Encouraging Mindfulness And Wellness In The Workplace

In a manufacturing-based economy, the human body is the primary source of production. With the global economy becoming more knowledge-based, it has become imperative that companies encourage mindfulness and wellness in the workplace.
A knowledge-based economy’s primary source of production is the brain. Thus, introducing mindfulness and wellness programs in the workplace helps ensure your employees’ minds stay healthy.

What Is Mindfulness?

Answering office phone calls and replying to work emails while dealing with co-workers’ queries can have employees working on auto-pilot. Operating on auto-pilot like this increases the stress and anxiety levels of employees. It becomes difficult for workers to concentrate and focus on completing the work at hand.
Mindfulness is being aware of one’s thoughts in the present moment, accepting the opinion is valid, while remaining curious about the bodily sensations that emanate from the practice. Mindfulness lets an employee focus more on “being” than “doing”.
An employee-base that understands what mindfulness is will feel more in control of their thoughts and how it affects their reactions. Being focused on the present helps reduce stress while worrying about past and future challenges increase anxiety and stress.

What is Workplace Wellness?

Having an environment that pays attention to all employees’ health challenges and overall well-being is essentially the focus of a workplace wellness program.
It involves a coordinated and complete package of health protection and promotion strategies implemented in the workplace to improve its employees’ health and safety.
A workplace wellness program is essential because the workplace is like the second home of most employees. It is vital to incorporate a corporate wellness program to ensure employees feel valued and enjoy comfort.
Work should not be only stressful and over-demanding without providing respite. An overworked and undervalued employee is more likely to get ill and take time off even when they are not sick.
Gallup’s poll revealed that workers are three times more likely to leave their jobs when they are over-stressed at work. It is normal to be stressed at work. However, employees must find ways to reduce stress in the workplace to improve the organization’s success and personal well-being.

The Benefits Of Mindfulness and Wellness in The Workplace

• Improving Resilience. Mindfulness techniques like meditation can reduce the adverse effects of anxiety and stress. Taking out time to meditate enhances resilience and improves workers’ ability to complete their work no matter how stressful it is.
• Boosts Emotional Intelligence. Mindfulness can boost patience levels and how to control your emotions. When you possess an inner sense of calm, it becomes easier to cope with things, not going your way. Having emotional intelligence helps you handle any disagreement and difference in opinion with tact.
• Improves Creativity. Staying relaxed due to mindfulness practices provides an opportunity for you to be more creative. Staying mindful will enable you to have better insights, and your thoughts are innovative.
• Improves Interpersonal Relationships. A workplace that hasn’t introduced corporate wellness programs like mindfulness into their work culture will experience strained interpersonal relationships between its employees. Mindfulness improves our tolerance level, which in turn positively impacts the personal connection between coworkers.
• Improves Focus. Even the most attentive staff can sometimes wander off – daydreaming during work hours. This tendency to have your mind wander away from work and the plethora of distractions in the modern workplace is a great reason why practicing mindfulness is essential. Since mindfulness focuses on living in the present, concentrating your thought on the work at hand aids concentration and ensures you get the job done.

How To Create A Mindfulness and Wellness Program

Mindfulness helps your staff deal with stress and ensures they stay happy, which boosts their productivity at work. With Baby Boomers retiring and Millennials and Gen Z joining the workforce, more attention is drawn to mental health issues in the workplace.

Integrating mindfulness programs in your workplace can help you attract talent and retain your current employee base. It will help provide a means for your company to differentiate themselves from their competition and show that the well-being of your staff is of utmost priority.

Follow these steps to create an effective mindfulness program for your employees:

• Create an anonymous survey to know how interested your workers are in participating in a corporate wellness program.
• Provide flexibility by ensuring that classes are held at different times of the day.
• Encourage participants to keep a journal of the progress they are making partaking in the program.
• Partner with a provider, such as Terryberry to help facilitate and run a corporate wellness program.
• Ensure your workers are aware of the benefits and risks involved in participating in the program.

How to Introduce Mindfulness in The Workplace

The key to practicing mindfulness is ensuring the mind focuses on just one thing (the present) without worrying about what happened in the past, or what the future holds. Even if the reason gets distracted, acknowledge the thought and keep your focus on the main thought in your head. Let’s look at some ways you can introduce mindfulness in the workplace.

• Encourage Mindful Exercises in the Workplace

There are several mindful exercises workers can engage in to make sure they possess the right attitude throughout the day. Some mindful exercises are:
– Breathing exercises. They only take a couple of minutes and can be done anywhere in the workplace, even on your desk! They help reduce stress and improve concentration.
– Yoga helps improve not only physical strength but also mental strength. Yoga makes practicing mindfulness very enjoyable and can be done by anyone regardless of physical ability and age.
– Meditation. Mindfulness is essentially the framework behind meditation. There are different types of meditation, from completely clearing your thoughts to being aware of the present’s thoughts and feelings.

• Ensure staff Take Mandatory Breaks

Make lunch breaks mandatory, even if the whole company is under pressure to deliver a job. Taking as little as 15 minutes to detach yourself from your work ultimately can improve your ability to concentrate, be aware, and ensure you remain refreshed.

• Introduce a Quiet Room

All the members of your staff will not be into yoga or meditation. Some need a quiet space where they refocus on their mental well-being. You can add pictures of nature and play classical music in the background to help your staff relax.

• Reward Employees for Healthy Behaviors 

As participants progress through their wellness journey, set up their program so they can earn points for healthy behaviors. For example, these wellness points can be redeemed through an online program for wellness incentives that include brand-name rewards or a variety of health-conscious gifts.

The Bottom Line

Mindfulness helps improve focus and concentration among your employees. Incorporating employee mindfulness and wellness techniques in your workplace will improve productivity and foster collaboration.

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About the Author:
Aaron Swain is a writing specialist who is currently working in the company Best Writers Online service for writers and as an editor at review service Online Writers Rating. He working to make better himself in his blogging career. He is constantly trying to find new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden limits. That’s why Aaron expands and improves his skills throughout the writing process to help and inspire people.