The ideologies behind what a workplace is and should be have undergone massive transformations over the last decade or so – especially when it comes to offices.
As much as we all may like to imagine, not every office is like The Office.
Offices are slowly steering away from the typical 9-5, suit and tie, sit at your desk all. day. long. type of workplace. People are no longer satisfied with, or settling for, that – they are starting to put more consideration into how the workplace affects both their mental and physical wellness and are encouraging work places to do something about it.
Work-life balance and workplace wellness are concepts that have taken off over the last few years, especially in the corporate world. Companies want to ensure that their employees are healthy and happy, and programs such as these are great ways to do so.
Schedules are becoming more flexible, workspaces are becoming more ergonomic and less traditional, heck – some offices even bring in puppies to cheer up their employees after a long week.
But one new office trend is taking ground, and we think it could be one of the best yet – office massages.
Yes, you read right. Office massages are the latest trend in the corporate world. If you were looking for ideas on how to boost staff moral and make wellness a focus in your office, we suggest giving office massages a go – it just might be your first step to happier (and healthier) employees.
First Things First: What Is An Office Massage?
Before you can begin to introduce this new technique into your office, you need a better understanding of what it actually is and the different ways in which you can go about implementing it.
So, firstly: office massages refer to essentially any type of massage services that are offered to your employees at their place of work (aka in the office).
This can range between short, seated massages, or to full-blown table massages. The type, length, and especially the frequency, of the massages are up to you and vary greatly between each company that offers them.
One Time Deals
One of the ways in which corporate offices are offering massages to their employees is through a one-time event. Most commonly this is as part of a bigger event, such as a company holiday party, an employee appreciation day, or even during a health and wellness fair that the company is taking part in.
This means the event may either take place on the weekend, outside of normal work hours, or during the week, instead of a typically scheduled day at the office.
In the case of the one-time event, you will need to aptly account for the number of employees who will be present to get massages so you can book the appropriate number of massage therapists for the event. The best way to ensure this event runs smoothly is to pre-schedule each employees massage.
Programs
Some offices chose to implement massage programs, making office massages a regular (or semi-regular) occurrence around the office. If you wish to create an office massage program for your office, the frequency is totally up to you (and your budget of course).
You could have a masseuse in the office one day per month offering short 15 or 30-minute massages, or you could have a masseuse or two in once per week doing the same. If you are a large office and you have the space in your budget you could even have a full-time in-office masseuse available for your employees to utilize at their own (reasonable) discretion.
How Massages Benefit Your Office
How doesn’t a massage program benefit your office?
Physically
Sitting in a crappy office chair all day in the same position, going through the same repetitive motions over and over again is not good for our bodies (or our souls, for that matter). It creates poor posture; strains the neck, shoulders, and back; impacts the nerve impulses in our legs; and even causes our digestive enzymes to shut down.
A massage – even a short one – can help to reduce or reverse these issues by relieving tension, getting fluids moving, activating neural structures, and lengthening tissues.
Mentally
Aside from the obvious physical issues surrounding life at an office desk – there is also the mental factor associated with office work. Whether you are in the back taking care of paperwork all day or you are front and center dealing with clients, work can be stressful.
This stress can cause increases to your hormones, your heart rate, and even your blood pressure. Luckily, scalp massages are great for rebalancing these factors (as well as being extremely enjoyable and relaxing) – and they don’t require massage tables… just call the masseuse right over to my desk please!
Overall Comfort and Contentment
By providing your employees with access to a masseuse you are not only helping them feel better physically by taking away their aches and pains, you are also taking care of their mental health by helping them relax and shutdown for a little chunk of their work day.
This alone is enough to make any employee happier in their workplace – but on top of this you are also showing your employees that you care about their well being and value them as a team member.
Together, these are amazing ways to boost moral and create a better and happier atmosphere around the office, and also to increase productivity – because when people feel better they perform better.
Make Office Massages A Thing In Your Office Today
The benefits are obvious, the plan is simple – talk to the finance department and make room in your budget for an office massage program today.
Your employees will be happier and healthier; performance and quality of work are sure to increase; and you will be awarded boss of the year (okay, maybe that one isn’t true – but your employees will love you!).
References
- https://www.incorporatemassage.com/blog/what-is-office-massage
- https://www.massagetique.com/blog/health-wellness/the-benefits-of-massage-therapy-for-high-stress-professions/
- https://www.dol.gov/wb/WorkplaceFlexibility_508_FINAL.pdf
