Tag: mindfulness

2 May 2024
mental health • mindfulness • mindfulness at work •

Why it is time to revisit the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace

Workplace mindfulness is back on the agenda for most major organisations as they look for a sustainable, cost effective and successful approach to supporting employee mental health whilst also boosting engagement, productivity and job satisfaction. 

The 2024 Burnout Report[i] highlighted that in the past year 91% of UK adults reported extreme stress, with nearly a third saying they “frequently” experienced these high levels of stress.  Furthermore, 1 in 5 UK workers having taken time off work for stress in the last 12 months.  This is not only detrimental to productivity, but absence through stress can also make the individual feel like they cannot cope and worsen the cycle of stress and absenteeism.

This is where mindfulness at work comes in. Mindfulness is evidence-based and offers a treasure-trove of benefits to the individual and the organisation.  It can help those suffering to alleviate their stress, develop resilience and regular mindfulness practice helps alleviate personal and professional stressors before they become overwhelming.

Just some of the workplace-boosting benefits include:

Reducing stress and boosting resilience: Mindfulness reduces stress, anxiety and depression symptoms and even decreases the size of the “fight or flight” part of the brain, making people more resilient and less reactive in the face of stressors.  This is essential for employee mental health whilst also helping reduce absenteeism and presenteeism as well as bolstering engagement and productivity at work, even in challenging and stressful times.

Improvements in focus, memory and problem-solving skills: People who regularly engage in mindfulness practice show consistent improvements in concentration and memory function, skills that are undermined by stress and burnout.  These improvements enhance problem-solving skills and are key to individual performance in the workplace, helping employees engage and produce creative responses to challenges posed by work.

Improved Decision-Making Skills: Making difficult decisions is an essential workplace skill, one that is enhanced by mindfulness. People who practice mindfulness report improved confidence in decision-making whilst further research highlighted that it helps employees be more methodical in their approach to challenges and gathering information in order to make decisions.  Regular meditators are also more willing to accept feedback about their decisions rather than interpreting it as criticism.

Increased commitment and satisfaction at work: Research has shown that mindfulness practice contributes to people being able to follow tasks to completion and with fewer errors. Also, satisfaction in the workplace tends to be higher among mindfulness practitioners, brining benefits for the individual and organisation.

Enhanced Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills: Repeatedly studies into mindfulness show that it improves social relationships, reducing conflict and enhancing empathy for others. Employees who practice mindfulness are more reflexive in their responses and have better interpersonal relationships with colleagues, things that organisations rely on to function effectively.

Happier Workers: A regular mindfulness practice brings a host of health benefits including better sleep, improved physical health and improved immune response. People who have improved health tend to cooperate better with others, be calmer and are more likely to be settled and happy in the workplace.

With all these benefits, do not be the organisation that gets left behind.  In-house or online mindfulness sessions, courses and workshops are an excellent way to bring mindfulness and its resultant benefits into the workplace.  You have nothing to lose but so much to gain if you do.

For more information see our Mindfulness Services

Getting Started

[i] https://euc7zxtct58.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/19145241/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2024.pdf

5 October 2023
brain-hack • improve-focus • mindfulness • mindfulness course • mindfulness workshop •

Mindfulness: The brain hack your organisation needs.

A cursory glance at best seller lists, wellbeing social media sites and anywhere else we go for advice will show that the world is searching for help in alleviating the stress of living in our uncertain world. Amongst all the short-term suggestions, fad-diets and urges to ‘hustle’ or ‘change-up your life’, the one approach that is reliable, evidence-based and proven to develop resilience and reduce stress, is mindfulness – a type of “brain-hack” that has provable benefits for the individual and the organisations they work for.

In addition to the personal life and societal stressors so many of us are struggling with, plus record-breaking levels of work-related stress, overwhelm and burnout, nearly one-million workers experiencing work-related stress, anxiety or depression. This is bad news for the worker and their employers alike. People facing higher levels of stress are less likely to perform at their best, are more likely to be disengaged at work, and are taking more days off sick due to stress than ever before.

Increasingly, progressive organisations are turning to mindfulness, providing sessions and courses for staff, boosting both the mental health of employees and their performance at work.  The benefits of this practice make it easy to see why organisations are turning to this tried and tested practice:

Benefits –

Reduces stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms: Mindfulness is clinically proven to reduce stress markers such as heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels.  It reduces anxiety and depression symptoms and even decreases the size of the amygdala, the “fight or flight” part of the brain, making people less reactive in the face of stressors.

Improves focus, memory and problem-solving skills: People who regularly engage in mindfulness practice show consistent improvements in their focus and concentration, enhanced memory functioning as well as being more resilient when facing and solving challenges. These skills are essential for meeting our professional responsibilities.

