Workplace massage is gaining in popularity due to the benefits it can bring to both employee and employer. Stress can negatively affect workplace productivity so the smart manager knows that providing this health benefit for employees is a sound investment. Happy and healthy employees make productive employees with the result that the employer loses fewer days due to ill health. Workplace massage can not only help to relieve employees' work-related stress and tension, but it can also help to improve office morale: knowing that an employer is investing in the health of its workforce can go a long way to make staff feel valued and appreciated.
The term workplace massage usually generates a mixed response from workers. Some people are intrigued by the idea, while others are a little concerned that they'll have to de-robe for the experience. But workplace massage requires little more from an employee than an ounce or two of his or her willingness.
The Benefits to the Employee Workplace massage is usually carried out in a portable massage chair. The massage therapist comes to the workplace and sets the chair up in a small area of the building that's been arranged so as to provide adequate privacy for the treatment. The massage chair is fully adjustable and designed to allow the employee to adopt a comfortable and relaxing position while at the same time enabling the therapist to treat the back, shoulders, arms, and hands. No oils or lotions are necessary. The treatment usually lasts between 10 and 20 minutes and is generally aimed towards relieving stress and tension and/or preventing or treating repetitive strain injuries. The additional benefits workplace massage can provide include boosting the immune system, improving circulation, reducing muscle pain, relieving headaches, improving mental capabilities, lowering blood pressure, and enhancing flexibility. After the workplace massage employees are left refreshed and ready to return to work immediately.
The Benefits to the Employer A 1996 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that a 15-minute chair massage administered twice a week over a period of five weeks reduced anxiety, improved alertness, and even produced an increase in speed and accuracy in mathematical computations. Add to this the fact that workplace absences cost British businesses 瞿10.2 billion in 1998, according to a survey carried out by the Confederation of British Industry, and it's perhaps not difficult to see why an increasing number of employers are adding office massage to their list of employee benefits.
While its primary objective is to relieve the stress and tension suffered by workers, there are preventative benefits to be gained from workplace massage. So even if you feel that your workforce is functioning perfectly well at the moment with little absenteeism, you may want to consider workplace massage as a preventative measure in order to help keep your workers fit and healthy and employee morale buoyant. And compared to other employee benefits, many employers are finding that workplace massage is relatively inexpensive, especially when both employee and employer get to reap the benefits.
Who Pays? When it comes to how an employer meets the cost of office massage, there are a number of options available. An employer may pay the entire cost of the treatment, or the employer and employee may meet the cost on a 50/50 basis, or the employee may pay for the cost of the treatment with the employer providing the necessary space in the office to accommodate the massage and allowing workers time away from their desks to be treated.
For very small companies, it may be impractical or even impossible for them to provide on site chair massage due to limited space. Those companies that find themselves in this position are choosing desk massage as this requires no additional equipment and still allows employees to receive the full benefits of workplace massage.
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