Three Good Reasons Why You Should Have Chair Massages at Work
1) Employee Morale
2) Employe Productivity
3) Improved Employee Wellness Habits
After all, your employees are your greatest asset! What are you doing to take care of them?
Here is more information on how massages at the work place can effect your employees in so many positive ways.
1) Employee Productivity
Chair massages are usually 10-20 minutes in length. They are done fully clothed on a special chair designed for comfort during the massage session. The therapist focuses on the neck, shoulders, back, and often arms, hands and head. Even in a 10-minute session, the therapeutic benefits are many, including relaxing over-used muscles, improving circulation, easing pain, and invoking a relaxation response in the nervous system. Employees leave the massage with greater ability to focus on their job tasks, and less energy going to their pain and other stressors.
2) Employe Morale
I had one massage client say after her chair massage session, "I am so much happier when I leave here than when I came in." In addition to feeling better about themselves, they also feel better about the environment they are working in. It is no surprise that employees like to know that their management team cares about their well-being, and is willing to make investments in them. We have one corporate client who provides two hours of chair massage a month, and they have fewer than 15 employees in the company! It costs the employer less than $130 a month for us to be there. And every time we are there, the employees comment on how much they appreciate it.
3) Improved Employee Wellness Habits
Your hardest working employees tend to focus a lot of time and energy on their work, and also tend to not take time for themselves. A ten minute massage session once a month may not seem like a lot of time for self care (and it certainly is not enough!), but it does raise awareness.
When people get off the chair, they have a renewed sense of well-being. They comment on how much better they feel, and how their pain has lessened and their posture improved. They say how much they would enjoy a full hour of massage, and we discuss how important it is for them to take care of their bodies on a regular basis. A massage also provides for that quiet time for themselves, away from work, kids, and other energy-consumers, and it helps rebuild physical and mental stamina. As part of a chair massage session, the client will often also get tips on stretches or other self-care techniques.
It is that regular contact with a massage session that helps move them toward healthier daily wellness habits. I have had employees come back the next month and tell me how they have now started a regular exercise program or signed up for a full hour massage, and feel really good about making a commitment to their personal wellness. And based on reasons #1 and #2 above, in the long run it all improves productivity and morale even more!
Consider how your company can include onsite chair massages as part of your employee benefits, an overall corporate emphasis on employee wellness. You can provide monthly sessions for your employees for a small investment in time and money - an investment that will pay you back in happier, healthier employees!
