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Fortune 500 companies across the country are now holding weekly employee drum circles as an expression of their commitment to team-building and employee satisfaction. The Bottom Line Economic analysts projected that a Pennsylvania corporation saved $89,100 in costs associated with training new hires by using drumming to improve morale. That’s a return on investment of $60.57 saved for every dollar invested (Bittman, Bruhn, Stevens, Westengard, Umbach, 2003, Advances in Mind-Body Wellness, Vol. 19 No. 3/4). Stress Corporate employees participating in a drumming research study reported a 20.7% reduction in stress. Medical scientists have shown that drumming alleviates the body’s response to stress and increases the disease fighting activity of circulating white blood cells called Natural Killer Cells. (Bittman, Berk, Felten, Westengard, Simonton, Pappas, Ninehouser, 2001, Alternative Therapies, Vol. 7, No. 1). Teamwork Toyota’s Associate Development Manager, Ron "R.J." Johnson, says drumming is “a powerful metaphor for high-performance teaming and what those high-performance teams can look like," Toyota recently spent $20,000 to outfit a drumming room on the top floor of its training center in Torrance, CA. Drum circles are held about twice a week, and more than 3,000 Toyota associates have participated in drum circles (“Corporate Drumming,” American Music Making Conference, 2003). Productivity After participating in six one-hour drumming sessions with their co-workers, employees reported a 17.1% decrease in fatigue, a 6.3% increase in productivity, and a 6.4% increase in vigor/activity (Bittman, et. Al., 2003). Employee Retention When employees of a long-term care facility participated in drum circles employee turnover dropped by 18.3%. Total annual savings to the industry for such a decrease in turnover is projected to be more than $1.46 billion. (Bittman, et. Al., 2003). Long Term Morale Co-workers of the Wesbury United Methodist Retirement Community experienced nearly a 50% improvement in mood after participating in drumming, including a reduction in feelings of depersonalization, dejection, and hostility. Six weeks later the same employees showed more than a 62% improvement in mood (Bittman, et. Al., 2003). www.livingrhythms.com 336-774-3898 |