During the pandemic when we saw a lot of changes in working practices, a large majority of businesses have been exceptionally conscious of their employee’s wellbeing and mental health. The shift in acknowledging the need to not only facilitate and offer support but to live and breathe a compassionate mindful approach to team management has been accelerated, but are we in danger of that shift being temporary?
Mindfulness research and the longer-term effects.
Research proves to us that mindfulness in the workplace is effective and can have longer-term benefits to a business’s ROI. Overall employee job satisfaction in turn also shows the business and brand in a positive light, making it an attractive option for talent.
But how do we differentiate between what is a ‘tick the box’ exercise versus a true desire to support employees through their career journey. There is a place for the use of mindfulness apps, but these should be supportive tools alongside a consistent approach of providing mindfulness workshops and programmes that help to embed the practices and develop deeper knowledge and understanding at individual and team levels.
Mindfulness and compassion workshops and programmes.
Each mindfulness programme and workshop that MindfulnessUK At Work offer has been developed and thought through from the end user’s perspective. Both Stephanie Unthank and Vera Dubrovina-Thompson from MindfulnessUK At Work have worked in corporate sectors (primarily in financial services and legal sector) and therefore know from direct experience the type of pressure and stress that employees can be put under.
With this deep-rooted knowledge and guidance, they have created a number of workshops and programmes that can be either tailored to a specific business need or delivered based on what they know will work. For example:
- The 4-week or 6-week programme focuses on mindfulness and compassion but in a short and targeted way, aiming to reduce stress and anxiety and start the employee on their journey to a balanced approach to life.
- The MBSR eight-week course has been designed and tested to deliver long-term lasting changes. This evidence-based course is proven to change brain activity, improve employee happiness and resilience and lead to a sustainable cultural change. The MindfulnessUk at Work team is able to deliver bespoke programmes based on MBSR curriculum to suit specific company goals.
These structured programmes, as well as bespoke introductory days, workshops, and executive away days, can be delivered to a business of any size or within any sector.
The value of a mindfulness strategy, in any business.
It is very unlikely that the workplace will go back to how it used to function and there are a variety of tools available to support employees but getting the right fit for your business is taking the front seat to ensure employee retention and job satisfaction.
The need to embed a different way of working within a business culture might be looked at within an organisation but the ‘know-how’ and the understanding of the difference that mindfulness can make to day-to-day operations is still not widely understood.
The approach has to be based on the employee’s needs, which will differ by sector, and not just be a ‘one size fits all’ or ‘tick box’ exercise. It should also be noted that it is often down to the individual employee i.e.: how they are feeling and therefore how they react to the support being given. Mindfulness is a very inclusive tool to use to engage with employees as a team or as individuals, as highlighted in our blog ‘Team mindfulness and the importance of taking it seriously’.
As more companies move towards flexible or blended (office-based/virtual) working approaches, when it comes to team and project-based tasks, the mindful approach will act as an enabler for faster integration and a way of reducing reliance on an auto-pilot approach to work.
Employers needs to ask themselves – do they want the same business that they had before COVID, or do they want to continue to build on all that has been learnt?
To discuss the best fit for your business and to discuss your options further with the MindfulnessUK At Work team then please get in touch with Vera Dubrovina-Thompson or Stephanie Unthank.