Six Tips to Stay Safer at Work: And Why We Teach Corporate Self-Defense
For over 20 years, The Back Rub Company has helped organizations take care of their people: one chair massage, one mindfulness session, one wellness workshop at a time. But taking care of your team means more than easing tension in their shoulders. It means helping them feel safe, alert, and confident wherever their day takes them: the parking garage after a late meeting, the hotel hallway on a business trip, the walk to their car.
That’s why we partner with Peaceful Warrior Woman to bring Corporate Self-Defense & Personal Safety workshops to workplaces across the country.
More Than a Skill-Building Session
Led by black belt martial artist and personal safety expert Tiffany Richards, our Corporate Self-Defense & Personal Safety workshop is a 90-minute session built around the ABCs: Awareness, Boundaries and Communication.
Employees learn to:
• Recognize warning signs before a situation escalates
• Set clear, confident boundaries in uncomfortable interactions
• De-escalate tense encounters before they become physical
• Use practical, tested physical techniques if defense becomes necessary
• Think on their feet using everyday items as tools for protection
The goal isn’t to make anyone feel afraid. It’s to make them feel prepared. There’s a real difference between walking through the world anxious and walking through it aware. Awareness is a skill, and like any skill, it can be taught.
Why It Matters Right Now
Confrontations at work, in parking lots, and while traveling for business are, unfortunately, more common than most of us would like to admit. Many employees have never been given the tools to recognize a threat early, trust their instincts, or respond effectively under pressure. A workshop like this closes that gap, giving your team practical knowledge they’ll carry with them long after the session ends, not just at work, but everywhere they go.
Six Workplace Safety Tips We Teach
Employees walk away from our workshops with quick, practical habits they can start using immediately. Here are six we cover:
- Park facing out. Back in or pull through so your car is nose-out when it’s time to leave. Fumbling to back out while someone approaches is when people get boxed in.
- Watch for tailgating at badge-in doors. Most unauthorized building access doesn’t come from a break-in. It comes from someone quietly slipping in behind an employee who held the door. A simple, polite challenge closes that gap.
- Trust your gut in the elevator. If someone steps on and something feels off, step back out. It costs thirty seconds. A moving elevator is one of the worst places to be trapped.
- Use the buddy system during “dead hours.” Early mornings and after-hours are when parking garages and lots are emptiest. Coordinate walking out together during those shifts instead of everyone leaving solo.
- Know which conference rooms have a second exit. The same “know your exits” instinct that matters in a restaurant applies to the building your team spends 40 hours a week in.
- Vary your setup if you’re in a public-facing role. Front desk and reception staff shouldn’t have their back to the door or their exit blocked by their own desk.
These are the kinds of habits that take seconds to build and can make a real difference, and they’re exactly what we cover in a full Corporate Self-Defense & Personal Safety workshop.
And Yes: It’s Genuinely Fun
Ask anyone who’s been through a session: this workshop doesn’t feel like a lecture. It’s hands-on, high-energy, and often the most talked-about part of a wellness week. Teams laugh, they cheer each other on, and they walk away a little closer than they started. It’s one of our most requested offerings for a reason: it checks the box for safety and team building in a single afternoon.
Bring It to Your Team
Whether you’re planning an all-hands meeting, an employee appreciation week, or simply want to invest in your team’s wellbeing in a new way, Corporate Self-Defense & Personal Safety is a workshop your employees won’t forget.
SEPTEMBER 2026: Coming to Portland, OR
We’re bringing this workshop to Portland this fall, a rare opportunity since Corporate Self-Defense training is only offered in select cities. Tiffany will lead a 90-minute session on-site on September 9 or 10, with Kristi assisting, for up to 30 participants (session times are flexible). Between them, they bring 60 years of combined martial arts experience. Spots are limited, so if your Portland team wants in, now’s the time to reach out to schedule your session. Click this link to view the flyer.
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Contact us to bring Peaceful Warrior Woman’s Corporate Self-Defense workshop to your organization, or learn more on our Corporate Self-Defense page.
thebackrubcompany.com | info@thebackrubcompany.com | 833-200-5099
Posted AUG 2026