Increases commitment and happiness at work: Research has shown that mindfulness practice contributes to people being able to follow tasks to completion and with fewer errors. Also, satisfaction in the workplace tends to be higher among mindfulness practitioners, brining benefits for the individual and organisation.

Enhances Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills: Repeatedly studies into mindfulness show that it improves social relationships, reducing conflict and enhancing empathy for others. Employees who practice mindfulness are more reflexive in their responses and have better interpersonal relationships with colleagues, things that organisations rely on to function.

Develops Resilience: Mindfulness cultivates resilience and the ability to mange change effectively.  Businesses thrive in a dynamic environment and organisational change is feature of the modern workplace, but change can be unsettling for individuals, impacting their performance.  Mindfulness cultivates the resources needed to cope with change, promoting objectivity and equilibrium at times of difficulty.

How to implement Mindfulness in your workplace

At Wellbeing Partners we specialise in offering a full range of workplace mindfulness services led by our team of experts, all qualified to Masters degree level in Mindfulness Studies, and with many years experience of providing mindfulness in the workplace.

Regular mindfulness sessions: We provide regular in-person or online 30 minute mindfulness sessions in workplaces, which encourage employees into the workplace, and provide a regular time each week to engage in this beneficial practice.  

One hour Mindfulness workshops: These one hour highly interactive workshops are an ideal lunch and learn offering that encourage employees into the workplace to enjoy the benefits of evidence-based learning. On offer are sessions such as:

  • “An Introduction to Mindfulness
  • “Mindfulness in Daily Life”
  • “Mindfulness for Resilience”
  • “A Mindful Approach to Sleep”
  • “Mindfulness for Parents”
  • “Mindfulness for Men”
  • “Dynamic Mindfulness”

Mindfulness Courses: Our evidence-based courses are highly interactive and facilitated by our mindfulness teachers who specialise in MBCT and MBSR. Each course is one hour per week for 4-8 weeks, and is for groups of up to 15 people in your workplace:

  • 8 week Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for reducing anxiety, catastrophising and depression
  • 8 week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for reducing stress & anxiety, overcoming burnout and improving sleep
  • 4 week Facing Anxiety and Flourishing – a short course using mindfulness and CBT techniques to help employees who struggle with anxiety

Online Wellbeing Retreat: Our popular “Online Wellbeing Retreat” is an online hour of interactive relaxation including segments on physical stretching & improving energy with our physiotherapist, relaxing the mind & cultivating gratitude with our counselling psychotherapist, and grounding & engaging with the senses with our mindfulness teacher.

Getting Started

5 April 2016
absenteeism • anxiety • mental health • mental health at work • mindfulness • presenteeism • stress • stress audit • workplace • workshops •

Mental Health in the Workplace

February 2016 – According to a new report on mental health of employees from Business in the Community, only a third of employees would admit to stress, anxiety or depression as the genuine reason for taking time off work, despite mental health issues being the leading cause of absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace.

70 million days of work are lost each year across the UK due to workers suffering from stress, depression and other mental health issues. Silence on the issue from employees is both crippling for the individuals and increasingly costly for employers. The Centre for Mental Health calculates that absenteeism alone costs the UK economy £8.4 billion per annum.

Is it time for your company to consider a stress & anxiety management programme to reduce the burden of work-related stress issues in your workplace?

Even in companies where there is no clear indication of workplace stress or anxiety issues, we often come across employees who are suffering in silence from stress-related illness, using unhealthy coping strategies such as alcohol abuse, substance abuse, self harm and eating disorders. These lead to absenteeism and the resulting loss of productivity. With presenteeism also on the rise, employees are coming to work disengaged, tired, unmotivated and too stressed to work.

Wellbeing Partners Ltd provides an affordable range of stress and anxiety management services which offer both preventative and remedial care for your employees. From our very popular 45 minute workshops – Reducing Your Stress & Anxiety Workshop, the Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop – plus weekly 20-minute Mindfulness Sessions in your office, on-site Counselling & Psychotherapy for Individuals, Stress & Anxiety Management Sessions for Individuals, and Individual Mindfulness Tuition for Individuals. We also provide a full programme of Healthy Eating Workshops, Reducing Sugar From Your Diet Workshops, Fitness Instructors, Pilates, Yoga & Massage Services – all in your workplace.

A Confidential Company Stress Audit by an independent and highly qualified provider such as Wellbeing Partners can help you to understand the hidden emotional burden of stress, anxiety and mental health issues on your employees and the commensurate financial and productivity burden on your organisation.

Please email [email protected] or call Nick Winfield on 07773 767248 for more information and prices on our preventative and remedial stress & anxiety management services, mindfulness services, nutrition services and physical wellbeing services.

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