APRIL 14, 2017

ANTI-STRESS PODS
FINAL FORMAL PROPOSAL: LONG REPORT

COLLINS, BRIANNA
ANIMAL MARKETING COMPANY
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Employee health and welfare is important to a company’s overall success. Introducing

relaxation pods into the workplace could prove to be highly beneficial in maintaining the
positive atmosphere in our company while also promoting our employees’ best work they
can perform. Many studies have shown the amount of stress that an individual face in
their everyday life, of which the stress coming from work is most concerning to us. Anti-
Stress Pods would be a type of massage chair type contraption enclosed by a soundproof
bubble. Once inside the pod, the user would be able to choose from white noises, calming
music, or binaural beats. There will also be little to no light; the pod will create a calming
atmosphere. This project is incredibly important to the well-being of the company’s
performance. With good employee mental health, our company will be able to reach its
peak of production. The pods will also create an innovative path for other companies to
follow in order to take care of their employee’s as well. We will be the most popular
business to work for. This will help us gain more employees and improve the quality of
the currents ones employed. The proposed budget for rolling out the research on this
project will cost around $400; research will include a study of stress apparent in our
company, types of things that show to be most relaxing, and a cost efficient design that
will take up the least amount of space.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. 3

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................ 4

IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM .......................................................................................... 4
JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED WORK .......................................................................... 4

TECHNICAL APPROACH .............................................................................................. 5

1. OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................. 5
2. STATEMENT OF WORK ............................................................................................... 6

REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 10

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 TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM
As an employee of the Animal Marketing Company, I would say that I love my job
without an ounce of hesitation. That being said, stress is not an unfamiliar feeling to me
when it comes to deadlines and gathering new prospects. Collectively, the employees
here at the AMC have agreed that as our company grows, so does the amount of pressure
that is placed on us. We are no longer a small organization servicing local businesses;
the AMC has blossomed into something bigger and better than we anticipated, and now
it is time to ensure that our employees are well taken care of to ensure this ever-growing
establishment.
A study conducted in 2006 by the Anxiety Disorders of America showed that 72%
of people have problems with stress and anxiety affect their lives, 40% experience it
consistently every day, and 30% have to take prescription medication to manage it
(Highlights, 2010). These people have also stated that it affects their work performance
and quality of work, and their relationships with their peers and superiors. The main cause
for workplace stress include: deadlines, relationships, management, and confrontational
issues. Included from the same study used previously, it states that most employees are
not comfortable discussing their stress with their employer for fear of: being laughed at,
being labeled weak, or that their boss would take it as them being lazy and not wanting
to work. This image could be erased by working on communication between workers. It
would also help to have a seminar about workplace stress and let everyone know that
they are not alone with their issues. It would prevent any hesitation of using the Anti-
Stress Pods.

JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED WORK

According to the European Agency for safety and health at work, a report showed
that over half of the working days lost annually in the United States are related to stress
(Ray, 2011). Losing the amount of work days means that our company is losing out on

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money. From the same article, studies have shown that creating a space for quiet or
meditation has proved to be very beneficial to reducing stress in the office.
I would like to add before going any further that I do not mean that we should
cushion our employees to the point of them being helpless. A little bit of stress is not a
bad thing; it invokes focus and determination to achieve given obstacles. However,
stresses like lack of control with regards to completing work, fear of being fired, and
pressure to perform need to be addressed (Segal, 2017). According to Signs and
Symptoms of Excessive Workplace Stress, the article lists some of the characteristics
individuals show: anxious, irritable, loss of motivation, fatigue, trouble concentrating, use
of substances to cope, and physical health issues. These telltale signs are important to
keep a look out for, and to prevent, in our company in order to sustain the flow of
operation.
In a way, Google has already implemented something like the Anti-Stress Pods.
Titled EnergyPods, these high-tech napping chairs use NASA science to restore energy
(Osborne, 2010). Similar to the concept design of the Anti-Stress Pod, the napping pod
encloses the individual and shuts out everything surrounding. It includes a Bose music
system, and a vibration/light method to wake the person when time is up.
With the creators of the EnergyPods, MetroNaps, paving the way for this innovative
technology, I believe we can take it a step further by improving both design and
functionality of the pods.

