Soft Touch

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 9, 2007

Margie Sheedy

Bosses are using natural therapies to invigorate the workplace. Margie Sheedy reports.

Afternoon naps in the boardroom. A massage at your desk. The scent of citrus wafting from reception. No, your bosses haven't gone mad but they are part of a movement that believes natural therapies give employees a competitive edge.

"I've been a naturopath for more than 20 years and the rise in interest in the area is huge," says Alison Johnson, dean of the Australasian College of Natural Therapies. "It's all part of a growing awareness that you need to treat your staff well if they are going to stay."

What do natural therapies provide that a drinks night doesn't? "Natural therapies are stress relieving," Johnson says. "They're all curative in one way or another, which is backed up by a mountain of evidence."

A recent study by Medibank Private found healthy workers are three times more productive than employees who say they have poor health. The healthy averaged two sick days a year, compared to their less healthy colleagues who averaged 18 sick days a year.

One of the best ways to reduce stress, Anthony Goldman of Medibank Private noted when he announced the study's results, is a massage.

And the corporate world is responding. Just ask Greg Caleo. His four-year-old company, Calastica Health & Wellbeing, started off with the idea of taking massage into offices around the city. Now it does everything from five-minute roving neck and shoulder massages at your desk to reflexology, acupressure, iridology and general health assessments.

"When companies incorporate natural therapies into the office, it makes for quite a heavenly workplace," Caleo says.

People are also feeling the difference, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. They took 39 students, with no previous knowledge of acupressure, and taught them how to manipulate stimulation and relaxation points on their bodies. During the three-day study, the researchers found that the students were more alert than before the acupressure.

"Just 10 to 15 minutes would be ample to get a good result," Johnson says.

Aromatherapy oil burners emitting citrus scents are being used in offices to lift people emotionally, she adds. "The sense of smell is very powerful and makes them feel well-disposed to the organisation."

Then there's the power nap. This year the Medical Journal of Australia reported a study of napping aimed at helping shift workers improve their performance.

Researchers compared naps of five, 10, 20 and 30 minutes.

They found that a power nap of 10 minutes increased alertness and performance. Workers who slept for longer woke up feeling groggy and tired.

"An afternoon nap improves what employers are offering their staff and shows they have quite a flexible working environment," says Brendan Torazzi, chief executive of MetroNaps, the company that launched its sleep pod units into Australia in March.

The pods are leased out for between $900 and $1450 a month and provide a quiet place for workers to nap.

Torazzi has had interest from larger companies (Vodafone is trialling a MetroNap pod). However, he admits, "We're fighting a bit of a cultural resistance [to taking a nap at work] although everyone realises we are getting tired and stressed."

Joanne Jakobs, general manager Select Appointments, says more employers are embracing natural therapies in the workplace.

"Through occupational health and safety, [employers] have made their workplaces as safe as possible and now it's on to 'how do we successfully manage [employee] stress?'" she says. "It's very much a way of the future from a company perspective."

"Companies have to go that extra distance for people to feel nurtured. This is about saying if you join us, this is who we are and we do care about our employees."

Meditation matters

For the nine staff at the Harry M. Miller Group office, slipping your shoes off and closing your eyes for 45 minutes is an important part of what they do.

"It's not compulsory but everyone enjoys it," says chief executive Lauren Miller (pictured). "Every three or four weeks we switch the phones to voicemail and close the office until 10.30am. We go into Harry's office and are led in a half-hour to 45-minute meditation. Then we have a discussion forum on a topic such as dealing with stressful situations."

After three years of regular meditation, Miller is positive about the benefits. "It absolutely makes everyone more productive," she says.

"You get time to think clearly and when it's over you have an increased ability to get things done. You end up craving it."

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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