job is to manage.		With a few exceptions, these people are pretty satisfied with what they sell themselves for. If you're not happy, you may be selling yourself short. This graph is representative of this organisation.
	This is a fair result - but with room for improvement. When you see everyone scoring 7/10 or more you know people are being valued and appreciated. In the health climate survey, 25% of people said they were under-appreciated at work.		Not until everyone scores 7/10 or more can you say this organisation really cares about people.
	This is a good score.		Compared with other groups in this organisation, morale is pretty good. It's generally the case that our morale is good when my morale is good. The exceptions need to be dealt with.
Average score: 70. Compared with other groups, this is as good result - it just needs to be skewed a little further to the right.  For people who scored between 60 and 70, there is the whiff of a suggestion they're not in the right job. The situation is certainly redeemable. The lower the score the stronger the suggestion that people are in the wrong job.

The Buddha and Confucius both said 'Find the job you'd love to do and you don't have to do another days work in your life.'

Fit for Work

Scores in the Musculo-skeletal Health Risk Assessment have been used for the Fit for Work Award.

Pressups, situps and squats in 60 seconds

A fair standard for people to aim at would be the Silver Award - 30 situps, 30 pressups and 30 squats. You wouldn't judge anyone who failed to reach the bronze level as being fit for work.

This is a poor result. It must leave a bitter taste in the mouth of any employer who is paying the workers compensation premiums for people who aren't prepared to insure themselves against the risk of musculo-skeletal dysfunction by keeping themselves strong and flexible.
 

Measure risk and Manage Risk

There is an epidemic of personally-generated musculo-skeletal dysfunction in our workplaces.

Most organisations neither measure the risk nor manage it.

Their workers compensation insurer doesn't measure the risk either. They don't rate premiums against individual risk.

We recommend the Organisation take seriously and monitor carefully the incidence of personally-generated musculo-skeletal dysfunction and put in place an organisation-wide strategy to improve strength, flexibility and mobility. By far and away a high proportion of people do not have a strength and flexibility program. As a result they are getting weaker and tighter by the week, thereby exposing themselves and the organisation to risk.

A high proportion of people said they would willingly agree to take part in a daily exercise program to improve their musculo-skeletal health.

A high proportion of people said they'd take part in a prehab program.

When push comes to shove and people become dysfunctional, it will be the Organisation that ends up paying the high cost of an avoidable musculo-skeletal complaint. In our opinion musculo-skeletal dysfunction caused by lack of a regular and systematic strength and flexibility program cannot be classified as an injury.

Responsibility for musculo-skeletal dysfunction needs to be sheeted home to individual employees, though it’s unlikely to happen without the establishment of a culture within the Organisation that supports, values and understands the importance of staff keeping themselves strong and flexible.

We recommend a range of strength and flexibility classes that are readily available Australia-wide: -

The Organisation would place itself in the forefront of OH&S practice if it took the musculo-skeletal risk seriously and moved heaven and earth to educate all staff about this risk and obligated them to take part in a regular strength and flexibility program.

Maybe The Organisation and its worker's compensation insurer could invest in a pilot program to increase staff strength and flexibility! The lack of strength and flexibility training coupled with poor abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility and shoulder function is a cause for concern and needs the attention of individual staff and managers.

Prehab and rehab classes

We strongly recommend that the people who are in current poor musculo-skeletal condition and who lack abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility, shoulder function and functional mobility, in particular those who - who failed to attain the bronze award -  be obligated to attend regular, in-house strength and flexibility classes. The pressure on the organisation's workers' compensation costs is such that to do otherwise would, in our opinion be to abrogate a responsibility for the prudent management of the organisation's finances.