Massage can help your employees use their standing desk as often as they desire by reducing back pain, relieving muscle tension, and improving posture. It can also encourage employees to unplug, stretch, reset, shift positions, and move more in general throughout the day — and movement is an essential part of success with a standing desk. It is rejuvenating and can give your employees the energy they need to shift between working postures throughout the day.

And, fundamentally, massage improves mental and physical well-being in the areas vital for work performance and broad well-being. Because all it takes is 15 minutes to access the benefits of massage, and because massage helps EVERYONE, it represents a powerful perk to offer your team in the new year, as they look to improve their health and wellness at work.

 

The physical and mental benefits of massage 

Massage reduces stress, inducing a relaxed state. It decreases anxiety and assists in restoring healthy breathing patterns, catalyzing that positive feedback loop between breathing and relaxation. Massage can reduce low back pain, relieving muscle tension, and improving posture. It can alleviate tension-related headaches caused by eyestrain. Regular massage can even prevent those nasty repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome by boosting circulation and helping the body eliminate toxins. It is also proven to decrease musculoskeletal ache, pain, or discomfort AND increase range of motion in desk workers. And to boost immune function AND improve the quality of one’s sleep. 

In the modern work environment, back pain relief, stress relief, and prevention of RSIs (repetitive strain injuries) and MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders) are especially pertinent. And all of these benefits help to improve focus, energy, and mental clarity, contributing a performance advantage that is of interest to high-performing companies. From the employer's perspective, we are talking about improved productivity, employee retention and overall morale, and decreased health care costs and workers comp claims. And from the standpoint of an HR professional, wellness coordinator, or health and safety manager, we are talking about reaching employee wellness goals — with the help of a real tool that works.

→ Dealing with back pain? Check out our article on recent back pain science: A Perching Posture Proven to Be Ideal for Lower Back Pain

 

Stress-relief in 15 minutes

Best of all, no doubt, is that all it takes is those 15 minutes of massage to unlock the interrelated positive benefits it has to offer. Just think about that for a moment: only 15 minutes to access relaxation, relief from body pain, or more energy. A total ‘reset’ in 15 minutes is quite the bang for your buck. 

 

Massage removes the hurdles that make standing work difficult or painful 

Pain, discomfort, and low energy are the typical reasons people don’t use their standing desk as often as they want. Because massage can reduce back pain, relieve muscle tension, and improve posture, it can help eliminate these hurdles and assist employees in transitioning to the 'standing' lifestyle. Also, because massage energizes the body, it can help people maintain the energy to switch between sitting, standing, and perching/leaning postures at healthy intervals. 

→ Just what the heck is perching? Check out our article: Is Perching the New Sitting? Research Suggests Yes.

 

Best of all, massage helps EVERY kind of employee 

Massage helps people at all levels of health and workplace performance. It helps those with chronic back pain who are struggling to find that sweet spot with their standing desk — by relieving muscle strain. It also helps the high-performers who need mental breaks to crack the problems in their work but struggle to detach. And it helps those who consistently hit a wall at 2 PM but no longer want to depend on unhealthy caffeine pick-me-ups. In short, massage can help your entire fleet of creative talent, whether its rejuvenation or pain relief that they need. 

 

So how do I pilot massage in my office and test its benefits?

You could invest in one of those three-or-so-thousand-dollar massage chairs. But that’s quite a leap of faith. And you want your employees to find relaxation and rejuvenation — not to fall asleep! 

Or you could host an $800 one-day massage program. But what if some of your employees happen to work remotely in this one day, or are sick? What if some of your employees aren’t comfortable with a real massage? And you most likely can’t afford to invest in this one-day program every month or so. 

 

The LeanRite™ Elite + MassageRite™ duo: an affordable, mobile sit-stand setup to pilot massage

The LeanRite™ Elite standing desk chair equipped with its massager accessory, the MassageRite™, is a smart alternative to the traditional solutions that bring massage to work. At a cost less than that one-day massage program, you can implement a permanent setup in the breakroom and invite employees to try it out, accessing the benefits of massage at their convenience.

The MassageRite™ straps right onto the seat of the LeanRite™ for targeted bodywork. Its deep tissue massage resembles the kneading of hands, targeting acupressure points as it loosens muscle fascia. It also has a heating feature that assists in relaxation.

