A More Mindful Work Culture

Notes on how promoting mindfulness in the workplace creates a community your employees want to be a part of.

“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us”

There are infinite benefits to cultivating mindfulness like lowering feelings of anxiousness, depression, anger etc. It is a growing trend for large corporations like Google to steer employees towards meditation as a work ritual. Beyond positive bottom lines and productivity, an underlying benefit seems to be a better work culture.

A while back I simultaneously worked for two different non profit organizations. A few months in I found myself waking up ecstatic to work for one of the organizations. The other, I dreaded. Both claimed to have similar values…a team dedicated to bring about change to societal issues. One fulfilled their promise but the other did not. I found staggering differences in the way in which management influenced the work culture and the resulting effect on each business as a whole. What was the difference? I believe it was mindfulness.

The Mindfulness Oriented Business had a strong team culture…there was a bond. One where people worked together and everyones ideas were valued and considered. The freedom to express new ideas without judgement or negativity made way for efficiency and progress. Encouragement and constructive feedback filtered down from leadership, setting the bar for the rest of us to do the same. In conflict, everyones priority was to solve the problem or task at hand- not save their own personal ego or agenda. Their business was growing significantly, as in sales were projected to triple compared to the previous year. There was low employee turnover and customer retention and praise was high. All I can say is the contrary for the other business. If I could pin point the source of their issues it would be conflict, particularly within management.

What part did mindfulness play in their success? One purpose of mindfulness is to look at situations objectively, with clarity, and without judgement. Interpersonal conflict can be resolved effectively when each individual chooses to observe situations and make decisions wisely instead of reacting emotionally. Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a praised book on mindfulness and conflict resolution in the workplace.

How did they promote mindfulness? Within my first few days at the office, I had heard multiple people in management positions frequently mention yoga, meditation apps, and mindfulness techniques. As a fellow yogi with a new found interest in meditation, I was happy to find shared values. There was also a book circulating the office on mindfulness and meditation. It is one thing for a business to say they “strongly value communication and teamwork” but it is another for them practice it daily. While there are many factors contributing to this business’ success, I cannot help but think managers modeling and promoting a mindful work culture had something to do with it. 

Tips for promoting mindfulness in your business

1. Conducting workshops or mindful team building exercises to educate employees on benefits and practical ways to use mindfulness.

2. Providing employees with resources on mindfulness like apps and literature. Some offices even go as far as meditation rooms or yoga hour at the office.

3. Live what you preach!

4. Writing daily inspiration and reminders on whiteboards.

#mindfulness #workculture #community