In the busy hustle and bustle of today’s city life, we’re all the more concerned with how to scrape together those extra pounds and save for a well-earned break in the sunshine. Supping mojitos on a beach is certainly preferable to shuffling around business meetings on the shared office calendar right?
How would you feel if we told you that it’s possible to relax and indulge in some R&R to not only save you money, but make you money too? I’m serious. Getting a massage could be the key to happier work time with increased levels of concentration and productivity. What if you could get the same job done in half the time? That’s a happy you, an even happier boss and probably a fatter bonus at the end of the year. After all, everyone knows that time is money darling.
An onsite Swedish massage or a massage in your London home has proven benefits to help alleviate stress, improve concentration, relax the body and refresh the mind. From a business perspective, if you’re the boss who wouldn’t want to reduce absenteeism, increase levels of staff retention and generally have more positive office vibes and genuine hard work going down!
Dr. Noelle Nelson, clinical psychologist and bestselling author of Make More Money by making Your Employees Happy states that ‘when employees feel that the company takes their interests to heart, then employees will take company interests to heart’. Ultimately it’s about feeling valued and there’s no better way to show that you care than compassion for your staff’s physical and mental health.
It’s well documented that too much of our working day is spent stooped over a screen with poor posture, potentially leading to an assortment of upper and lower back, shoulder and neck niggles. The sedentary day passes and those collection of knots gets tighter. Taking an hour to properly unwind and step away from work-related pressures, is a key tool for making you the most brilliant version of yourself amidst demanding schedules and expectations.
Productivity was one of 2014’s buzzwords and it carries weight into 2015. With companies like The School of Life, Hacking Happiness and Escape The City gaining momentum, there’s a strong focus on wellbeing at work and desire to optimise performance at both a personal and business level. Companies are starting to recognise the value of looking after their employees and acknowledging that massages can certainly be included in the ‘perks of the job’ to really see tangible results in work output and productivity levels.
With London Tech Week in full swing, this is an industry that we take our hats off to. The conversation started in that corner with the likes of Google and the famed Googleplex HQ, sleep pods, onsite massage therapy, free healthy lunches etc. But an array of tech startups in the UK have since jumped on this same goodliving bandwagon with a selection of corporate wellness programs being offered. FitBit proudly provide just this and argue that companies with worksite wellness programs experience an 8% increase in employee productivity. Sounds like a great reason to tear ourselves away from the screens for a Swedish massage!
Failing wanting to make more money from being productive and doing well at your 9-5, we’ve found a collection of money spinning alternatives. From selling your hair to winning job referrals and being a ‘hangover helper’, there are some wacky ways to earn extra coin outside of just being excellent at what you do Monday-Friday.
I think sticking to the day job, but doing it well and happy, may be a better option for the time being. Trust us, you’ll be so relaxed you won’t need that holiday after all.