We have some of the most successful business in the world that have adopted the practice of mindfulness within their organisations. To mention a few; Apple, IBM, Intel, General Electric, General Mills, Google, Aetna, Ford, IKEA, eBay, Linkedin and the U.S. Marines

“Stress reduction and mindfulness not just make us happier and healthier, they are a proven competitive advantage for any business that wants one.” – Arianna Huffington

Mindfulness can help business in different ways. Mindfulness can be part of the solution to common problems that business encounter. These are some common problems that can be supported by incorporating mindfulness into HR, development and wellbeing programs:

– Employee burnout / stress
– Goals not being achieved / Deadlines not met
– Team conflict
– Lack of communication

– Lack of focus

– Lack of creativity
– Lack of employee engagement
– Cultural differences
– High employee turnover
– Added stress that ‘Covid 19’ has brought with it

Does Mindfulness help in reducing employee turnover?

To decide whether mindfulness will help in reducing turnover, one has to identify the reasons why employees are leaving. Many times, when there is a high turnover there is a sense of ‘unhappiness’ lurking around. The source of unhappiness needs to be investigated. Mindfulness on its own would not reduce the turnover unless other measures are taken, if necessary. For example, if employees are leaving due to high stress / burnout, besides the practice of mindfulness, the organisation needs to look at other practical reasons of the stress. Maybe understaffing and unrealistic deadlines. These are issues that need to be dealt with. But, if some employees are getting over stressed because of their own ‘habitual thinking’, their own ‘perceptions’, their own beliefs about themselves then mindfulness is a brilliant practice to help them manage their levels of undue high stress.

Another example, would be that if a high turnover is due to lack of communication and  team conflict, practicing compassionate listening and loving kindness towards each other would definitely support in improving the team relationships. This will help in reducing turnover.

How do you implement Mindfulness at the workplace?

There are various ways of implementing a mindfulness initiative at the workplace. One would have to tailor make the programme according to the operations and needs of the organisation that is interested.

I always recommend to start with a one off mindfulness workshop to see whether the employees would take it on as a more routine part of their life. One must mention that the employees involved must be willing to try and take responsibility in implementing the practices beyond the classes / workshops / programmes. If there is employee resistance, we would need to investigate that and we might decide it is not the best solution for that organisation.

Whilst, a one off workshop is a good starting point, of course this is not enough as we will need to build consistency and a new habit. So, if we are a right fit, then I would recommend a 6 week accredited mindfulness programme. These can be facilitated on site or online.

Besides the 6 week programme, the workplace can adopt a mindfulness policy across the working environment. This can be referred to as a shared social practice. For example, encouraging mindful breaks, and if the business has the space, it can even offer a small room for this quiet space of mindfulness. I like to call it a grounding and re-centering break. Another example would be to have a short practice of mindfulness at the start of meetings. With understanding of each organisation and a little bit of creativity we can create mindful workplaces that support the individual employees, the teams, managers and leaders and the collective business.

Google is a great example of how it incorporated mindfulness in its operation. It offers classes and online resources for all staff. There are daily practice session in many offices around the world. They also organise day long meditation retreat in different locations.

What are the various ways we can practice mindfulness at work?

We can practice mindfulness formally or informally. What does this mean?

Formal mindfulness, is what most of us known as sitting down, or crossed legs, or lying down listening to an audio and following the instructions. They are different forms of mindfulness mediation audios. These are all explored and taught in the 6 week programme.

The other very important aspect of mindfulness is the informal practice which by practice becomes a new way of living. I like to refer to it as ‘mindful living’. For example, it includes the way we eat, the ability to do one task at a time and be solely focused on it,  the way we behave and interact, practicing compassion in our relationships. So many different ways in practising mindfulness as we go about in our daily life.

The formal practice is a form of mind-training that strengthens the intention to stay present and cultivate a non judgemental, curious, caring attitude towards life. This will lead to being able to lead a life of mindfulness as we go along in our daily life.

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” (Jon Kabat Zinn)

Catherine’s personal recommendations for adopting a mindfulness approach at the workplace.

I personally believe a 6 week programme is a very good approach of having mindfulness at the workplace. But it cannot just stop with the 6 week programme. The employees attending must be encouraged to practice in their own personal time and working time. So creating a working environment that supports mindfulness, in my opinion is essential. Google, as already mentioned, is a great example. Also, some employees might need additional support in view of their own personal issues so one to one coaching with mindfulness can also support the process.

As I mentioned before, there is no one size that fits all. So, an initial consultation is always essential to build a mindfulness at the workplace strategy that benefits the whole organisation.

Author: Catherine Galea

I’m Catherine Galea, an Award-Winning Emotional Empowerment Coach and Mindfulness Teacher for Adults and Children. I help ambitious adults, professionals and parents calm busy minds,...