Tag Archive for: employee perks

Virtual Workplace Wellness Retreats: A Welcome Addition to Today’s Hybrid Workplace

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As we settle into the new era of hybrid workplaces, it’s more important than ever to prioritize employee wellbeing. The pandemic has forced us to adapt to a new way of working, blurring the lines between work and personal life. This has resulted in an increased risk of burnout and mental health issues. HR professionals have the responsibility to ensure that employees are happy, healthy, and engaged in their work. One way to achieve this through your company’s employee wellness strategy is to consider offering virtual workplace wellness retreats.

A recent survey of 3,400 people across 10 countries conducted by the Workforce Institute at UKG found that 43% of employees are “often” or “always” exhausted after the workday, and 78% say that stress negatively impacts their work performance. What’s more, work stress carries over from the workday impacting employees’ home life (71%), wellbeing (64%), and relationships (62%). Employees across the spectrum are feeling these impacts, from those with less seniority on up through management.

What we know is that holistic workplace wellness offerings can help employees decrease stress and anxiety, sharpen focus and mental clarity, and improve their confidence and happiness at work.

In this blog post, we will explore the role that virtual workplace wellness retreats in countering stress and burnout in the hybrid workforce and how Urban Balance’s offerings can support your organization.

 

What are Virtual Workplace Wellness Retreats?

While there are many possible ways to structure a virtual retreat, these events are often best implemented over the course of one day or multiple, providing employees with a designated, uninterrupted space set work aside and focus on self-care. Virtual wellness retreats can include a variety of holistic wellness classes and webinars including yoga, movement, meditation, nutrition, wellness self-care with opportunities for employees to rest, unwind, learn new things, and build camaraderie through something other than work. The best part? They’re fully customizable to meet the needs of your unique employees.

Improved Employee Well-being

Virtual workplace wellness retreats offer a unique opportunity for employees to focus on their physical, mental, and emotional health. Employees will walk away with self-care tools they can build into their daily routine along with a sense of nourishment and refreshment. By prioritizing their wellbeing, employees can reduce stress levels, improve sleep quality, and feel better overall.

Enhanced Team Building

Virtual workplace wellness retreats provide an opportunity for employees to connect with one another while having a shared experience in a supportive environment. By participating in classes together, employees can build stronger relationships and foster a sense of community within the organization. This can lead to improved collaboration, communication, and teamwork in the workplace.

Increased Employee Engagement

Offering virtual workplace wellness retreats can increase employee engagement and motivation. When employees feel valued and supported by their organization, they are more likely to be invested in their work and the success of the company. Virtual workplace wellness retreats provide a welcome opportunity for employees to take a break from their daily routines and focus on self-care. This can lead to increased motivation, productivity, and overall job satisfaction.

Reduced Absenteeism and Healthcare Costs

By investing in the health and well-being of your employees through special offerings like retreats, you can reduce absenteeism and healthcare costs. Employees who prioritize their health are less likely to get sick and miss work. Additionally, by promoting wellness practices, you can help prevent chronic health conditions and reduce healthcare costs for your organization.

Improved Employee Morale and Retention

Virtual workplace wellness retreats can improve employee morale and retention. When employees feel supported by their organization and have opportunities to prioritize their well-being, they are more likely to feel satisfied with their job. This can lead to increased employee retention and reduced costs associated with turnover. Urban Balance’s virtual retreats offer a sense of peace and refreshment, promoting a positive workplace culture that can improve employee satisfaction.

Increased Cultural Competency

Virtual workplace wellness retreats can promote cultural competency by exposing employees to diverse wellness practices from around the world. By incorporating practices such as yoga and meditation from different cultures, employees can gain a better understanding of and appreciation for diverse perspectives. This can lead to a more inclusive workplace culture and improved relationships between employees from different backgrounds.

 

In conclusion, virtual workplace wellness retreats provide a unique opportunity to promote employee well-being and improve organizational outcomes. By improving employee well-being, enhancing team building, increasing employee engagement, reducing absenteeism and healthcare costs, improving employee morale and retention, and promoting cultural competency, virtual workplace wellness retreats can have a positive impact on your organization. Urban Balance’s fully customizable virtual retreat experiences offer a range of classes and activities tailored to the unique needs of your employees. Our goal is to help employees make their work life feel more sustainable, and for them to leave with a sense of peace and refreshment.

 

Contact us to schedule a retreat for your employees today and discover the benefits for yourself!
Ask us about our newest virtual retreat packages for 2023 including the Compassion Mini-Retreat, Half-day Virtual Retreat, Full-day Embodied Wisdom Retreat, and 6-hour Leadership/Management Virtual Retreat.

 

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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.

Browse our virtual wellness services catalog with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.

Discover the benefits of the Urban Balance on-demand video library, a workplace wellbeing solution with 350+ holistic wellness classes. Includes membership options for companies and individuals.

The Role of Chair Massage in the Workplace

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Chair massage was easily one of the most popular corporate wellness offerings prior to the pandemic. With the return to the office underway at many companies and levels of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety still running high, this employee favorite is making a well-deserved comeback.

Why do so many employees jump at the opportunity for a chair massage? One reason is that touch is powerful – we all need it to some degree. The lack of touch, or touch deprivation, is actually connected with negative health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and immune system dysfunction.

During the crisis phase of the pandemic which had us isolating ourselves and social distancing like never before, collectively we learned just how much we need touch. Corporate HR, benefits, and wellness managers should be aware that it is something many of their employees have missed these past few years.

Benefits of Chair Massage at Work

Chair massage is known to reduce stress, decrease anxiety and depression, relieve muscle tension & headaches, increase focus and energy, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, increase immune function and improve range of motion.

Typically offered in 5-to-15-minute micro sessions, chair massage is a portable form of massage in which the therapist has access to the upper body including the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, and hands. Massaging these areas reduces muscle tension, revives connective tissue, and energizes the individual.

Chair massage is a wonderful corporate wellness service for employers to provide employees who are experiencing chronic stress at work. For years now, scientifically supported studies (here and here, among the many) have shown that massage benefits employees in a multitude of ways, primarily through helping to mitigate the corrosive effects of work stress.

Lastly, though corporate chair massage can be offered as a one-off service, it will always be most beneficial when offered regularly and/or bundled with other holistic wellness services like yoga & movement classes, meditation & breathwork, nutrition talks & cooking demos, and employee wellness webinars.

When and Where to Offer Workplace Chair Massage

The best part of corporate chair massage service for employers is that, with a licensed massage therapist (LMT) coming right to your office, you’re bringing workplace wellbeing to your employees right where they are.

While chair massage can be offered anytime for any reason (trust us, you don’t need a special occasion to offer chair massage at your office – employees love it no matter the circumstances!) this service makes a great add-on to on-site health fairs, back-to-the-office parties, and other employee gatherings. It is a terrific way to say “thank you” to new and veteran employees alike after the many challenges of the past few years.

Scheduling regular, convenient chair massages at work is a wonderful way to eliminate employees’ excuses for self-care and in these present times can help decrease the stress of heading back to the office.

Chair Massage with Urban Balance

We partner with some of the most skilled and experienced professional massage therapists in the Portland metro area. Our LMTs are fully vaccinated and take all the appropriate COVID safety precautions, including wearing masks and sanitizing surfaces between clients.

Contact us today to set up a free consultation or schedule corporate chair massage services for your Portland, Oregon employees!

 

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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.

Browse our virtual wellness services catalog with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.

Discover the benefits of the Urban Balance on-demand video library, a workplace wellbeing solution with over 350+ holistic wellness classes. Includes membership options for companies and individuals.