5 Team Activities to Relieve Stress and Reconnect This Holiday Season

As 2025 winds down, holiday stress and tight deadlines can easily take a toll on team morale. Supporting holiday stress relief for employees becomes more than a nice extra, it’s essential. At Body Techniques, we understand that wellness isn’t just about fitness; it’s about emotional balance, connection, and resilience.

Here are five creative team building exercises, perfect for both in-office and virtual teams, that help everyone decompress, reconnect, and finish the year strong.

1. Guided Meditation or Breath Work Sessions

One of the most effective activities to relieve stress is meditation. A short, guided meditation or breath work session helps calm the nervous system, reduce tension, and ground everyone in the present moment.

How to do it: Book a certified meditation instructor (or schedule one of our Body Techniques virtual meditation classes) to lead a 10–20 minute session.
Why it helps teams: Shared moments of stillness foster a collective sense of calm. People return to their work with renewed focus, patience, and mental clarity.
Pro tip: Schedule these sessions during natural energy lulls, late morning or early afternoon. By weaving it into the regular workday, you offer a rejuvenating break without disrupting workflow.

2. Gratitude Circles or Recognition Rounds

Research consistently shows that expressing gratitude improves mood, strengthens bonds, and lowers stress. A gratitude circle can be one of the most meaningful holiday stress relief for employees.

How to do it: During an existing team meeting or a dedicated wrap-up, invite everyone to share one thing they’re grateful for, whether it’s a supportive coworker, a small win, or a lesson learned.
Why it works: Gratitude creates psychological safety. It helps people feel seen, valued, and connected.
Pro tip: Combine this with your end-of-year planning or team gathering so you don’t overload schedules.

3. Lighthearted Movement or Stretch Breaks

Long hours at desks contribute to tension. But a few minutes of movement can reset energy, relieve stress, and refocus the mind. That’s why team building exercises centered on movement are so powerful.

How to do it: Schedule a Body Techniques’ corporate wellness provider to run 10–15 minute stretches or mobility breaks. These can include gentle desk-based exercises, posture resets, and deep breathing.
Why it helps: Movement stimulates blood flow, lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), and boosts mood. When done together, it builds camaraderie and lightens the atmosphere.
Pro tip: Add stretch breaks once or twice a week in December. Make it a drop-in experience so no one feels forced to attend, but everyone has an opportunity to participate.

4. Creative, Playful, or Reflective Activities

Play is underrated when it comes to activities to relieve stress, but it’s a key part of emotional wellness. Whether your team is in-office or fully remote, injecting creativity and fun into daily routines can build bonds and relieve year-end tension.

Activity ideas:

Collaborative doodle boards or virtual whiteboards
Holiday-themed trivia or quiz games
Simple building challenges (with craft materials, paper, or even digital tools)
Mindful coloring or creative journaling

Why it works: These playful exercises help people shift away from the high-stakes environment of year-end deliverables. They also encourage fresh thinking and a lighter, more open mode of interaction.
Pro tip: Keep it short, 10 to 20 minutes is enough. Use an onsite wellness space or virtual meeting tools so you don’t interrupt the workflow.

5. Volunteer or Give-Back Initiatives

Giving back is a powerful way to relieve stress, especially during the holiday season. When people serve others, they tap into a sense of purpose that transcends day-to-day demands. Volunteering is also one of the most effective team-building activities for boosting emotional connection and strengthening morale.

How to do it: Organize your own company-led volunteer or service initiatives, such as:
- In-person volunteer projects at local food banks, shelters, or community outreach organizations
- Virtual “micro-volunteering” sessions like letter writing, online mentoring, or nonprofit admin support
- Holiday care-kit assembly or gift package creation for underserved communities
Why it works: Volunteering increases oxytocin (the “connection hormone”) and helps people feel united in a common mission. It’s especially meaningful when done as a collective, team-wide initiative.
Pro tip: If your December calendar is already tight, offer a “volunteer hour” that team members can use individually or in small groups. Provide flexibility, but still highlight it in internal communications as a valued opportunity.

