Workplace Culture Made Better
Every year, Americans spend a whopping $190 billion on health care. Worse yet, one cause proven by studies to negatively impact our health is sitting behind a computer all day and millions of Americans do just that for work. This sedentary position can have a big toll on our physical and mental well-being that can get worse over time and lead to several ailments such as bodily pains, headaches, and job-impacting anxiety.
In the worst cases, it can result in more serious conditions like alcoholism, high blood pressure, and even mental illness.
What’s something you can do as an employer to minimize health problems, reduce health care’s accompanying costs, and invigorate your employees? Get a massage chair. That’s right. Not only do these fantastic innovations make time at home incredible but they can improve the workplace too.
Benefits of Massage Chairs for Employees
Companies that have massage chairs in their break rooms, lobbies, conference rooms, etc. go a long way in upgrading your corporate culture and transforming it into one that embraces comfort and a relaxed atmosphere, which can make HR’s job of creating the best environment for healthy employees much easier.
An Employment Confidence Survey found that employees demonstrated greater enthusiasm for their work and about 79% of respondents stated that additional, thoughtful benefits can be more beneficial to their job satisfaction than a boost to their salary. Another survey indicated that nearly 9 out of every 10 millennials enjoy the massage chair as one of their benefits packages.
In fact, a study discovered that sitting in a massage chair for even 15 minutes achieved a measurable enhancement of EEG adult brain activities, which can be translated into better performance. Plus, it also showed that adults were more able to perform quick and accurate mathematical tests after receiving a massage, while groups who did not receive one showed no improvement.
Even better, massage is shown to boost white blood cell production for a strong immune system and this can reduce corporate healthcare costs. Massage can also help to improve mental health including boosting dopamine and serotonin while lowering cortisol levels, which has been shown to help relieve stress and promote general feelings of wellbeing.
Incorporating massage chairs in to the workplace has also been show to decrease worker’s compensation claims by around $200,000 as reported in Ontario, Canada Company’s study. Associated with this is also a 25% reduction in time off required to deal with work-related injuries.
They found that the most common areas of workplace strain or injury were chronic back pain and upper extremity strain. As you enjoy massage regularly, studies have shown that you need less medication for pain, can fall asleep faster, and wake up feeling more refreshed. Plus, your employees will also get to experience the following.
Relax and Unwind
When you enjoy a regular massage in your chair you can experience a huge reduction in stress and have a much easier time relaxing. Helping to cut down on stress as its happening can make an office massage chair a great benefit.
Pain Relief Benefits
When your job involves a lot of sitting at a desk it can cause a number of back and neck issues which can be painful. They could even lead to serious back problems if not addressed. Getting a massage frequently can help to reduce the pain that distracts you from your work and slows you down.
Improved Productivity
As a counterpart to that relaxation and pain relief, you’ll be more productive. It has also been shown to increase employee morale, and a happy employee works harder and stays with a company longer than an unhappy one. Basically, by investing in a massage chair now, you invest in future productivity and better performance from your employees.
Lower Blood Pressure
High-quality massage chairs can reduce muscle tension that is related to elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Hypertension can be a cause for many health problems and by ensuring a regular state of lower blood pressure you can avoid many of these conditions. Since a good massage on a regular basis can lessen stress and help keep blood pressure down.
Better Emotional & Mental Health
Some of the most common psychological concerns that your employees might be facing are depression and anxiety, and untreated stress can worsen these conditions and is simply not enjoyable for everyone else. Whether you know an employee with one of these conditions or you just want to help your employees feel their best, a massage chair can help them to find a moment of peace so that they can achieve some mental balance.
With a good massage chair in the office, you can help employees find mental clarity for better decision making, and you’ll further increase their productivity.
According to the Dream Clinic, more than 50% of missed work days are stress-related. So, you’ll reduce absenteeism by having a good massage chair around.
What Top Companies Are Saying
If you’d like to hear what a few companies had to say about their massage chairs for employees, look no further. Let’s see what they had to say.
Tony Paglia, Personal Counselor and Disability Services Coordinator at Penn State said-
"Here[...], we are always looking for creative new ways to excite our faculty and student body. Having this [massge] chair has done just that. In the first few days, the chair was swarmed with happy patrons ready to take it for a spin, that novelty has yet to wear off. 10 or 15 minutes a day in this chair has been the perfect addition to the workday, the only thing I wish is that we had more chairs!"
