Jan
21
A case for massage and meditation in the workplace
Recently I asked a business owner friend if they have implemented any wellness practices for staff in their office. She thought for a while and then reflected her frustration that the staff did not utilize the wellness benefit. I was intrigued at this response. Through my work in researching workplace wellness, I’d suggest that most employees generally believe they don’t get enough wellness at work. In fact I dedicated my Masters research to creating a case for bringing wellness therapies such as massage and mediation to the workplace.
Some may think that massage is a luxury that employees should do in their own time if they feel a need, and meditation is a practice that should also be done in one’s own time. However employers in Hong Kong may be surprised to find massage and meditation (or mindfulness practice) is becoming an integral part of workplace wellness programs in the USA and UK. There is more benefit to the use of massage and meditation in the workplace than high level exec’s going on spa retreats at the companies expense, would have you believe! In fact my research revealed that these therapies are easy and cost effective to implement on-site at the workplace and have been shown to have high utilization and compliance rates among staff.
Why organizations should provide workplace wellness is easily addressed.
Workplace wellness programs have long been an established tool used in an attempt to improve productivity and health issues in the workplace. Absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced productivity, high turnover and chronic illness (that may be exacerbated in the workplace because of stress, long working hours, and sedentary jobs) are some of the many issues organizations and employees face. Organizations have long realized that something needed to be done to reduce both healthcare costs and other costs associated with illness and reduced productivity.
Workplace wellness may be new to Asia but it certainly has been a long-term practice in the US and Europe. Despite statistics and various studies that suggest existing wellness programs are reducing costs, there remains the question of whether these programs are actually providing any long-term benefit to employees. There is a school of thought with which I agree; that the typical workplace wellness program doesn’t actually do enough to help employees manage workplace stress, which is the one of the primary causes of other health and well-being issues for employees.
Stress is a ‘big’ word and has many implications, so for now I will just say that stress is a major factor in cost, health and productivity. Why this is so is fodder for another post soon, but I will add here that research has recently revealed a link between high stress job that a person has no control over and higher risk of heart attack. This needn’t be so. Simple and effective solutions are available through the addition of holistic therapies as part of workplace wellness.
Why massage and meditation?
- There is significant evidence of the efficacy of massage on treating, reducing or at the least managing stress and anxiety experienced by employees in the workplace
- Meditation in its various forms offers employees a space to quiet the mind, enabling creativity, focused attention and awareness of self and therefore an awareness of emotions, attitudes and behavior.
- Both therapies have been shown in the research to improve mood, emotions, alertness and attention.
And this: Meditation
- helps 80% of the managers at work make better decisions
- makes 89% of them better listeners
- reduce stress levels among all employees by a third
Aside from the convincing evidence that massage and mediation are shown in research and practice to benefit employees of any socio-economic group, for me one of the most convincing reasons to add these therapies to any workplace wellness program is the low-cost and high effect.
Providing a room where employees can go for quiet meditation or prayer, as well as some regular class lead meditation or mindfulness practice and some instructional classes on a regular basis.
Bringing massage therapists into the office on a weekly basis for 20 min massages in a separate quite space.
These strategies are significantly cheaper than many other existing workplace wellness initiatives that have been shown to offer limited success.
A further point my research makes is that wellness therapies and wellness benefits should be for all employees not only senior level management and that organizations should be implementing elements/ therapies to workplace wellness programs that provide benefits to all levels of employees.
Continuing the work
I am planning to continue my research in this field and would be very interested in speaking with any organizations in Hong Kong or Asia who offer massage and meditation to employees on-site? Are you aware of any? Please do let me know….and your thoughts on whether you think these are benefits that may be well appreciated or needed in your workplace.
Thanks for tuning in
Be well