How to Make These Activities Fit Seamlessly into Your December Schedule

It’s one thing to propose wellness ideas for the office. It’s another to make sure they actually integrate into year-end routines. Here are some HR‑friendly planning tips for building in stress-relieving team experiences:

Embed wellness in existing meetings
Avoid scheduling extra events by adding a 5–10 minute wellness or gratitude section to regular meetings.
Make participation optional, but encourage it
Give people a choice whether to join meditation, volunteer efforts, or creative breaks. This respects different personalities and energy levels.
Use digital tools for hybrid or remote teams
Whether it’s a shared whiteboard for creative sessions, Zoom for guided breathwork, or Slack for gratitude prompts, tech makes inclusion easy.
Rotate activities
Don’t rely on just one type of stress relief. Offer a meditation day, a stretch break, a gratitude moment, and a volunteer hour. The variety keeps things fresh, and reaches more people.
Communicate the “why” clearly
In your internal messaging (emails, teams, slack), emphasize that these sessions are about holiday stress relief for employees, improving connection, and finishing the year strong, rather than just another meeting.

Why These Activities Matter for Employee Wellness

The end of the year can be emotionally taxing. Without intentional stress coping strategies, teams risk burnout, disengagement, and even turnover.

By introducing team building exercises that are purposefully designed to relieve stress, your organization can:

Reduce anxiety and prevent burnout
Strengthen interpersonal bonds and psychological safety
Improve overall emotional resilience
Minimize conflict and miscommunication
Cultivate a more positive, supportive, and creative company culture

At Body Techniques, we believe emotional wellness is just as important as physical fitness, and that investing in that balance helps both people and organizations thrive!

Bringing It All Together

This holiday season, your team doesn’t just need to survive the year-end push, they deserve to reconnect, reflect, and recharge. The five activities above offer simple but powerful ways to deliver stress relief, foster gratitude, and build stronger relationships before the calendar flips to a new year.

Whether through guided meditation, creative play, movement breaks, or giving back, each experience supports emotional balance and collective cohesion. And with thoughtful planning, these activities to relieve stress can be woven seamlessly into December; boosting morale, reducing anxiety, and helping your team close out the year on a high note.

If you’re ready to bring these ideas to life, Body Techniques offers customized wellness solutions tailored for your company: from virtual meditation classes to in-office stretch sessions and volunteer coordination. Let’s build a holiday experience that’s enriching, calming, and deeply connective.

Visit Body Techniques’ Corporate Wellness Services to learn more about how we can support your team’s year-end wellbeing. Or, contact us via our wellness inquiry form to begin planning your December wellness calendar.

April 14, 2025May 21, 2025

Prosperity at Work: How Wellness Fuels Team Success

When you hear “prosperity,” you might picture a growing bank account, a big promotion, or a thriving business. And while those are all meaningful markers of success, the prosperity definition goes much deeper. In today’s evolving workplace, prosperity is about more than just material gain—it’s about fostering an environment where both individuals and organizations can thrive mentally, physically, and emotionally.

In today’s fast-paced work culture, prioritizing employee wellness isn’t just a perk—it’s a strategic move toward meaningful success. From mobile massage therapy to onsite yoga and virtual mindfulness programs, these tools don’t just boost morale—they help reshape how we define well-being and achievement in the workplace.

What is Prosperity?

Let’s start with the basics: What is prosperity? At its core, prosperity refers to a state of flourishing, success, and well-being. Consider: Prosperity encompasses more than just wealth—it includes good health, building strong relationships, finding fulfillment in work, and achieving overall balance in life.

Prosperity at work means employees aren’t just showing up to complete tasks. They’re engaged, motivated, supported, and thriving. A truly prosperous workplace culture is one where people feel valued, empowered, and cared for—not just professionally, but personally.

Why Wellness is the Gateway to Prosperity

Creating a workplace wellness program is just the beginning. The true impact happens when employees engage with wellness initiatives and experience the benefits firsthand. Workplace wellness helps boost:

Mobile Massage: The Power of Relaxation, Delivered

One of the most effective ways to encourage stress relief and show employees that they’re valued is through corporate massage. Our chair massage programs bring relaxation directly into the office—no commute, no extra scheduling required.

Benefits of onsite chair massage:

Reduces muscle tension and fatigue
Promotes mental clarity
Supports better posture and physical wellness
Shows employees their well-being matters

This isn’t just a perk—it’s a proactive wellness tool that helps teams reset and stay resilient.

