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Case study: OMG Plc
The company
OMG Plc is the leading supplier of motion capture and visual geometry systems and services for life science, entertainment and engineering applications. OMG operates from offices in Oxford, England, and Los Angeles, California, with customers in over 35 countries.
The background
Whilst the company has many physical assets in their technical equipment and property, they are very conscious that their people (about 55 in the UK) are their most important asset.
Many of these are world-class mathematicians and programmers. It is in the interests of the company to keep these colleagues comfortable and not to let them be distracted by the discomfort of musculoskeletal conditions such as back and neck aches.
The policy
Tom Shannon, Engineering Director of OMG, helped write the company Health and Safety policy and thought he was doing well, but when he met Etcom he realised that he had not made the connection that there is a difference between ticking the boxes and someone like a qualified physiotherapist who could “bring the tickboxes alive.”
The benefit
By introducing this initiative OMG brings a very positive benefit to both the individuals and the company. Tom Shannon said, “We want prevention” and he found Etcom's approach to providing this through training to improve posture at the workplace very logical. He also said that when he met Mannie and Hugh Babington Smith, the directors of the company, he considered their approach “very innovative.”
The solution
Etcom conducted a full confidential survey to start with, which gave us an overview of the pain and discomfort levels. OMG were surprised by the widespread occurrence of problems, their level and variety, but were reassured to hear that in Etcom's experience this is typical and that our training was absolutely suitable to help minimise or reduce these levels.
The training consisted of group sessions and then individual detailed training at the workstation, covering sitting, reading, writing and computer work. It is the individual training that catered for every individual and their different sizes, habits - tailored to their individual needs.
The actions
OMG acted directly on the initial results, choosing not to wait for the full report at the end of everyone being trained. As recommendations came in, they immediately implemented them including ordering from independent suppliers the modest amount of equipment recommended.
The reactions
Even before the end of the training it was clear that staff were pleased with the initiative. Many said how much their working day and health have been made more comfortable. Kiran Arora, software engineer: "Etcom's training helped me with what seemed like insignificant little things to do with working at my desk. At first the adjustments were uncomfortable because I had to change old habits. However, with practice, they now seem more natural and as a result I get fewer shoulder and neck aches which makes it easier to concentrate on my work."
Tom feels strongly that this initiative has raised the profile and awareness of personal health and that this, by reducing distractions, has increased efficiency.
The future
The OMG management does not feel that they should monitor any improvement themselves, because they do not want to be 'Big Brother' to their employees. They therefore intend to work with Etcom to monitor this independently and keep up the preventative work. In addition to training new staff, Etcom physiotherapists will be invited periodically to go round, to “walk and talk”. Although Etcom can do call-outs if necessary, these are not what OMG expect - they have invested in prevention as the best way of avoiding an emergency.
September 2004
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