In Formula One racing, ensuring that your equipment is performing at its highest level is, of course, critical for success. So applying this ethos to the human aspect of the business makes total sense too. That certainly is the case at McLaren, as theHRDIRECTOR’s Peter Banks found out when he was put through his paces in the Human Performance Programme, at the racing team’s stunning Technology Centre in Woking.

McLaren already excelled at design and engineering, but the missing component was Human Performance.

Man + Machine = High Performance

And so the Human Performance Programme was born. McLaren already knew, of course, that optimum performance from their cars was of the utmost importance. To achieve this, continued development in design and engineering was essential, and the same level of consideration also applied to their employees, to ensure they too were fit-for-purpose. With this in mind, they identified six key parameters (McLaren Wheel of Human Performance):

1. Physical
2. Biodynamics
3. Nutrition
4. General Health
5. Mental Energy
6. Recovery

The aims for the Human Performance Programme were simple; to accurately measure and model what conditions are required to produce High Performance and to develop and deliver effective strategies which ensure that anyone can realise their highest human potential.

McLaren quickly recognised the value of the programme and created the Fitness and Wellbeing Centre which was originally designed to cater for the Formula drivers’ needs. It was the perfect sized facility, with allocated rooms for fitness testing, consultation and therapy. Technogym became a Partner of the McLaren Technology Centre working with the team to ensure the most relevant and modern fitness equipment was available for use. The centre was established as a health and wellbeing centre and opened its doors to staff in June 2006. This was the beginning of a health and fitness evolution at McLaren and through continued new initiatives, today almost a third of McLaren employees are members, which demonstrates the awareness throughout the company, of how a healthy body relates to a healthy mind. The success of the facility is down to the team of highly-qualified and experienced trainers who are able to offer members much more than a normal health club can.

The current areas of support to the respecting companies are:
McLaren Racing – Young Driver Training Programme
McLaren Racing – Pit Crew Wellbeing Programme
McLaren Racing – Design Office Wellbeing Programme
McLaren Marketing – Marketing Wellbeing Programme
McLaren Applied Technologies – Human Performance Centre
FWC Members – One Body, One Mind, One Life Programme

If we take a look at the ‘Design Office Wellbeing Programme’ in more detail, we can clearly see how this benefits key members of the team in an office- based environment. In McLaren’s case, it is easy to forget that health and fitness is not just important for the individuals who drive the F1 cars, but those who design them. A lack of concentration or low energy can lose a race for a driver but the same outcome can occur for the designers if they miscalculate the dimensions of a car part. Therefore, health and fitness is important for everyone to function at the optimum level.

The Design Team Wellbeing Programme Objectives:
• Improve health and fitness
• Help prevent overuse injuries (R.S.I)
• Improve team performance and productivity
• Help improve concentration and mental wellbeing
• Help improve and understand the importance of good posture
• Build team spirit

McLaren and Technogym didn’t stop there, they decided they needed a programme that all of their employees could join and soon developed the ‘One Body, One Mind, One Life Programme’. This is a weight management and wellbeing course for members of the FWC. The programme is designed to educate participants on how they can improve their current lifestyle. This is achieved by providing a weekly exercise class, including a weigh in, short presentation on a particular health and fitness topic, a personalised training programme and nutrition advice.

Key objectives:
• Motivate FWC Members to adopt a healthy lifestyle
• Help to improve nutrition
• Improve overall fitness levels
• Weight management

Recently, Peter Banks, Managing Director of theHRDIRECTOR was put through his paces at McLaren’s Fitness & Wellbeing Centre and could see at first hand, how the exercises were designed around each department, depending on their needs. Peter commented: “The gym was as you would expect, state-of-the-art and I was taken through a session consisting of simple stretching and balance exercises, through to more physical work, which included an exercise using, believe it or not, a Formula One car wheel, mimicking the movement that the pit crew make when changing wheels at pitstops, which requires strength and flexibility.’

Peter also tried out The F1 McLaren Technogym machine which was hooked to a racing helmet and connected to weight plates as well as a steering column, designed to strengthen drivers’ necks, he continued: “I had to sit in a racing seat and literally turn the steering wheel both left and right, as well as turning my head from side to side, which simulated the G-forces that the drivers have to deal with in the corners during a race. I only did this for a few minutes, the drivers would have to put up with these forces for an hour and a half!” The same equipment has been used by Lewis Hamilton who used this secret weapon in his battle against getting a crippling whiplash neck injury from the gruelling corners, which hit him with 5g around 1,250 times in total over a whole race.

After Peter’s session in the gym, he sampled the delights of a highly nutritional lunch which the entire workforce enjoy. The importance of diet is paramount to the wellness strategy for all employees. Peter was pleasantly surprised to hear that Jensen and Lewis both use the canteen along with all other McLaren employees, which proves that they are fully-integrated as a complete team. Peter concluded: ‘There is no doubt in my mind, after speaking with a number of the team at McLaren across all levels, that the success and benefits of the Health & Wellbeing Programme are clear to see. Employees feel fitter, healthier and sharper and truly fit-for-purpose, no matter what their role. This is an incredibly smart-thinking organisation, where attention-to-detail, across every conceivable area, is exceptional.”

McLaren aren’t the only company that have chosen Corporate Wellness by Technogym; Adidas, Apple, Bayer, Cisco, Danone, Ferrari, Google, Harley Davidson, Nestle, Nike, McLaren, Puma, Tetrapak, Toyota and Vodafone, have all partnered with Technogym in their Corporate Wellness centres. It’s about a new level of wellness, it’s about turning workers into productive employees and it’s about working together to get the best return on investment possible.

For further information:
www.technogym.com