Onsite Yoga & Movement: Flexibility for the Body and Mind

Physical movement is critical to both mental and emotional prosperity. Onsite yoga sessions provide structured opportunities for teams to reconnect with their bodies and minds. From guided stretches to mindfulness-focused flows, yoga at work helps reduce anxiety, support physical health, and improve morale.

Whether your team is in-office, hybrid, or remote, Body Techniques offers flexible programs that can meet your staff where they are.

January 21, 2020December 16, 2021

Promoting Workplace Fitness

How To Promote Fitness In The Workplace

How is your company keeping employees fit? Finding time to exercise can be difficult. One of the ways you can help employees find more time for exercise is by allowing employees to exercise “on the clock” for at least 30 minutes each day.

The main benefits of establishing a culture of fitness in your company? Lower healthcare costs, less absenteeism, less employee stress, better work performance and better teamwork. What’s not to love? Social support is a big component, because when colleagues take part in a fitness program and get to interact with each other in a setting apart from the stress of work, they have conversations they may not have had otherwise in the work environment. They boost each others efforts and help hold each other accountable.

When time is of the essence, the easiest strategy is to break down daily exercise into short, frequent stints throughout the day. Even 10 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day, can be enough to achieve the significant health benefits from physical activity.

Some very simple, low-maintenance workplace fitness tips:

Encourage walking meetings
Position printers farther from desks
Promote taking the stairs and parking farther away
Set up a company sports team
Encourage employees to take part in a charity fitness challenge
Utilize lunch and work breaks for walks or onsite exercise

Workplace Fitness Programs Lead the Pack as a Popular Employee Perk

Research suggests that exercising during working hours can also pump up work performance. A Leeds Metropolitan University study found that workers who engaged in onsite fitness classes or gym during working hours were more productive, managed their time better, and felt more work satisfaction.

While not every organization can afford to build in-house gyms for their employees, onsite fitness programs are springing up all over the country focusing on corporate fitness. Companies can now employ personal trainers who are experienced in running fitness classes for large or small groups of staff – whether that’s an intensive cardio workout, Zumba dance class, or onsite yoga session. Some companies also offer meditation classes and a gentle introduction to exercise such as an “I don’t really want to sweat” class.

One way to get your company started on the road to fitness is by contacting Body Techniques, a national leader of on-site chair massage therapy, yoga, and a full range of onsite fitness programs that provides employees with onsite access to fitness professionals and a diverse library of workouts for all ages and abilities, including boot camps, Zumba, U-Jam Fitness, Yoga and Pilates. Separate groups from different parts of your organization can work out together, and they can even stage a friendly competition against each other for points and prizes.

Body Techniques has found that programs work best when companies:

Subsidize the full cost of the program. We find these companies view fitness classes as an employee benefit, and as the classes are free to employees, participation is greatly increased.
Have adequate on-site space for the classes. We will conduct classes of any size, provided the company has a fitness-minded culture. Gym equipment is also helpful, but not required.

Forward-thinking companies are demonstrating what science has proven several times: exercising at work, even without sweat, has huge benefits for productivity and employees’ health and is simple to implement. The benefits you will receive from your employees’ improved health and work performance will more than outweigh the cost of providing onsite corporate fitness programs.

Want to learn more about fitness programs?

Click the button below to visit our fitness programs page.

November 4, 2019December 16, 2021

Onsite Massage Program Benefits

Do you care about improving employees’ morale? Are you interested in decreasing absenteeism? How do you help your team get through high-stress projects on time? An onsite massage program is a highly effective way to reward and retain talent, and it’s proving to be an investment that translates into a net benefit for companies.

Onsite Massage Benefits For Employees & Employers

An onsite massage program is not only easy to implement (no need to change clothes), it provides numerous proven employee benefits–including stress relief, better sleep, reduced muscle tension, and decreased migraines. These programs also benefits employers, as they are particularly effective in addressing “burn out” and depression, which have become top factors in lower productivity rates and employee absenteeism.

Offering onsite massage to employees is more than just a perk or a nice-to-have. Implementing a corporate massage program is a powerful way for leadership to show they understand that their people are truly their best asset. At Body Techniques, we’ve seen onsite massage become an essential aspect of many of our national clients’ corporate stress management programs that help employees perform at the top of their game.

