Ever since those viral videos came out about an awesome workplace in Silicon Valley offering out-of-this-world perks and benefits for its employees, people have come to know Google as one of the best companies to work for in the entire world.
Where else can you get free car rentals, a wide variety of free gourmet cuisine, get your laundry done, and are encouraged to sleep at the office? These kinds of perks, which Google has become known for giving its staff, is now the stuff of legend. The reasoning behind offering these sort of benefits are to offset the massive hours put in by the average Googler. Some employees work up to 16 hours a day for months on end, so it has become a priority for the company to make sure they are well taken care of.
LinkedIn has followed suit and is also known to provide out-of-this-world benefits to its employees. Some of the perks include onsite dental care, car washes, dry cleaning, and oil changes for cars. Other unusual benefits include the ability for employees to apply for grants for up to $10,000 for their favorite charity and a $5,000 yearly stipend per employee to spend on education related to their job.
Recently these California-based tech juggernauts started offering a brand new health and wellness program that has its employees leveling themselves up in another way.
Google and LinkedIn now offer their staff martial arts courses. They both offer the gentle art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and LinkedIn also offers Muay Thai.
There’s a very good reason why Google and LinkedIn are known as two of the best companies in the world to work for, and it’s because they go out of their way to give their employees the best possible environment to unleash their potential. And that includes providing them an avenue where they can explore their talents.
Today, Evolve Daily shares four reasons why Google and LinkedIn give their staff free courses in martial arts.
1) To empower staff with the knowledge of self-defense
Self-defense is an integral part of martial arts and a basic human right that everyone should have access to. One of the biggest reasons why martial arts is so addicting is because, aside from it being an intense physical ordeal, it is also an educational experience.
BJJ is known as the gentle art because it’s one of the most efficient and least impactful ways to defend yourself. BJJ’s many techniques often serve to end conflicts rather abruptly, with great technique emphasized over brute force. Muay Thai is known as the art of eight limbs and is widely considered the most effective striking martial art in the world. Steeped in Thai culture, Muay Thai uses all parts of the body to execute effective and precise strikes to defend against an attacker. Due to its effectiveness, Muay Thai is usually the staple striking art used by MMA fighters.
With martial arts, we learn how to defend ourselves, which is a very important and tangible skill to have. Knowing how to protect ourselves physically, including those around us, is invaluable, so props to Google and LinkedIn for introducing their staff to these awesome arts.
2) To give staff an amazing fitness program
The rigors and stress-filled environment of the workplace can be the most detrimental thing to your health, sometimes without you even realizing it, which is why it is of utmost importance to proactively seek better health and fitness. Google and LinkedIn offering their staff free classes in BJJ and Muay Thai means they get an unbelievable fitness program that works wonders.
Muay Thai can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. That’s equivalent to over two hours of running. You would have to walk nearly 10 hours at a moderate pace just to burn as many calories as Muay Thai does. Martial arts is one of the quickest ways to lose weight and get fit.
Muay Thai and BJJ are also extremely fun, which is probably the main reason why it is such an amazing fitness program in the first place. When we’re having fun, we don’t really mind how much physical work we’re putting into something and frankly, we hardly even notice. You’re guaranteed to have fun with martial arts, as Google and LinkedIn’s employees have recently discovered.
3) To provide an avenue for stress relief
If you aren’t already familiar with martial arts’ ability to enhance the mind, body, and spirit, then maybe you should consider signing up for a class. Martial arts such as BJJ or Muay Thai are the perfect candidates for you to take up for stress relief because it gives you a jolt of energy and releases happy hormones.
Stress in the workplace is absolutely awful, and if you work long enough hours, it can sometimes become unbearable. Furthermore, the sheer amount of energy you expend rolling on the mats and hitting the pads will give you the best sleep of your life when it comes time to rest for the day.
Whether we realize it or not, stress affects our lives greatly in more ways than one. We have the power right now, to turn our lives around and make better decisions, managing our stress levels with the power of martial arts.
4) To boost social interaction and camaraderie
The friendships you make in a martial arts class are priceless.
Finally, Google and LinkedIn place tremendous focus on their employees being able to function as a team and as a unit. For this, the companies needed to develop their staff’s social interaction skills and improve their camaraderie. There is no better way to develop teamwork than a group activity, putting martial arts in the perfect position to foster close friendships.
A big reason why you will love training in martial arts is because of the people you train with. Contrary to popular belief, martial arts isn’t a solitary activity, it is a group excursion. You will make many new friends among your gym mates and build relationships that are made to last. You’ll treat each other as part of the team, and learn and grow together.
Because martial arts is taught in a class environment, everyone learns and grows together, and helping each other out is encouraged. Also, when you have people you can depend on, who will be there for you when you need them, who will push you to workout when you’re feeling lazy, then it’s more likely that you will stay motivated.
So, if you want to grow and evolve in multiple aspects of your life the way Google and LinkedIn employees do, sign up for a trial class and give martial arts a go!
Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!
If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
Far East Square #01-01
Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: (65) 6288 2293
Evolve MMA (Clarke Quay Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#04-18 Clarke Quay Central
Singapore 059817
Phone: (65) 6226 2150
Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
