Work-related stress and ill-health are responsible for over 1.7 million workers taking an average of 22 days off work each year. What impact does this have on your company?
Stress, depression, and anxiety have a detrimental effect on your wellbeing, but what if this is happening to your staff? Looking after your employees should be a priority, no matter if you run a large global corporation or a small organisation. Sick leave caused by work stress and anxiety can be prevented.
What is employee wellbeing?
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) states, “The HR profession has a pivotal role to play in steering the health and wellbeing agenda in organisations by ensuring that senior managers regard it as a priority, and that employee wellbeing practices are integrated into the organisation’s day-to-day operations.”
By providing a staff wellness programme linked to the core values and mission statement of your business, you and your team can help reduce sick leave, stem the onset of work-related stress, and create happier and healthier employees.
Where does reflexology fit into this?
Reflexology is a non-invasive complementary therapy where light pressure is applied to the soles of the feet stimulating the body’s healing process and bringing about a deep sense of relaxation and returning the client to a positive state of balance.
Many studies have been carried out in the workplace to discover how this simple holistic therapy can have such a positive impact on employee wellbeing.
One such study, carried out in Holland, followed 52 female employees who received regular reflexology treatments in the workplace over 6 months. Over the 182 days, sick leave fell by 65%. The employees also noted a positive effect on their primary issue by 77% and a 27% reduction in medication.
Statistics like this cannot be ignored. Providing a wellness programme within your company allows your employees to access a host of therapies, resources, and workshops and target future risks of work stress and anxiety.
5 benefits of reflexology on stress
1. Improved staff morale – implementing an employee wellbeing programme shows your staff how important they are to you. Not only will they be able to enjoy a therapy that benefits them physically and mentally, but the boost to their morale will also make a difference to their mindset. Employees will feel supported in the workplace encouraging loyalty and job satisfaction.
2. Fewer sick days – as your employees build a better immune system through regular treatments, they recover faster from illness resulting in less absenteeism, becoming resistant to infection meaning fewer sick days, and feeling less physical pain which will drastically improve their mental health.
3. Increased productivity – when your employees feel better they will be more motivated and effective in the workplace, which will increase their productivity and creativity.
4. Improved health – while the benefits of fewer sick days and increased productivity are always welcome, the one benefit of reflexology on stress has to be the improvement in health for the employee. That includes improved physical, mental, and spiritual health. Reflexology offers a truly holistic remedy to stress and anxiety.
“Living a fairly busy existence, I find these reflexology treatments ideal. Providing a time for relaxation, contemplation. Working with Sharon has been a delight. I am always put at ease, leave almost walking on air and always much better than when I arrived.”
Brian, Tamworth
5. Employee lifestyle – it’s well documented that living a sensible lifestyle helps you in many areas of your life. By implementing regular reflexology sessions into your working week your employees will be able to use this tool alongside exercise and a good diet to help them cope under pressure.
How can you support your employees?
As we have discussed, regular corporate sessions can help reduce sick leave, improve staff morale, and boost employee wellbeing.
To support your staff and colleagues I can visit your workplace to provide hands-on treatments or provide support online.
Implementing regular therapy days can be a direct and inexpensive way of introducing Wellbeing Workshops into your organisation.
For employers, it’s a cost-effective way of having a workplace wellness programme and it is quickly becoming the way forward for many leading UK companies. Here are a few of the benefits of including this into your company mission:
- No capital start-up costs
- No maintenance costs
- A boost in staff morale
- Reduced absenteeism
- It has quick and immediate effects
- No staff travel time or costs
- Little time lost in the working day
- Can boost creativity and is conducive to a harmonious office environment
- It’s a cost-effective way of showing staff you really care.
Following the recent changes involving more working from home, workplace wellness is even more important. My services have been adapted so that they can be delivered online too.
Onsite and online therapy days can create a community spirit within your organisation and are excellent when used as part of a team-building event.
- Hands-on treatments immediately relieve physical stress and tension.
- My talks and workshops help to encourage a workplace culture where employees take responsibility and play an active part in their own health and wellbeing in the long term.
Discover more about my Corporate Wellbeing Workshops or get in touch to have a chat.
5 ways to reduce stress in the workplace
To discover five things you can do right now to reduce stress amongst your staff contact me for a copy of my free download. By using the information in it you will be able to see where you can make changes to improve your workplace culture and show customers, employees, and suppliers that you take employees’ health and wellness seriously.
About Sharon
Sharon lives with her partner Geoff in Warwickshire and they have two adult children. She worked for over 25 years in an office environment, gaining qualifications to degree level in finance, business, and management. While there Sharon witnessed and experienced many stressful situations and suffered stress-related illnesses.
Sharon was advised to make some changes to her lifestyle which included trying complementary therapies. After experiencing the benefits of complementary treatments, Sharon decided to retrain and share her knowledge and experiences to help others recognise and manage their own physical and emotional stress and anxiety levels.
She has been working as a complementary therapist for over 15 years now and loves helping people manage and reduce their stress levels to feel uplifted, focused, positive and empowered about their lives.
