Mindfulness in the workplace can be a relatively simple and affordable tool to help positively affect workplace culture and productivity. Mindfulness interventions foster increased attention and awareness to present moment experiences.
While many companies promote well being initiatives within the workplace, four out of 10 Canadians believe there is a significant difference between the culture their workplace claims to have compared to their reality.[i]
Today’s workplace environments can be a fast-paced and stressful. Increasingly, employees are being asked to do more with less resources available to them. A negative workplace culture can lead to low employee engagement, higher absenteeism, decreased motivation and empathy, and higher employee turnover.
In this article, we will explore how mindfulness can affect our day-to-day work, how it affects workplace culture, and specific interventions on how to bring mindfulness into the workplace.
Table of Contents
- How mindfulness affects your work
- How mindfulness affects workplace culture
- How you can incorporate mindfulness in the workplace
- Mindfulness training programs for workplaces
How Mindfulness Affects Your Work
Have you ever been at work physically but mentally you’re a million miles away. Whether it’s worrying about an elderly parent, scrolling through social media on your phone or planning your next vacation, we’ve all had days where we just don’t get as much done as we should.
Research suggests that in an eight-hour day, the average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes.[ii] The modern workplace has more distraction that ever before. Employers would be wise to start implementing programs to help their employees develop soft skills that will help increase their productivity and improve performance.
Mindfulness interventions include various techniques to help improve attention and awareness to the present moment. These interventions have consistently shown to enhance employee health, wellness and performance.[iii]
Mindfulness works to:
- Improve focus – With so many things on your to do list, mindfulness fosters increased attention to one task, improving efficiency and effectiveness at work
- Foster Creativity – Mindfulness cultivates openness and seeing things from new and fresh perspectives, fostering creativity in the workplace.
- Improve relationships – Increasing awareness into our responses in situations can help to see new alternative responses rather than reactions in our interactions with coworkers, helping to create empathy and understanding in the workplace.
How Mindfulness Affects Workplace Culture
Some of the largest companies in the world such as Google, Apple, General Mills and Proctor and Gamble have long promoted mindfulness meditation into their employee development and wellness programs. This includes things like on site meditation classes and quiet rooms where employees can help still their minds during a busy day.
Numerous reviews have supported the conclusions that mindfulness in the workplace works to reduce perceived stress and health complaints at work, improves well being, and positively affects work related outcomes such as work engagement, productivity and job satisfaction.[iv] It has also been shown to reduce job burnout, particularly in health care professionals and teachers.[v]
You may also enjoy reading: How to turn compassion fatigue into healthy empathy
How You Can Incorporate Mindfulness In the Workplace
There are many ways to bring mindfulness into your workplace. Here are a few suggestions.
- Start each meeting with a few minutes of breathing meditation to settle into the objectives of the meeting and bring more openness to new ideas.
- Try walking meetings to increase your physical activity and promote movement. Walking helps to increase your focus to the present moment as well as helping create a more relaxed environment.
- Use a gratitude wall or journal to focus on the things you enjoy about your work. You can create a wall from simple post-it notes to help focus on the positive aspects of work.
These are challenging times for many workplace environments. Mindfulness therapy provides an intervention to help manage the effects of stress at work. At Propel Physiotherapy we offer mindfulness therapy, in person and through virtual therapy that is tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals.
Mindfulness Training Programs for Workplaces
Corporate wellness programs are a key part in promoting a positive work environment and culture. At Propel Physiotherapy we provide wellness services including:
- Mindfulness workshops – Providing concepts and tools around managing stress and promoting well being in the workplace.
- Ergonomic assessments – Therapists will provide assessments and recommendations on office environments to ensure optimal positioning and minimize strain and injury.
- In office physiotherapy and massage therapy services – Providing therapeutic services within the work setting, bringing wellness right to you!
Our integrated healthcare team serves the Greater Toronto Area from our locations in Etobicoke, Pickering and Peterborough. We also provide mobile services that will come to your home, place of business or other location that best suits your needs in the communities surrounding Peterborough, Pickering and Toronto.
References
[i] Four out of ten Canadians report significant gap between culture their workplace claims to have versus their reality, Business Wire
[ii] How Many Productive Hours in a Work Day? Just 2 Hours, 23 Minutes, VoucherCloud.com
[iii] Hilton LG, Marshall NJ, Motala A, Taylor SL, Miake-Lye IM, Baxi S, Shanman RM, Solloway MR, Beroesand JM, Hempel S. Mindfulness meditation for workplace wellness: An evidence map. Work. 2019;63(2):205-218. doi: 10.3233/WOR-192922. PMID: 31156202; PMCID: PMC6598008.
[iv] Vonderlin, R., Biermann, M., Bohus, M. et al. Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Mindfulness 11, 1579–1598 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01328-3
[v] Luken M, Sammons A. Systematic Review of Mindfulness Practice for Reducing Job Burnout. Am J Occup Ther. 2016 Mar-Apr;70(2):7002250020p1-7002250020p10. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2016.016956. PMID: 26943107; PMCID: PMC4776732.
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