Index

96. RESULTS AHLA NOVEMBER 2007

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NEWSLETTER

FACT SHEETS

John Miller conducted a Seven Habits of Fit and Healthy People seminar for The Group in November 2007.

8 participants, 3 women and 5 men completed the following profiles: -

■ Health, Fitness and Wellbeing

■ Stress risk

■ Career satisfaction

The results of the 7 people who completed the program are presented in graphic format, with commentary.

Click here to read what the assessments are all about  

MIND AND BODY PROFILE

The Mind and Body profile provides people with a very good idea of how well the various systems of the body are functioning, particularly the

•      the mind

•      autonomic nervous system

•      immune system

•      digestive system

•      circulatory system

•      elimination system

•      musculo-skeletal system.

The score of a normal, fit and healthy human being is less than 20     

Higher scores are symptomatic of dysfunction of one or more body systems.

People with low levels of fitness and high levels of stress usually score well over 100.

For people with a score of more than 80, the ‘background noise’ of their life is becoming louder and louder. It is hard to concentrate on your work when body systems are dysfunctional.

We know a fit and healthy group when we see the majority of scores below 40. This was not the case with this group. By and large higher scores are usually a reflection of

•      low levels of fitness

•      an inability to deal with what life and work are serving up to people.

Remember, it is not what happens, but how we deal with what happens that determines our level of stress. 

Classification of average scores: Excellent - less than 40. Good - 41 - 50. Reasonable 51-60. Poor - over 60.

The average score was 85. Anyone scoring more than 80 is putting up with a lot of 'background noise'.

HEALTH CLIMATE SURVEY

Based on scores received in the Mind and Body profile we've compiled a Health Climate Survey. Scores on each item have ranked - the higher the score the worse the problem. We added the scores for each item. The results appear in the table below.

Our recommendation is that the organisation focus on improving scores on the items highlighted.

One highlight was the number of people who smoked. Out of 8 people, 7 were smokers - an extraordinarily high percentage of people in this day and age. Usually in APS groups the figure is closer to 10%.

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.   

	Patchy.		Patchy. The first casualty of anxiety and low levels of fitness is sleep.
	Not good. Paul Pearsal in his book Superimmunity' said you need a 21 day away from home holiday every year.		Not good at all. Too many people are not keeping themselves in good shape.
	FAQ.		A poor result. You need to take a lunch break.
	This is a reasonable result, but the two people down the left hand end of the graph are putting in too much time. No one on their death bed ever said 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office.'		A pretty good result - except for the two people down the left hand end of the graph.
	Very few people meditate. The reasons to do so are compelling.		Family life satisfaction is good, except for ...
Average score: 55. This is a very average score.  People could 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.

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. 

	Not a particularly good score. My encouragement to people who scored less than 6 is to move heaven and earth to work out what it is they really want to do - and develop a plan to get there as soon as they can.		This is a pleasing result - with one exception.
	This is an poor result. Work appears to be stressful.		A poor result. Only 1 person focused.
	On the whole this is a good result, except for the two people on the LHS of the graph.		This is a lower than usual result. Too many people feel they are not being reasonably compensated for the work they do.
	With 2 exceptions this is a good result.		With one exception this is a very good result.
	With one exception this is a good score. People like working with each other.		Again, with a couple of exceptions this is a good score.
Average score: 68. Compared with other groups, this is an average sort of a score.  If you get less than 70 there is the whisp of a suggestion you're not in the right job. Less than  60 and the smell is becoming stronger.

MUSCULO-SKELETAL RISK FACTOR

Our musculo-skeletal risk factor profile looked at a range of parameters including mobility, strength and flexibility and whether people are training to keep themselves strong and flexible.

The musculo-skeletal risk factor profile is comprised of a mix of 7 objective and 3 subjective assessments.

•      Current musculo-skeletal condition

•      Abdominal strength test

•      Upper body strength test

•      Flexibility

•      Functional mobility – the ability to sit down and stand up with ease.

•      Shoulder function

•      Dominant hand grip

•      Non-dominant hand grip

•      Flexibility training behaviour

•      Strength training behaviour

A score of 70% is attainable by those who have a regular and systematic training program.

Those scoring less than 70 are not doing sufficient in the way of strength and flexibility exercises. They are therefore exposing themselves to a high risk of musculo-skeletal dysfunction. (It would be bizarre for a workplace to offer to pay the rehabilitation costs of people who were not keeping themselves strong enough or flexible enough to do their job without succumbing to musculo-skeletal dysfunction, wouldn't it?)

This risk to The Organisation is much higher than the risk we see in other organisations. This is a poor result.

Not a particularly good result. 3 people are experiencing pain and discomfort. Those scoring less the 6 need to be required attend a prehab/rehab program, for their own benefit and that of the organisation.		People without abdominal strength are exposing themselves to all manner of musculo-skeletal dysfunction.
This a poor result. People who can't do 40 press-ups aren't serious about protecting the arms and shoulders from dysfunction.		This is a poor result. People couldn't touch their toes. Too many people already have tight muscles along the back side of their body - calves, hamstrings, buttock and back. It's caused by two things - sitting down and not having a flexibility program. There is a high risk of lower back and neck dysfunction.
With one exception this is a good result. When you can't get down and up off the floor 7 times in 30 seconds you've got a mobility problem. Fix it!		Patchy.
A good result. I strongly recommend people use the grip strengtheners every day to improve grip strength.		A good result. I strongly recommend people use the grip strengtheners every day to improve grip strength.
Its always the case, few people have a regular strength and flexibility program. The organisation 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.
Average score: 44. Not good. This graph show why people are experiencing pain. They are not in particularly good shape. Low levels of strength and flexibility. There is a strong case of the organisation to implement an obligatory strength and flexibility program for those who scored less than 60 in this profile.

Lack of strength and flexibility is something that the Organisation needs to take seriously and monitor carefully and put in place an organisation-wide strategy to improve musculo-skeletal function. 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.  

RECOMMENDATION

See the generic list of recommendations that cover all our profiles.