One of our favourite ways to work is to meet people exactly where they are in life, both figuratively & literally.
That is why you’ll often see our clinic team offering our massage therapy services off-site. Meeting people at gyms, tradeshows & offices lets us connect with people in their spaces of work or play. In particular, when we work in an office, it allows us to bring elements of comfort in people’s daily life that builds good will & fills up the well of feel-good energy.
In a post-pandemic world, it’s been trickier than expected for some employers to bring people back into the workplace. For employees, working for 8+ hours, 5 days a week, may pass by more comfortably in the ambiance of their own personal space. Arguments have been made to support the need for workplace health programs following the pandemic more than ever. With such a large percentage of North Americans experiencing an increasingly sedentary lifestyle throughout the duration of the pandemic, we are seeing the decline of physical health at an all time high. Initiatives within the workplace could contribute positively for the working population. Wellness may seem like a luxury concept to emphasize at work, but for some it could be the difference between wanting to go to the office & wanting to stay home.
We spend a huge chunk of our life working. It’s where most of us spend our days, where we find meaning or what we use as a means to give our life meaning. Working may simply be a gateway to fuel life’s adventures. Work is community & it is part of our economic landscape where we weave elements of culture, connection & change into the fabric of society.
Employers are already reformatting away from cold, cubicle settings. How as an employer do you rebrand the workplace to be where employees want to spend their time? How do create a hospitable ambiance of productivity within your team? How to welcome back staff to the office in a way that makes them want to connect to their work, at work?
As one person, how to mould the time we have at work to the greater good of not just a company’s mandate but for ourselves? In an ideal world, we go to work as an opportunity to productively contribute to the service or product behind a company’s mandate, but what if you’re feeling torn between living at home to work versus living at work to work?
What can the individual do to contribute to their own workplace wellness? And what can their leadership do to support them? Wellness is part & parcel to our life’s work whether we give it an organized platform or not. Making time for our wellness on an individual level prevents need for drastic health measures. On a macro level at work, wellness policies can uplift & nurture a workforce in a way that prevents reactionary measures. These wellness plans for work need to be accessible, of interest (catered to your team), & aligned.
We would love for all work environments to bring a Massage Therapist on site; however, that might not be the place to start. Consider all the following before looking at your workplace’s ‘big picture’ wellness landscape. What’s of most value to your team? What will engage on an individual level from a leadership perspective as well as to the company as a whole?
Wellness is not a modern idea & its concept seems universally understood & yet, not universally applicable. It means different things to different cultures not to mention, individuals & that should always be a reflection for the person & an opportunity for a place of work. A well designed & active workplace health program is not just good for community, it’s good for business.
Considering the thoughts above, what would you do to improve the wellness of your workplace? Would you invite wellness days into your space while welcoming all employees to participate? Would you encourage your team to think outside the box and plan outdoor or walking meetings? Your action could be the difference between a majority work-from-home office, and a wellness-activated workforce. Not sure where to begin? Get in touch. We offer workplace massage and wellness activations such as Pilates, yoga, and health fairs.