BusinessTN

Working a white-collar job doesn't mean you can't let your hair down, strap on a guitar and get down and dirty with some loud blue-collar rock, soul or funk.

For evidence, look no further than the rise of the "corporate band" nationally. Spurred by events such as Fortune magazine's annual Battle of the Corporate Bands, the grouping together of musical talent among office mates has become an increasingly common phenomenon. Not surprisingly, Nashville has proven itself a leader within this intriguing sub-culture of the American professional workforce.

Strat5, the corporate band for Nashville-based Healthways, competed this past October at Fortune's Eighth Annual Battle of the Corporate Bands in Cleveland. Proctor and Gamble's The Consumer Republic won the competition, but Strat5 relished its time in Ohio, says Victor Mattingly, Healthways VP of strategy, planning and architecture.

"During our 48 hours at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we felt like rock stars in every way possible," Mattingly says. "[It spoke] to the core of what our culture means•we were band mates, friends, colleagues and a team."

To raise money for the Cleveland trip, Healthways employees conducted a bake sale, the marketing team devised a logo and sold T-shirts and magnets. The band even sold "singing telegrams" by which employees could buy a co-worker a message delivered, in song, by Strat5 members.

It is difficult to quantify with a dollar figure the benefits to those employers and employees who participate in corporate bands.

"We know that playing music has been scientifically proven to reduce stress in employees, and we know that stress-related illnesses are the number one reason for missing work and loss of productivity in this country, costing businesses millions of dollars each year," says Joe Lamond, president of the National Association of Musical Merchandisers. "As this trend spreads to more companies, perhaps we'll see a reduction in workplace stress and that would be something that could be quantified."

Until then, lawyers, bankers and health care officials can crank up the amps, but then again, do you really need an excuse to rock?