Company health management: Massages at Berger & Rentschler GmbH & Co. KG

On average, German office workers spend almost 80,000 hours sitting during their working lives. This alone shows what a major influence everyday working life has on our mobility and therefore also our health. Reason enough to take a closer look at company health care. From the perspective of employees, it is clear that it is about their own health.

From the company's point of view, there is also the aspect of people as a resource, who perform less well or are ultimately absent more often when they have health problems. Health must therefore be the top priority.

We spoke to Sebastian Rentschler, Managing Director at Berger & Rentschler GmbH & Co KG, which specializes in the creation of high-quality video material for company presentations.

What role do ergonomic workplaces play?

"A large part of the work involved in creating videos takes place directly in front of the PC. Even though we at Rentschler & Berger have long relied on ergonomic, height-adjustable workstations, the monotonous posture in front of the screens is still noticeable. Regular back exercises and breaks bring relief, but at the end of the day tension is almost the norm.

As an employer, you are ultimately responsible for aspects of safety and health in the workplace and looking after the well-being of employees ultimately benefits both sides. Therefore, our idea was to purchase a massage chair to promote employee productivity on the one hand and, on the other hand, to increase our external attractiveness as an employer.”

Massages and company health management - what are the advantages?

"There are basically always two points of view from which to look at this. From the employee's perspective, the offer was extremely well received and the feedback was extremely positive. Due to the predominantly sedentary work in front of the screens, there are several plus points for a massage in between or at the end of a long working day.

On the one hand, an interruption and change of attitude every now and then is very welcome. The massage during working hours relieves tension and thus increases well-being. The break from the screens is also an aspect that should not be underestimated, because the ability to concentrate lasts longer throughout the day if short, eye-friendly phases are observed.”

"From an employer's perspective, on the other hand, this means that employees are more productive and perform better. Employees actively use the opportunity to take a break and at the same time do something good for themselves. The signals regarding the appreciation of employees also play a role in such measures.

We saw it as positive that as a company we want to actively contribute to the health and well-being of our colleagues. All in all, employees go through their everyday lives more focused, motivated, valued and relaxed.

And when it comes to the advantages, it should of course be mentioned that there are company health promotion programs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A tax incentive for measures to prevent health restrictions caused by everyday working life has an additional positive effect from a company perspective. In Germany it is currently EUR 600 that can be funded per employee.”

Does that mean the decision for the massage chair was easy?

"The decision-making process was quite quick, yes. As an entrepreneur, I was interested in receiving a complete solution where I didn't have to worry about anything else. The massage chair should be provided and then simply function and, if necessary, be serviced. I discovered such an offer at Massagesessel Welt.

Excited about the online presence, I immediately made an appointment where all aspects were discussed on site. The advice was really well thought out and professional and - which I personally found extremely pleasant - was also very tailored to individual requirements. What height and stature are there among the employees, what preferences do the people have and which parts of the body may be more stressed or require increased attention during the massage.

Our employees were particularly impressed by functions that make it possible to respond to different users or adapt to individual body characteristics. Adjusting the massage intensity while the program is running is also a great feature that increases comfort.

Ultimately, it wasn’t just the expertise and the high-quality model selection, but also the complete package with the professional services, such as delivery, assembly, maintenance and training, that you as an entrepreneur want.”

Delivery and assembly went as expected

"Actually even better! A lot of things often sound self-evident, but as an entrepreneur you really learn to appreciate accuracy, care and punctuality. Not many companies work as well-coordinated as Massagesessel Welt does. At 9 a.m. sharp, the team was at the door, carefully lined everything with fleece to protect the furnishings, gave a crisp and professional training and everything was ready for the first relaxation sessions in our office. Really great."

Company health management as a win-win for employees and employers

"Of course, as an entrepreneur you also get feedback from your employees and it is uniformly positive and underlines that it was the right decision to bring a massage chair into the company. The employees seem happier, more relaxed and more energetic and the downtime is more than made up for by increased motivation and productivity. Complaints and the associated sick leave are also reduced in the long term.

The image as an employer also benefits, because the massage chair has made its way to new applicants and is a refreshing alternative to the HR measures of yesterday, which tout a fruit basket as the greatest benefit. A win-win situation for all sides.”

Many thanks to Sebastian Rentschler for the nice conversation about massage chairs as part of company health management. We wish you continued success and relaxing, relaxing breaks in everyday office life at Berger & Rentschler GmbH and Co KG.