businessinfomag.uk
magazine
32
We go on-site
into offices
and provide
various health
and wellbeing
programmes
depending
on clients’
requirements
Business Info
talks to Nikki Roy, director of Body Mechanics Remedial,
about whether employers should be doing more to look after employees’
wellbeing
Employers have a duty of care
towards their employees, but with
78% of injuries and illnesses linked
directly to the workplace, according
to the HSE, are they doing enough?
Nikki Roy, director of Body
Mechanics Remedial, believes not.
She argues that were businesses to
pay more attention to the health and
happiness of workers, they would not
only see big benefits to their bottom
line, but also help relieve the current
crisis in the NHS by reducing musculo-
skeletal and stress-related illness.
Feedback from clients of Body
Mechanics Remedial Ltd, the company
Nikki set up in 2012 after a work-related
back injury meant she was unable to
continue with her 12-year career in
sales and sales management, shows the
positive impact that on-site health and
wellbeing programmes can have on the
health and performance of employees:
n
100% of clients say their programme
helps maintain employees’ general
health and wellbeing;
n
93% of staff attend regularly;
n
50% use the service to help manage
stress;
n
22% use it for treatment of a speci c
injury;
n
87% say it helps their working
performance.
Before setting up Body Mechanics,
Nikki retrained at St Mary’s University
College in Twickenham and became
a Massage Therapist, specialising in
the treatment of back pain, deep
tissue and sports massage. She started
out providing massage on company
premises, but since then has become
more and more involved in developing
strategic wellbeing programmes tailored
for each client.
Business Info
spoke to her about the
importance of such programmes and
why businesses should take wellbeing
seriously.
Business Info:
Can you tell me a bit
about what you do?
Nikki Roy:
We help people lead pain-free
lives, but we also help organisations
increase their profits by keeping their
employees healthy.We go on-site into
offices and provide various health and
wellbeing programmes depending on
clients’ requirements – these could be
around physical health, mental health,
the work environment itself.We then put
together a bespoke programme to help
them fulfil their obligations of duty of
care to their employees, but also to help
them achieve their business goals.
BI
:
Why do businesses come to you
initially?
NR:
A high level of sickness absence is
a popular reason. They want to reduce
absence levels and they want to prevent
people getting back into that situation.
We take a look at what’s happening in
the working environment and what they
can do to help keep people stay healthy
and in the office.
Better body, better business
The other reason is retention –
making the company more attractive
to the people who work there now,
improving their working day by giving
them something to look forward to, like
nipping out for a massage or going to a
yoga or meditation session. It can help
them destress and then focus on the job
at hand, and it’s nice to be part of an
organisation that values you in that way.
BI
:
How often does a business utilise
services such as massage?
NR:
It depends entirely on each
individual organisation. Some people
have us come in twice a week to do
full days; others only want us in once
a month. The most popular option is
every two or four weeks, usually around
lunchtime or towards the end of the day.
We don’t have to be there for a full day.
BI
:
Who are some of your clients?
NR:
We deal with a global e-marketing
company; we’ve worked with a couple
of charities; we’ve got a big media
company; we’ve got a brewery; and
we’ve also got a couple of schools.
BI
:
You’ve mentioned massage and
yoga, what other treatments do you
offer?
NR:
We have nutritionists, personal
trainers, massage therapists,
psychologists, pilates instructors. Body
Mechanics has a network of associate
practitioners and that gives us the option
to pick and choose the best people out
there and put together a programme that
organisations want. It’s not one-size-fits-
all; they get to say who they think would
be the best fit for their business culture.
BI
:
Do you help employers create an
all-round strategy for wellbeing?
NR:
We’re going that way.When I first
set this up that wasn’t necessarily my
intention; the main aim was service
delivery, but we’re getting more involved
with the strategy side of things. Clients
want our input into how this works.
BI
:
What are the benefits of massage?
NR:
For workers, it tends to be around
alleviating stress, whether emotional,
physical or financial – the mind-body
HEALTH
Continued....
Nikki Roy