7 Ways to Boost the Benefits of Your Onsite Massage Program

It’s important to implement a number of engagement strategies to assure a robust corporate massage program with a high level of employee engagement. And if you don’t yet have a massage program, check out the tips below to help you find a corporate massage benefits package that best suits the needs of your organization.

Subsidize at least 50% of the program cost. “

When companies position massage as an employee benefit, the lowered cost to employees impacts participation greatly. If the cost of a 15-minute massage is $10 or less to an employee, your program will be a success. When there is a subsidy in place, we see a jump in utilization from 50-60% up to 85-95%.

Offer regular chair massage breaks to boost morale and productivity.

Employees rate chair massage as one of the top indicators of a supportive environment. Stress relief is evident immediately and promotes a renewed focus on the projects at hand.

Promote your massage program during intense workload periods.

According to the Mayo Clinic, onsite massage is proven to be an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain, and muscle tension; what a great way to help employees decompress when they’re under important deadline pressure!

Gift chair massage as a thank you.

A certificate for free onsite massage sessions is a unique and cost-effective way to thank those who contribute to your organization’s success.

Attract attention with chair massage as a promotional tool.

In a highly competitive market, use chair massage as a premium or incentive. It can be a motivational tool to encourage customers to engage with your organization at trade shows or special events.

Feature chair massage at your meetings and conventions.

Management meetings, training programs, and other corporate events can be exhausting. Providing a quiet area for chair massage can support a productive environment for participants.

Provide chair massage as the centerpiece of a special event.

In conjunction with an ongoing massage program or as a “one-time” program, offering chair massage at fundraising events, holiday parties, customer-appreciation days, a company health fair or wellness week is a creative way to make participants feel special.

What’s included in an onsite massage program?

Your massage program partner will ensure that everything runs smoothly. At Body Techniques, for example, we provide unlimited phone and email support from a designated team member throughout your program – and prior to, during and following your event. We staff nationally with our trained and vetted practitioners, employ measurable data systems that validate program effectiveness and support scalability, and we include post-massage surveys to gather feedback and gauge the success of our client programs and events.

Generally, an onsite chair massage program includes:

Administrative support & management
Online scheduling
Ergonomic massage chairs
Equipment set-up & break down
Hands-on massage from a qualified, insured massage practitioner
Music & sanitizing supplies (single-use face cradle covers, chair wipes and/or spray)

Want to learn more about on-site massage?

Click the button below to visit our on-site & corporate massage services page.

September 17, 2019October 14, 2021

Top 3 Employer Benefits from Corporate Fitness Programs

Corporate fitness programs are an important part of any stress management program because these unique, customized experiences allow employees to relieve stress and refocus their energy. Corporate fitness programs also provide employers with these top three benefits: lower healthcare costs, reduced absenteeism, and improved retention and turnover rates.

Employer Benefit #1: Lower Healthcare Costs

According to a recent CNBC article, national insurance premiums have been increasing an average of 7% each year. An effective corporate fitness program can save on costs associated with these premiums for both employees and employers. When employees enroll in a company-sponsored fitness program, they become healthier through participation and end up spending less on healthcare-related expenses (hospital visits, prescription drugs, etc.). According to Bankrate, “an inactive person spends $1,500 extra on health costs per year.” As for employer savings, Los Alamos National Laboratory, for example, saved $21 million in three years after implementing a robust wellness program. They then passed the savings on to their employees with a “premium holiday” in which no premium payments were taken out of their paychecks for two pay periods!

Employer Benefit #2: Reduced Absenteeism

The Wellness Council of America has found that more than 100 million workdays are lost each year due to lower back pain. Companies offering fitness programs can reduce instances of lower back pain and other injuries, resulting in healthier employees who will miss fewer days of work. Johnson and Johnson, for example, watched its absenteeism rate fall by 15% within two years of implementing a fitness program. Dupont Corporation was also able to reduce the number of disability days among its workforce by 14 days per year after implementing a fitness program.

Employer Benefit #3: Improved Retention and Turnover

Tenneco, a Fortune 500 company, found that employees who enrolled in a company-sponsored corporate fitness program were 13% less likely to leave the company. Additionally, Afflink notes that effective wellness programs that incorporate elements like fitness programs reduce turnover by demonstrating support from top leadership and increasing engagement among colleagues.

