I have run various businesses throughout my life, and as time has gone on retaining staff has become ever more difficult. In particular the long hours in front of computer screens or behind the wheel of delivery vehicles seems to have physically taken a toll on many of my staff. Having lost a lot of man hours to back pain related absences, employee stress and even one case of carpal tunnel syndrome, I decided it was time to call in the professionals. I decided to see if there was anything in this corporate massage I keep hearing about, but wishing to avoid being ripped off by some Johnny-Come-Lately company that might have just jumped on the bandwagon, I did my homework. The oldest company of this kind that I could find in Scotland had been established only three and a half years ago, which did not fill me with confidence. However, when I looked at their pedigree I realised that this one was a cut above the rest - Total Therapy Group, based in Central Glasgow and Edinburgh, seems to be the only company of its kind to have been taken on by the NHS itself - now, I have personal experience of how picky the NHS can be, and know they are NOT generally impressed by alternative health, but their references all checked out, so the company seemed to be off to a good start. Their other clients were fairly impressive too - the BBC, Scottish Health at Work and Edinburgh University to name a few. Next I had a look at their service offerings - no 5 minute neck rubs here - every one of their staff was a time served therapist who, between them, could give my employees everything from Reflexology to nutritional advice. Finally, what if one of my staff got injured? What level of insurance did these people have? Well apparently £3 million per therapist from their official regulating body the FHT. Good enough for me! So, I booked the company to come in and treat my staff - and what a good decision it turned out to be. Every therapist was a time served professional, with mental and physical healthcare knowledge to rival Jung or Grey. Not only were they able to treat each of my staff in the therapy of their choosing, they were able to follow each treatment up with personalised advice on what they could be doing in their general life to avoid encountering their respective health problems in the future. Upon my enquiry I was also given advice on good ergonomics companies who might be able to provide better seating and desks to keep my staff from further discomfort - at no point was the service upsold to me, and it was only when I specifically asked them that I was told they not only had a team of ergonomics experts, but a product line of furniture and a further team of high calibre physiotherapists to boot! Basically this company has turned my business' working environment around. I have happier staff, higher productivity and FAR fewer sick days. The whole thing has paid for itself many times over. Well done Total Therapy Group - you've changed this old cynic's mind about workplace massage! read more