→ Unfamiliar with the standing desk chair? Check out our blog post for insight into its design, function, and benefits: What IS a Standing Desk Chair? (5-minute read)

 

Advantages of LeanRite™ Elite + MassageRite™ setup

Highly adjustable for targeted massage Users can adjust the chair’s setup to their height, targeting different areas of the body: the upper and lower back, glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings (primary muscles groups that get tight and sore from standing) 

Mobile and quiet massage station The LeanRite™ Elite tilts back to be rolled anywhere in the office. And the MassageRite™ is quiet and won't distract colleagues or make users feel self-conscious 

Relaxing yet energizing Rather than risk falling asleep in your typical corporate or office massage chair, a massage with the LeanRite™ + MassageRite™ duo energizes as it relieves tension

Two-for-one investment You can pilot a quality standing desk chair, AND the benefits of massage in one investment — both tools which will help your team stand more at their desk

A one-of-a-kind stretching station, too The LeanRite™ doubles as a tool for stretching the muscles that get stiff, tight, or sore from standing at the desk 

 

The two-for-one advantage is an awesome advantage. Your ‘standing’ employees can try out a quality standing desk chair in hand with trying out massage — and explore how both allows a more comfortable, active workflow. They can experience a quick massage relieving muscle strain and making standing easier, and can also test drive the LeanRite™ to see if it provides the support and comfort that completes their standing desk setup. And if a handful of your teammates simply don’t stand as often as they’d like because their feet get sore, their legs get tight, their back hurts, or they generally feel too tired to stand, they might find that the LeanRite™ is just the tool they need. They can simply wheel your breakroom’s new LeanRite™ to their workstation and give it a real test drive, no strings attached. If they like it — and we bet they will — they can confidently invest in their own LeanRite™.

And to bring it back to our point about massage helping everyone: though we’d like to see ALL of your employees standing, the LeanRite™ + MassageRite™ station will help those who sit, too — because massage truly does bring benefit to anybody and everybody. But on this, it’s worth noting that you might actually be able to convert your ‘sitting’ employees to the sit-stand lifestyle once they experience how comfortable it is to stand with the support of the LeanRite™.

→ Some other great massage tools for the office include a foot roller, wrist roller, hand massager, or neck massage tool → 

 

A serious ‘perk’ of massage: improving workplace culture 

Investing in a real perk like the LeanRite™ Elite + MassageRite™ setup sends a clear message to your team that you prioritize every facet of their well-being — and you recognize and respect the role their health plays in their performance at work. Communicating and acting on this commitment is a big win for your culture.

 And we offer that massage can actually break down walls, too, helping colleagues feel more comfortable with one another. Take a look at the video here. It's a reel of users trying out the LeanRite™ + MassageRite™ setup for the first time. First and foremost: THIS is what stress relief looks like — what letting go of tension and relaxing into the moment with levity and humor look like. But a second thing is notable: massage helps people let their guard down and can act almost as an ice-breaker.

These kinds of wellness perks and programs have become compelling incentives for top talent, too. A quality massage station available at all times in the office will show prospective employees that you are serious about their wellness. And that you are willing to pilot unconventional strategies to improve the most critical aspects of their working experience. What’s more, new talent can try out the LeanRite™ and get a leg up on switching to a standing desk, if they haven’t yet made the switch :) 

 

Lastly, massage will encourage you to unplug and reset

 

“Our body was designed to live in gravity as a perpetual motion machine.”-Joan Vernikos

 

One thing we’ve learned is that movement is a vital part of success with a standing desk. It’s critical to take breaks to stretch, walk, and shift postures, never staying static in one position for too long. And though we've all read the science on the cognitive and physical benefits of taking movement breaks and unplugging throughout the day, most of us still struggle to do it. A relaxing massage is QUITE the incentive, however — to leave the desk, take a short walk to the break room, and disconnect for 15 minutes. Or even to relax right at one’s desk for a 15-minute massage break. Getting that physical, emotional, and mental reset is especially valuable when we hit that 2 PM slump. And we all know it's true, those of us that resist taking breaks are the ones who need it the most :)

—> Need more creative ways to bring movement to the desk? Click to learn why the Ergo Impact team considers a footrest an essential accessory to every workstation (9-minute read)