As companies continue to compete for top talent, employee benefits play a large part in attracting and keeping employees. In competitive industries especially, companies need to differentiate themselves with customized benefits packages. If your organization is looking for a customized experience for your employees and has a designated room with adequate space, Body Techniques can create a fitness program from a wide range of class styles, including Bootcamp, Zumba, and Pilates.

Want to learn more about our Fitness Programs?

Click the button below to visit our fitness page.

July 30, 2019October 22, 2024

Top 5 Chair Massage Benefits

Top 5 Chair Massage Benefits

Studies have found that receiving a 15-minute chair massage once a week can reduce cortisol levels (a stress hormone) and boost the immune system. Employers that offer massage as a part of their company stress management program find that their employees develop a greater sense of wellbeing, experience fewer missed workdays, and have improved overall job satisfaction.

What is a chair massage?

Often called corporate massage, a chair massage is a shoulder, neck, and upper back massage that takes place in a massage chair and is the most convenient method of delivering onsite massage. It can be done “on the spot” without the need to change clothes and helps to reduce tension, promote better circulation, muscle stimulation, and stress relief. Your massage therapist will ask you how a certain pressure feels and your response will help them find the best way to relieve pain, relax and rejuvenate you.

What are the benefits of chair massage?

According to the Mayo Clinic, massage therapy is proven to be an effective treatment for:

Depression
Stress
Pain
Muscle Tension
Migraines

Massage also leads to increased circulation, which has a positive impact on the brain and entire body. From stress management to decreased muscle tension and fewer migraines, chair massage helps to improve general feelings of contentment and health. Massage therapy has also been shown to be effective at treating depression which is the single biggest factor in low productivity rates.

Sometimes, you need to disengage in order to re-engage.

Chair massage is for anyone who does the following:

Sits at a Desk Full-Time
Spends Extended Time Driving
Engages in Excessive Lifting
Spends Long Periods of Time Standing

Anyone who hunches over a screen most of the day can face chronic neck and back pain, not to mention arm and wrist issues (carpal tunnel syndrome) from repetitive strain. Additionally, a study by the New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitative Medicine on the issue of poor posture found that our constant downward-looking gaze at cell phones or smart devices puts a lot of strain on neck muscles; any compression, irritation, misalignment, or tension in this area can cause pain.

Regularly taking a break for a chair massage at the beginning, middle, or end of an intense workday not only helps relieve posture-induced stress, but it can also help reduce anxiety. A study conducted by Shulman and Jones of the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida indicated that 15 minutes of chair massage was more effective than a 15-minute break to reduce anxiety and help improve clear thinking.

Positive Workplace Stress Reduction

At Body Techniques, we’ve seen chair massage become an essential aspect of corporate stress management programs. Many of our national clients provide chair massage along with other positive workplace stress reduction practices like fitness classes, yoga and mindfulness meditation, and acupuncture sessions to help recruit and retain employees by increasing their job satisfaction along with their health.

Whether it is ongoing massage programs or one-time massage events for company events, employee appreciation days, or health fairs, companies are embracing massage as a key employee benefit because it has proven to be much more than simply a feel-good luxury; it can be a powerful tool to help employees take charge of their health and well-being. Chair massage is a highly effective and efficient use of time and resources that offer employees easily accessed mental, physical, and emotional relief. That means more productivity and fewer resources spent on training new staff to replace those who leave.

Want to learn more about chair massage?

Click the button below to visit our massage page.

May 21, 2019October 14, 2021

Top 3 Effective Employee Engagement Activities

Keeping your employees engaged at work can be a challenge. Beyond birthday parties, holiday parties, and other special occasions, how far do you go to keep your employees involved daily?

Workforce engagement has many benefits. Not only does it reduce burnout and boost employee retention, but it also fosters a sense of community. The more present your team feels, the more they’ll have a stake in your organization’s—and each other’s—success.

We think about workplace culture a lot at Body Techniques, and we want to offer a few of our favorite employee engagement activities to help your workplace culture. If you’re willing to be bold and try something new, these activities can break the ice around active engagement. They’ll stimulate your team’s morale and well-being along the way!

