The New Corporate Activities: Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Reducing stress, boosting creativity and focus… Ultimately, "quieting" our mind so we can see the reality around us more clearly. Mindfulness is one of those new corporate activities that's been on everyone's lips for a couple of years now, and, just as it has in medicine or education, it's also found its place in the business world.

Mindfulness could be translated into Spanish as something like "full attention". Dr. Vicente Simón, a professor at the University of Valencia, defines it more as the act of "quieting the mind in order to see clearly". What this Buddhist-tradition practice aims to do is simply get individuals to meditate without passing any kind of judgment on what they feel or think at that moment. Emotions and thoughts aren't controlled. We simply let ourselves be guided by the present moment, using breathing and silence as our guide.

Corporate Activities Against Stress

It's curious that a practice like this one, more than 2,500 years old, is now having such an impact in the Western world. This "boom" that Mindfulness is experiencing is closely linked to our current standard of living and the stress individuals endure due to the sheer number of tasks and activities they need to get through in a day. We're multitasking, both in our personal and family lives, and also professionally.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described stress as a major global epidemic of our century. And rightly so. According to a recent survey by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more than 28% of European workers suffer from stress, the second most common workplace health issue after back pain…

And What Benefits Does Mindfulness Bring to a Company?

According to experts, ongoing practice of Mindfulness as a corporate activity directly affects employees, reducing their stress levels and boosting their ability to concentrate, which leads to fewer accidents, lower absenteeism, fewer conflicts between employees, higher professional performance… and, ultimately, helps employees become freer, more creative and happier at work.

A corporate Mindfulness activity involves taking a pause during the day, learning to listen to our body, training our mind to focus only on the present moment, unlike what happens with chronic stress. A practice that, little by little, is finding its way into the business world, with many companies now offering their employees what's known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Programmes.

Among the benefits Mindfulness brings employees are some like:

• Greater ease handling moments of work stress.
• More calm and stability day to day.
• Greater clarity when making decisions.
• Greater ability to build and sustain healthy work habits.
• Greater involvement and participation in teamwork.
• Greater creativity and professional performance.

What Is Mindful Leadership?

The practice of Mindfulness at work is also a powerful leadership tool. Today, leaders are forced to operate in highly hostile environments. A leader shouldn't just be able to manage their own stress — they also need to be aware and in tune with themselves in order to excel in their work environment. That's why many companies (especially in the United States) already choose to design specific Mindful Leadership programmes for their executives, as training to improve leadership within their organisations.

As with everything, the most important thing when choosing to introduce a corporate activity like this is to have the right resources and professionals, to tailor the programme to each company or organisation's specific characteristics. At Kaizen Coaching we have extensive experience with Mindfulness-based corporate activities, always making the most experienced, qualified professionals available to you.

If you're thinking about designing a Mindfulness programme for your company and employees, don't hesitate to get in touch with us with no obligation, and we'll give you detailed information about what corporate Mindfulness involves — an increasingly popular activity that offers benefits to both employees and companies, and helps build a happier, more motivated society.