How Can Sports Massage Motivate Your Employees?

, Friday, 4 March 2016

Your employees cannot afford to take time off from work, and yet they may have to take sick leaves. At the same time, your company cannot afford to spend more than the necessary budget for compensation claims. With an increasingly competitive market demanding a lot of your resources, how do you prevent frequent absences without raising your business costs?

An ounce of prevention: sports massage

One of the growing trends in motivating employees is using massage therapy, like sports massage. This technique focuses on areas of the body that are overused and stressed from repetitive movements.

While the name may relate more to athletes, this therapeutic massage is also well suited for the so-called weekend warriors and for employees who have to perform the same tasks every day.

The sports massage can prevent work-related conditions such as back pains and repetitive strain injuries, among others. It can also reduce fatigue for your employees. By preventing these conditions, you can decrease the number of absences and/or tardiness in your office.

Sick leaves or absences are not the only outcomes to stressed our employees. When your workers are in pain, their output suffers, too. That could mean reduced productivity and diminished quality of work.

Whether you’re a small company or a big business, a decline in performance will negatively impact your organization’s reputation. And that can make it easy for competitors to grab opportunities that should have otherwise gone to your business.

What sports massage therapy can do

Injury prevention is just part of a long list of benefits your employees (and your business) can get from this massage technique. Because it also prepares the mind, not just the body, for optimal performance, you’re likely to get more from your employees.

Massage therapy can provide the following results:

  • It can reduce anxiety and depression;
  • Can improve focus, energy, and mental clarity;
  • It can boost productivity;
  • Can lower blood pressure;
  • It can improve the quality of sleep;
  • Can promote flexibility;
  • It can relieve headaches.

When you translate these benefits to your business, your organisation experiences:

  • Reduced staff turnover, which occurs due to workplace-stress and illnesses. According to Business Essentials, replacing an employee could cost a company between £12,000 and £100,000.
  • Better employee morale and motivation. Your employees will recognise your concern for their health and well-being when you offer on-site massage therapy. Your employees are the lifeblood of your business. When you show them that you care, they will reciprocate with better performance.
  • Improved reputation in the job market, which will make your company more attractive to top talents. Offering sports remedial massage therapy will set you apart from other businesses. It will also highlight your effort toward responsible business practice.

As your business addresses musculoskeletal and stress-related conditions, you will provide numerous benefits.

Your business is not just delivering individual benefits to employees. The Health and Safety Executive adds that you could also reap economic and management benefits.

The stressed-out workplace

According to massage therapy as part of your unique incentive, as many as 23 percents of UK employees suffer from fatigue; one in four cases are due to work-related stress. In comparison to the rest of Europe, UK workers put in more hours and yet are less productive.

Massage therapy as part of your unique incentive is around a fifth less productive per worker than the G7 average; this is 40 percent below the US productivity level.

In addition, the Stress Management Society reveals that over 105 million days are lost to stress annually. This is costing UK businesses £1.24 billion.

The Health and Safety Executive notes that primary causes of work-related stress are:

  • Lack of managerial support;
  • Tight deadlines, and
  • Too much responsibility.

Sports remedial massage= relaxing workplace + happy employees

It’s reasonable to think that when your employees suffer from such pressures, their tasks are inevitably affected. Offering massage therapy as part of your unique incentive will help them cope with stress from work. And it is the most cost-effective investment your business can make.

Since this is an investment, it’s worth choosing the right masseuse or a massage centre. You need to find a reputable massage service that has proven credentials and licenses. It is even better to find a massage centre that can offer extensive modalities, beyond the sports technique but you might want to choose massages that allow employees to be fully clothed and not have to use oils for on-site sessions.

Once you have chosen your preferred massage service, you need to arrange sessions that will work for your operations as well as your employees. If an on-site massage service is not an option, arrange for treatment sessions at the massage centre.

Sports recovery massage technique is an effective and affordable way to restore or develop employee motivation. It brings a wealth of benefits that go beyond pain management and relaxation. Incorporate the healing and energising treatment in your health and wellness programs. And let your workforce experience all the benefits of a massage therapy today.

Ben has been a practical pain management trainer and a celebrated massage therapist. He believes human well-being is deeply connected to the health of mind and body both, including deep tissues. He holds numerous certifications for best of breeds massage techniques helping him on a mission for healthy London and then rest of the world. He has been an active contributor in massage technique research and on Massaggi blog.