Workplace Yoga: Get Your Om On

Corporate yoga is a great way to incorporate physical movement and involve a large group of employees. Yoga offers employees the opportunity to shake off desktop rust and practice mindfulness, so they can recharge and return to their roles with greater efficiency and satisfaction. After class, your employees will walk away from their mats feeling more resilient, relaxed, and rejuvenated than ever before.

Incorporating multiple yoga disciplines can encourage a wide range of employees to participate. It can also keep the most active members of your team on their toes by giving them effective, dynamic workouts—while avoiding the sort of workday repetition that can drain their spirits.

For our corporate clients, Body Techniques offers programs that include styles from gentle Yoga Flow to warm Vinyasa, set to music. We emphasize breathing, physical poses, and guided meditation to help your team center themselves and melt away the stress. Our clients often provide a designated quiet space for yoga, to give employees a set space to develop that perfect balance of body and mind.

Start Moving with Fitness Classes

Fitness classes are another great way to get the blood pumping and body moving. As with yoga, they’re held in a communal setting, so your employees can engage with each other at the same time as they engage in physical activity.

When Body Techniques designs custom fitness programs for clients, we focus on meeting the needs of their specific employees. That can mean a wide range of fitness classes, offering support in generating awareness, or adjusting class hours for increased participation. Our goal is to get your employees engaged in the program.

Another possible perk? Lower insurance premiums. Start a verifiable fitness program through any insurance carrier for the potential to be rewarded for your attention to employee health.

Massage Away Your Troubles

Sometimes, you need to disengage in order to re-engage. Nothing feels better after slouching in front of the computer all day than a restorative chair, table, or reflexology massage. Massage therapy offers many benefits as well. From stress management to decreased muscle tension to fewer migraines, massage can work wonders for staff engagement. Massage therapy has also been shown to be effective at treating depression. This is significant, as depression is the single biggest factor in plummeting productivity rates.

Corporate massage is the centerpiece of our services at Body Techniques. We’ve specialized in massage therapy for more than two decades, and our skills and experience keep us on the leading edge

Our Personalized Approach to Stress Management

The best employee engagement activities aren’t cookie-cutter creations. Be sure to choose a service provider that can help you address the unique needs of your workforce and encourage participation. (Otherwise, your program won’t do much for your employees.) Our customized stress management programs give our clients a voice in developing successful programs, and our scheduling software makes implementation easy for internal stakeholders.

Body Techniques is about helping forward-looking and culture-oriented companies. We set our sights on those that recognize a willingness to give back to their employees as an investment in people and results.

Want to learn more about on-site massage?

Click the button below to visit our massage page.

May 2, 2019October 22, 2024

6 Reasons Corporate Yoga is the Key to Corporate Wellness Programs

Why is corporate yoga a crucial addition to a companies’ workplace wellness program? Mainly for these six reasons: regular yoga practice is scientifically proven to reduce pain, stress, and anxiety while improving flexibility, strength, and overall fitness. The key to having your employees reap the enormous benefits of a corporate yoga practice is to help them understand that they don’t need special skills to enjoy yoga. Certified yoga teachers know how to start newcomers off slowly and adapt poses for all levels of practitioners. There are, in fact, a variety of corporate yoga classes that employees can feel comfortable doing in the workplace, including indoor mat sessions, outdoor yoga classes, and yoga classes that employees can do at their desks without having to take a long break or even change out of work clothes.

“If you can breathe, you can do yoga.”

Part of creating a well-attended corporate yoga program is to stress how accessible yoga classes can be. It’s important to understand what employees know about yoga in order to break down any barriers they might have about giving it a try. For every person that embraces the idea of doing yoga poses and breathing exercises, there is another who thinks yoga is only for young, super-fit people who can stand on their head or twist like a pretzel while rattling off complicated Sanskrit terms for all the poses.

Focus on building a corporate yoga program that is fun, accessible, and provides a way for employees to walk away feeling great. Let them know that you don’t have to be a great athlete, a certain age, or a certain body type to take part. A good way to help employees become more comfortable with yoga in the workplace is to emphasize that athleticism, strength, flexibility, and meditation experience aren’t required —these benefits are the result of regular practice. Be sure to stress the advantages they’ll receive, such as achieving better posture while sitting at a desk, gaining better focus, or using breathing techniques to manage stress.

