Employer vs Employee Paid Corporate Massage Programs - a woman having a chair massage

Employer vs Employee Paid Corporate Massage Programs

Amelia Wilcox
August 2, 2017
October 9, 2022
HR

We know how hard it is to create a company culture that stands apart from the rest—and how important your culture is for recruiting purposes. A massage program is a great, unique benefit but you may have some questions about who pays for a corporate massage program.

In this article, we'll cover why companies should contribute to their corporate massage programs and how employees can help out.      

Who Should Pay for Corporate Massage Programs?

corporate massage program

Companies Should Contribute to their Office Massage Programs

Here at Nivati, we're big believers in companies paying for at least part of their employees' massages. We've had a lot of experience in the corporate massage world and we've learned a lot about the best and worst ways to do things.

Really, the issue of who pays for office massage comes down to an issue of morale. When companies pay for their employees to receive a massage, the employees feel like their company is willing to invest in them.

Related: Office Massage Services: Can Employees Pay?

Corporate massage programs that are funded by the company tend to have far higher participation rates than completely employee-funded massage programs—probably because the employees don't pay for the massages themselves. This is important for a couple of reasons.

     
  1. If you're looking for employee engagement and want to see an actual benefit to your wellness program, your participation rates are essential. You won't see any sort of ROI unless people are actually participating.
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  3. We've seen companies bring in massage programs and ask the employees to pay 100% of their massages. Participation rates are typically very low and because the massage company isn't seeing any return on their investment, they are forced to pull their services. This causes a dip in morale because employees see it as a failure on the part of their employer.

We totally understand that a full-fledged corporate massage program paid 100% by the company may not work for you. But there are options.  

Employee-Subsidized Corporate Massage Programs

One of the most successful ways to run an office massage program is to have employees pay a small fee for each massage. Most of the companies we work with require an employee contribution between $3 and $5 for each massage. It's a small fee, but it has benefits.

1. It takes part of the financial responsibility off of the company. Those small fees can add up quickly and will help to make the company's burden a little lighter.

2. There's a lower no-show rate. Because employees had to pay a small fee, they're far more likely to keep track of their appointments. And with a lower no-show rate, your massage program will thrive, and your massage company will be thrilled to keep coming by.

3. The morale benefits of an office massage program stay the same, regardless of who's paying. Even if the company is only partially funding the massage program, employees will still feel like they're investing in them.

Related: Workplace Massage Program Pros and Cons: An Honest Review

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Amelia Wilcox
Amelia Wilcox
Amelia Wilcox is the Founder and CEO of Nivati, a leader in corporate massage and employee mental health support since 2010. Her high-growth B2B company provides employee stress management tools that arm businesses with actionable data and positive employee experiences to improve wellbeing, boost morale, and increase engagement. Amelia has exponentially grown her company from a solo living-room service business to an international technology brand.