Indian companies have been competing for talent for a long time. Earlier it was public sector vs. private sector and small business vs. large business and now it is startups vs IT companies and multinationals. With increased choices for candidates it becomes more necessary for companies to offer their employees better perks to differentiate themselves. Which is why leading 'Best Places to Work in India' like Google, Infosys and Fortis Hospitals have embraced massage chair as a benefit for its employees.
As increasing numbers of employees in India work longer hours at desk jobs, their health starts to suffer. While gyms, gaming rooms and sleeping pods have been around for a while, Osada India, a health and wellness startup is introducing a new line of robotic automatic massage chairs in India to help office workers get a 10 to 20 minute onsite massage. These massage chairs are unlike the low quality ones you may have experienced at malls or airports. The good ones have recently become very advanced with body measuring capabilities, ultra-precise motors and airbags that work synchronously on different parts of the body at the same time to get employees the equivalent of a 1 hour massage in 15 minutes. It also avoids the need to take off clothes for those that might be shy or those that are not comfortable with a stranger touching them. There’s also no mess of oils or the need to have a separate massage room and the machine can cater to almost 4 people in one hour so it very efficient and inexpensive.
Massage Chairs are shown to address the following main challenges that employees face in the workplace.
Stress: Employees wellness is under attack as employees working in tough workplaces suffer from the challenging work requirements and demands expected from them every day, and this stress frequently places negative influence on both performance and individual wellbeing. People under stress have been shown to perform worse than when they are relaxed and happy. The saying Keep Calm is based on thorough research and drilled into airline pilots and crew or other people in stressful situations- mainly as this helps them think clearly and not make poor decisions when in a panic or stressed mode. Many times the excuse from people who make mistakes is that they were under stress. A massage chair helps reduce stress by increasing the endorphins released that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
Sedentary Behavior (No exercise): As in the rest of the world, India is increasingly becoming a services economy and people in these jobs mostly sit all day without any physical activity. Sitting all day in a chair can cause severe back problems. It may start with simple back pain, but long-term issues can be serious as weight gain, decreased heart and body functioning, poor blood circulation and low energy. These problems directly influence the quality of work performed. An inactive body is a tired body, and a tired body is mostly ineffective. Massage chairs increase blood circulation, relieve back and body ache and help improve posture.
Employees who get 10-15 minute chair massages for five to six weeks had less chronic pain, lower stress, less fatigue, and most importantly enhanced mobility. When employees don't face these problems and have better health, it saves the company money on healthcare related bills and lost productivity from absentees due to sickness. In addition, employees that are happy and energetic put more effort into their work and in turn achieve their goals in less amount of time. When work is finished at a faster rate, it increases productivity and hence improves the profit of the company. These are key advantages that
Indian companies are learning from leading HR practitioners like Google, Infosys, Fortis Hospital that it helps to keep your employees happy and adding massage chairs as a perk for your employees is a great new solution.