Yoga Is For Everyone

With so many styles of yoga out there, it’s also important to educate employees about the types of yoga classes that could work best in a company environment and then survey your employees to find out what yoga classes they would prefer. Body Techniques’ corporate yoga programs, for example, offer movement and meditation to help employees de-stress and experience calm awareness both on and off the mat. Employees leave refreshed, relaxed, and resilient. Beginner classes provide fundamentals of poses and breathing, correct alignment, and ways to adapt the pose to each person’s needs. Yoga Therapeutics address issues like injury recovery and chronic pain, and Vini Yoga is a therapeutic-style technique that is carefully sequenced to help employees learn how to transform the neuromuscular patterns in their body into a more relaxed state. The beauty of this approach is that participants can make the class as challenging or restorative as they like, since there are many ways to adapt each pose. More experienced employees might prefer a more vigorous class with flowing poses that build heat, strength, and stamina, or a Hatha yoga class that releases tension through long-held yoga poses and focused breathwork.

Perhaps the strongest reason for incorporating yoga into your corporate wellness program is the ease with which yoga classes can be implemented with a minimum of resources. All you need are floor mats and a group of willing participants with a strong desire for a healthier, more fulfilled life.

Yoga teaches us to move in ways that realign posture, help release tension, and promote more functional movement patterns. While modern technology offers countless benefits, the fact remains that many employees spend hours sitting in front of computers, and the repetitive movement patterns that digital devices demand can cause neck and shoulder strain, back problems, and a shallow breathing pattern that drains employees’ energy levels. Workplace yoga classes are booming because they are a low-cost, preventive healthcare measure, and when done right, yoga can be the key to a winning corporate wellness program.

Want to learn more about corporate yoga?

Click the button below to visit our corporate yoga page.

April 1, 2019October 14, 2021

Top 3 Corporate Massage Benefits

Corporate massage therapy gives employees so much more than a relaxing 15-minute pause during their lunch break (even though that is nice). Bringing professional massage therapy into the workplace has many benefits, from physical perks to increased productivity. In fact, corporate massage participants report significant stress relief, better sleep, reduced muscle tension, and decreased migraines. Offering employees massages in the office shows your commitment to their wellbeing and ultimately improves the organization as a whole.

Here are some specific corporate massage benefits:

1. Stress Management

Stress isn’t entirely avoidable, but there are simple ways to keep it in check. Left unmanaged, stress can easily become employees’ dominant emotion, overpowering any positivity inside and outside of the workplace. Stress has a hugely negative effect on the workplace, too. In a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 29% of people said they felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work. And with numbers rising, employers have a responsibility to help their teams manage that stress.

That’s where corporate massage comes in.

Many forward-thinking companies have set up programs for workers to receive quick massages during the workday. Chair massages help reduce stress by physically removing built-up tension. In just a few minutes, a chair massage promotes better circulation and muscle stimulation, undoing the results of sitting at a desk or standing for hours at a time. These effects can counteract fatigue, promote positivity, and leave employees feeling refreshed and inspired. Regular massages help manage stress in the long term, and employees are the first to tell you how welcome that help is.

2. Increased Productivity

Happy employees, happy business! Introducing a corporate massage program makes can increase positivity and have a huge impact on work performance. When you set up a wellness program, you’re building a structured outlet for stress and tension that gives employees a chance to take their productivity into their own hands.

Productivity can be limited by quite a few stress-related factors:

Feeling overwhelmed or anxious
Inability to stay focused
Stressful environment

Massage therapy, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and fitness classes can help with all of the above. Massage therapy in particular has been proven to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation even after the session ends. When employees feel less overwhelmed and more focused, you’ll see a boost in productivity from the bottom up. That type of physical activity can also unite team members, boost their mood, and help them focus on the positive aspects of their job and the people around them. After all, a happy business means a happy culture, too.

3. Easier Hiring & Retention

Corporate massage also has perks at the organizational level. When speaking to a potential new hire, imagine the spark in their eye when a recruiter brings up a corporate massage or fitness program! It’s a major amenity that modern companies are adding to their workplaces every day, changing the corporate culture game.

Offering a wellness program helps position a company as one that invests in employee wellbeing and morale. Our clients have noted greater employee retention too, as it helps reduce stress and boost efficiency and overall job satisfaction.

