KEYS TO A FITTER WORKFORCE

Corporate organisations are often plagued by high workers compensation premiums that result in loss of productivity, poor morale and of course money.

What employers don’t realise, is what their premium could look like with a focus on prevention. Year on year, premiums increase and employers lose sight of what is normal or achievable. The result, they increase spend on rehabilitation consultancy, inject onsite physiotherapy or hire additional internal return to work coordination resources…all of which cost money and are all reactive!

So what does true proactive injury prevention and wellbeing look like for corporate organisations? Let’s make a comparison that seems outrageous but is, in fact, identical to your workplace.

It’s a bit like Manchester United (when in form of course), let me explain. Imagine if Manchester United don’t do any warm-ups before games or training, they don’t fund a strength and conditioning unit, they don’t have an onsite gym but they have plenty of doctors and physiotherapists to treat injuries when they occur. What would the outcome be…..? INJURIES! Yes, correct!

Then imagine, with all those injuries sustained from poor preparation (prevention)…to sustain match play (productivity) in all competitions and meet the fixture demand, they will have to sign new players (new staff…that cost money) and expect that those new players will gel with the team immediately. Well, the answer is no, they would lose matches, the morale would decline and they will continue to make the same mistakes by being reactive and causing injuries due to no prevention strategy.

Sounds crazy right, a professional team not preparing athletes for the physical demands of the game!

Well, ask yourself these question about your organisation:

• Does your workplace have a prevention strategy and does it resource it’s injury prevention team equally to its injury management team?
• Does your workplace physically prepare workers for the requirements of the role. Did you answer no?
• Do you get workplace injuries: Did you answer yes?
• Does your business match the same funding on prevention as they do on the management of injuries?

Well, Manchester United in fact fund prevention more than cure. Why? Because it’s cheaper in the long run, yields better results and keeps morale sky high; a recipe for success. Every business wants to perform and be the best, if you don’t then close the doors as you are destined for failure. But ask yourself, why don’t you want to prepare your workers (athletes) for work (play) the same way any other peak professional organisation (Manchester United) would?

So here are 6 hard hitting questions for you to give your prevention strategy a pulse check:

1. Upon signing a new employee, do you test their physical/ mental health?
   Manchester United do!
2. Do you prescribe exercise programs for your employees that allow them to maintain their fitness specific to the job at hand?
   Manchester United do!
3. Do you train them on technique required to most effectively perform a task?
   Manchester United do!
4. Do you retest base health and wellbeing annually?
   Manchester United do!
5. Do you optimise all work environments for optimal performance?
   Manchester United do!
6. Do you rehabilitate with active treatment post injury ensuring fitness levels match work demands to enable return to work?
   Manchester United do!

Here are 6 solutions to the above questions if you answered no:

1. Pre-employment Functional Assessments
2. Exercise programs for work conditioning
3. Manual handling training
4. Health Checks
5. Ergonomic Assessments
6. Workers Compensation Treatment

Contact one of our highly qualified Metafit coaches near you today and find out how they can help you achieve a fitter workforce.