4 Steps to Making Mindfulness Work in Business
We all know the benefits of mindfulness. However, all the best intentions and benefits are lost if it is not correctly taught or practiced regularly. As we spend so much our time at work, the key question then is how can we successfully implement a mindfulness program or develop a culture of mindfulness in the workplace? The following step by step guide by The Huffington Post reporter, who implemented a global mindfulness program at SAP* is a good starting point:
"Step #1: Identify a leader that believes in the program and can sell it to the corporate team, and engage employees."
"Step #2: Educate corporate leadership on how mindfulness will help retain quality employees and establish a workplace where they could thrive."
Businesses like to invest in things that work. There are a lot of studies that you can quote to show that mindfulness can benefit employees. One example include, "one study of 102 restaurant servers found improved job performance and engagement after mindfulness training. Another study followed 89 employees of Dow in Midland, Michigan, after a seven-week online mindfulness program. Those who participated demonstrated everything from healthier eating habits to lower burnout at work.
Of course, any program can go off the rails if you’re not careful about how you implement it. Simply adding the word “mindfulness” before a training isn’t going to win over your conservative business types. And it’s not just managers that need to buy in - programs won’t make if a difference if employees aren’t engaged."
"Step #3: Test it out, and share research that demonstrates how this program can improve employee output and satisfaction at your company."
If you have done a course with us, you would know we provide ongoing assessment and questionnaires to help you monitor your progress. So, why not start something similar with the mindfulness initiative at work?
The author's 180 people "pilot program in Germany rated it 6.65 out of 7 - a roaring success. Even better for SAP, employee stress, well being and “change agility” (so critical for any tech company but especially a cloud leader) improved by about 10 percent just four weeks after the program".
"Step #4: Create a thoughtful, fully vetted program that can be adjusted to your specific company needs."
Quoting a Google example, when the program was marketed as a stress-reduction program, no-one signed up. "But when they rewrote the description to focus on interaction and emotional intelligence, they quickly had 140 takers. Creating that buy-in made all the difference."
We hope this guide is a good starting point for you to spread our mission of mindfulness in the work place. Good luck!
Read the full article here.