Get Started

Introducing corporate massage programs can be more than just a lofty dream. It can start with simple actions. Listen to your team members about what would make their lives easier. Look for the effects of stress on your team and their work. And consider the value you can bring to your corporate culture by taking one step forward in bringing them a way to manage stress.

Want to learn more about on-site massage?

Click the button below to visit our massage page.

February 12, 2019October 14, 2021

Office Massage Beats Office Stress

Are you looking for ways to de-stress employees and improve the overall mental and physical health of your company? Trying to increase productivity and creativity? The positive health effects of regular office massages can be a major draw for employees who are trying to stay healthy and combat stress. In fact, providing office chair massage along with other positive workplace stress reduction practices like yoga and fitness classes, mindfulness meditation, and even acupuncture sessions can help your company recruit and retain employees by increasing job satisfaction along with their health.

Human Resources Can Lead the Way

Workplace stress in the tech industry goes beyond the stress found in most offices, but that’s not to say people aren’t feeling stressed out in other industries. A recent poll conducted of HR leaders in all fields by Kronos Incorporated and Future Workplace revealed that 46% of them cite employee burnout as the reason for up to half of their annual workforce turnover. One of the main reasons stressed-out employees leave, rather than speak up, is the nature of stress discourages the sufferer from admitting the problem and seeking help.

So how can HR leaders help employees feel more energized, with renewed ability to meet crucial deadlines, solve problems, fire on all cylinders, and leave work with a smile? Forward-thinking companies are proving that supportive environments are the biggest motivator for engaging and keeping happy employees. In such workplaces, employees understand office massage and other stress management programs are part of company culture, they feel their managers promote wellbeing, and they witness C-suite leadership supporting and even engaging in the programs themselves.

Relaxation and ROI Go Hand-in-Hand

Many companies on 2018’s Fortune 500 list show that high revenues don’t have to come at the expense of staffers’ health and happiness: some of the highest-grossing companies in the U.S. are leaders in employee wellbeing, too. For example, Google (whose parent company Alphabet is 22 on the list) encourages employees to take advantage of office massage and on-site nap pods to reduce workplace stress. Salesforce (285 on the list) offers a monthly “wellness allowance” that reimburses employees for stress-reducing activities such as office massage and yoga to smoking-cessation programs.

National workplace stress management companies like Body Techniques, which provides massage for all of Google’s offices nationwide, has found corporate massage programs work best when companies subsidize a percentage of the massage program cost as an employee benefit, rather than merely providing access to such programs. For example, when a subsidy is in place and the cost of a 15-minute chair massage is $10 or less to an employee, Body Techniques’ data tracking shows a jump in utilization from 50 – 60% to 85 – 95%. Along with providing customized scheduling software, established vendors such as Body Techniques will also assess program impacts through utilization reports and employee feedback to calculate ROI and guide financial decision-making, making stress management stress-free for a company’s internal team.

Office Massage: A Unique and In-Demand Company Benefit

Massage may be the missing piece of the puzzle for HR leaders who want to improve employee satisfaction. Prolonged sitting is one of the leading causes of back pain, headaches, fatigue, and other health problems, which can lead to missed days or poor productivity. While standing desks are helpful, multiple studies conducted over the past two decades have shown that regular office chair massage decreases anxiety, reduces fatigue, and helps prevent stress-related or work-related injuries like back problems or joint pain.

Chair massage has many benefits for a workplace. For example, it’s portable and easy for employees to access fully clothed, and they can see benefits with short, fifteen-minute sessions. With chair massage, a tremendous amount of stress can be released from the biggest tension points on the body: shoulders, neck, and upper back. These points are where we store stress, and unrelieved stress can affect posture, impair thinking, and even trigger headaches and muscle injuries.

Some other proven benefits of office chair massage include:

Pain Relief
Reduced Anxiety
Relief of Tension Headaches
Lower Blood Pressure
Strengthened Immune System
Increased Overall Sense of Wellbeing
Improved Job Performance
Boosted Workplace Morale

In forward-thinking tech companies and other businesses, success centers on providing employees with a positive experience and the tools they need to accomplish their goals. Office chair massage is a highly effective and efficient use of time and resources that offers employees easily accessed mental, physical, and emotional relief. That means more productivity and less resources spent on training new staff to replace those who leave.

Want to learn more about on-site massage?

Click the button below to visit our massage page.