Corporate Chair Massage - Rest Improves Performance and Play Is Important

Today, many employees and employers feel that they must push as hard as they can, as continuously as they can, until they collapse from sheer exhaustion. New evidence is actually contradicting this belief, making the case that rest periods, breaks, and vacations from work will actually have the opposite of expected result: greater productivity!


When looking at studies that have been performed on workers in the workplace, some interesting facts have been found. Studies have shown that worker performance actually increases when staff members are allowed to take naps or otherwise relax without an expectation of performance during the time they are given.


This increase in work performance and productivity reported by the articles in the foot of this blog are generally overall, and over the course of the year. For example, a study spoken of in the New York Times article referenced below showed that when air traffic controllers were allowed to take a 40 minute nap, their response time and vigilance were markedly improved.


A similar study in a laboratory environment found that taking a short nap of an hour to an hour and a half improved memory test results as much as a full night's sleep. These studies and many others are turning the traditional beliefs about work and rest, vacations and relaxation, upside down. However, it may take a long time before many companies start adopting policies based upon them.


There are a number of large companies that everyone can recognize who are leading the way in encouraging napping (and thus increasing their own productivity). According to an article posted on guycodeblog.mtv.com, such companies as British Airways, Time Warner, Nike, Google, Zappos, and AOL, among many others, have adopted a napping policy. Some allow employees to nap in a lounge full of nap pods, while others allow employees to nap on couches or at their posts.


As a mobile massage therapist specializing in corporate chair massage, this is very encouraging news. It means to me that employers are coming to understand the value of relaxation with regard to job performance. When you take it to another level, such as encouraging employees to get a chair massage during work time, whether on a staff appreciation day, a health fair, or simply for no occasion at all, the results may be surprising.


In previous articles, I have referenced studies demonstrating that chair massage, even brief sessions, show a marked increase in productivity and a decrease in anxiety. These increases are actually statistically significant, making them worthy of mention by the study authors. What that means is, it was not just one or two people who had an increase in their productivity, but many of the employees receiving chair massage had such an increase.


Any company who is looking at their bottom line in terms of costs for productivity in their employees will find that chair massage is actually a low cost and extremely effective way to accomplish their goals. In these studies, it is not known why chair massage has such an effect. In some staff members, it may be that they want to feel appreciated, and having chair massage at work makes them feel that their employer truly does appreciate them. Everyone wants to feel accepted, understood, and cared for, and this is one of the most cost effective and extremely appreciated ways to do that.


As therapists, it has amazed us time and time again how many of the staff members whose employers have brought in chair massage express incredible gratitude. It is also amazing to us how very much each of these individuals already accomplish in their work day. And when they receive a massage, they always return to work and work even harder. This is probably a big factor in why the productivity for the whole company goes up.


From large multinational corporations to the small business down the street, we have had clients in every type of business and from all walks of life, and they all see the same result. When they bring in chair massage, their staff members work harder. And I don't think that it is just to encourage the boss to bring in chair massage again. It seems to be a genuine appreciation, and a recognition of the acknowledgment that the boss is showing by bringing in the chair massage.

For more information, and to learn if chair massage might be right for your company, please check out our webpage at chair-massage-nj.njmassage.info. Also, take a look at the articles and studies referenced just below to get a better idea of everything that has been spoken about in this blog.

References:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00702.x/full
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/opinion/Sunday/relax-youll-be-more-productive.html?pagew anted=all&_r=0
http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2013/02/19/napping-at-work/
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/european-technology/ban-social-media-as-a-distraction-no-it-b oosts-productivity/1610
http://www.sparringmind.com/productivity-science/

© Copyright 2013 H Miller