Facebook representatives said-
"Once we decided on creating a ‘Zen Den’ as part of our employee wellness program, we knew we had to include a massage chair. Working with the Workplace Wellness experts [...] was so easy and the chair is a huge hit! Word has spread to other offices about how great they were and we had to order more for other locations. We highly recommend the [...] Workplace Wellness program for any company looking to boost morale and performance!"
Chris Edwards of Educational Playcare stated-
"Since we have started putting [...]massage chairs into our offices we have seen a very clear spike in how happy our employees are to be in the office. With long days on our feet, just about everyone takes advantage of this perk every day. It saves our employees money on having to go get massages outside of work and gives them something else to be excited about when coming to work. The chairs show our employees we recognize their hard work. We swear by these chairs and plan on getting them into all 19 of our offices within the next year."
OC Communications Center representatives said-
"We purchased a few [... m]assage chairs for the employees at the 911 communications center because of the positive health benefits related to massage therapy and we could not be happier with the results! The employees loved the massage chair! The massage chair has made for a less stressful work environment, and in their line of work, that is hard to accomplish! Whatever type of workplace you have, do your employees (and yourself) a favor and invest in a [...] massage chair."
A Max Adventures representative said-
"We originally wanted a [... m]assage chair for our customers who were waiting in our facility but after having them delivered, we are considering adding one to the break room for our employees! [...] Working with [...massage chairs] is a great way to add wellness to your workplace and your customers’ experience."
Shannon Moench, Owner and Operator of Central Alberta Tile One, said-
“I bought my [...] massage chair on a trip to the WM Tournament in Phoenix 5 years ago and had it shipped to Canada. I was going to take it to my home when one of my staff asked why don’t you put it in our boardroom as a perk for all the staff to use. Long story short it has been one of my best purchases ever the staff and I use it all the time and it is still working as well as the day I received it."
What is the Perfect Chair for Your Workplace?
There are several things that you’ll want to look for when purchasing a massage chair for your office. Below you’ll find a list of the most important.
Size and Capacity
Think of your workspace and pick a chair that will address the requirements of the majority of your employees. If your employees are typically larger individuals, you’ll want a chair that can accommodate that. If most of the people in your office prefer a stronger massage, you’ll likely need to have a chair that accommodates that too. However, if you are planning on getting a couple of chairs, it’s always a good idea to pick one strong chair and one more gentle one to provide both those options.
Design
Is sitting down and relaxing in the chair simple and straightforward? Will it look nice in your workplace and match the style? These are also a few things to consider when you’re attempting to make a relaxing area for your employees.
Features
Depending on what you and your employees prefer, find the features that will serve the most employees in your workspace. If you have a tech-savvy crew you may want to invest in a chair that has wireless music and charging options, voice control, etc. If you have a crew that really wants a lot of different techniques available, look for a chair with a plethora of functions in both manual and automatic modes.
Massage Options
From a handful of different massages to more than 15 – you can find chairs with varying options of massage. With that in mind, you’ll likely want to search for a chair that can perform the massage that most of your staff wants. Typically, you’ll want the chair to at least offer kneading as a manual technique and shiatsu or relax as an automatic program.
What Are You Waiting For?
A massage chair can change how people look at their job and having one around is one of the best things you can do for your employees’ job satisfaction and for retention. Everyone who works and doesn’t work out regularly experiences some pain or physical stress from their job, so you’ll be doing your entire team a big favor by investing in a well-made massage chair. And they’ll surely really appreciate you doing so.
Today’s massage chairs have gained a place in the corporate world because they can provide the benefits of massage, both physical and mental, without having to leave the building. They can truly help you to create a more dynamic corporate culture.
Finished With Your Research?
You can look into the chairs, techniques, and other benefits of massage in the Learning Center on our website, and you’ll be able to see the number of other physical benefits that these chairs can provide. Additionally, in the Massage Chair Buying Guide, we talk about which chairs are good for certain desires and needs, and it can help you with your search for a massage chair for your workplace.
Help your employees to better manage the ups and downs of their day with a massage chair ready to be used at their beck and call. With that in mind, don’t forget about our financing options. We can work with you to come up with a bulk buying program or help you to take advantage of the floor models we offer.
If you have any questions about massage chairs or our services, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re available over the phone or through email at info@massagechairplanet.com. You can even talk with us through the LiveChat on our website.