TECHNICAL APPROACH

a. OBJECTIVES
My three primary objectives will be to conduct a survey, hire a design and
engineering team, and finally begin to implement test phases of the pod in parts of our
offices. These phases are, in essence, a trial version of the program that would
hopefully be convincing to the company to officially adopt into the offices. I am aware
of MetroNaps already having a patent on the EnergyPod, which is why I would like to
only let that idea be an inspiration to invest in a risky product that turns out to be a
complete success. There is an opportunity in the market for this innovative product to

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 allow our company to set the workplace environment standard at a higher bar than
others.
In the first phase of my objective, I would like survey within the company to find out
what stressors our employees face and things that they believe would help alleviate
such. Focusing on the more predominantly stressful departments will be more
beneficial to our research, and will also show the need for such a product. The second
phase will consist of hiring individuals to create a design for the pod and use the latest
technology to create and build a cutting edge product to use as a tester. As a side
note, this will also serve as a trial and error in terms of what cosmetics and functionality
prove to be best for the final product. In the final objective, my plan is to cycle the
tester throughout our offices to allow our employees to try it, provide feedback about
the product, and to research whether or not our employee stress problem is showing
improvement.

b. STATEMENT OF WORK
Each objective phase is divided into specific tasks that my colleagues and I will
complete simultaneously.
a. Project Tasks
Task 1: Market Research
1.1: Create a survey that will yield results about employee stress
1.2: Research popular ideas for stress relief
1.3: Email the survey out to all employees, let it be known that it is
required to be completed by a set deadline (May 1, 2017)

Task 2: Building a Team

2.1: Create an outline of what the product should do
2.2: Decide upon a hiring budget
2.3: Look around for local graphic designers to hire
2.4: Consult and agree upon a design using the latest
technology to program the relaxation system

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 2.5: Hire someone to build the test pod

Task 3: After completing Task 2, we will then roll out the testing phase of
the project where the concept model of the Anti-Stress Pod will be placed
in one of our offices for employees to try out, and then cycled throughout all
of our offices until all AMC employees have had the opportunity to try the
pod.

Task 4: After testing has been completed, we will create and send out
another survey asking for feedback about the pod. The survey will ask
questions about what they liked and disliked about it, the forms of relaxation
methods used, the look of the product, and whether or not it served its
purpose of alleviating work stress during the job.

Task 5: Make improvements to the model based off of employee feedback

and finalize the Anti-Stress Pod. Apply for a patent on the product at this
time, too.

Task 6: Approach the board of CEO’s with the product available to be tested
there, and present research along with the results from the use of the
product.

If all goes as planned with these tasks, everything should be completely efficiently and
timely. All members of the original team will complete the main tasks together to,
ironically, allow everyone to be equally participative and prevent one member from being
overly stressed. Our teamwork will embody the purpose of the product, to prevent
excessive work-related stress.

b. Project Schedule
Each task has a suggested deadline to meet in order to keep the process

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moving efficiently towards the goal. All tasks should be completely within approximately
17 weeks. That gives the entire trial run of the product around four months to be
developed, tested, finalized, and presented.

Overall Project Completion: April 17—August 7, 2017

TASK TIMELINE
April 17—June 5, 2017

Market Research April 17-May 1

Building a Team May 2-June 5
June 6—July 3, 2017
Testing Phase June 6-27
Feedback Survey June 28-July 3
July 5—August 7, 2017
Improvements/Patent July 5-August 6

Board Presentation August 7

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 REFERENCES

Highlights: Workplace Stress & Anxiety Disorders Survey. (2010). Retrieved April 14,
2017, from https://www.adaa.org/workplace-stress-anxiety-disorders-survey

Maseda, M. (2004, September 2). Healthy, stress-free workplace benefits employees,

bottom line. Retrieved April 14, 2017, from
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/09/06/focus5.html

Schiller, B. (2015, January 14). This Futuristic Womb-Like Pod Is Designed To De-
Stress Your Workday. Retrieved April 14, 2017, from
https://www.fastcompany.com/3040811/this-futuristic-womb-like-pod-is-designed-to-de-
stress-your-work-day

Segal, J., Smith, M., Robinson, L., & Segal, R. (2017, April). Stress in the Workplace.
Retrieved April 14, 2017, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-at-
work.htm

Osborne, D. (2010, June 18). Google uses high-tech nap pods to keep employees
energized. Retrieved April 14, 2017, from http://www.geek.com/gadgets/google-uses-
high-tech-nap-pods-to-keep-employees-energized-1264430/

Ray, A. (2011, December 20). To Promote Wellness, Help Employees Reduce

Workplace Stress. Retrieved April 14, 2017, from
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/reducestress.aspx

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