Mindfulness at Work – 5 tips to improve your work performance

How to deal with the pressure at work and turn our workplace into a pleasant and calm environment?

Companies like Adobe, Facebook, Google, HubSpot and much more have all looked in to alternative ways of dealing with such problems. Mindfulness practice became a part of companies human resources programs. The aim is to help people enhance their ability to concentrate, feel calm, reduce stress and stay in control.

Can mindfulness really help to improve work-related wellbeing and performance at work?

In recent years the concept of mindfulness has become increasingly popular and according to many professionals and academics exploring this topic, it can. In recent years there have been many studies on the general concept of Mindfulness conducted that proved it’s effectiveness. Researchers have started exploring the workplace benefits, finding that it may improve everything from social relationships, memory and task performance.

So what is Mindfulness and how can we practice it?

Mindfulness is an awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” says Kabat-Zinn.

Considering the wide range of definitions, the most conceptualizations of mindfulness have a common element. At the core of most definitions of mindfulness is a focus on the “here and now”.  According to Jon Kabat-Zinn “Mindfulness is an awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” says Kabat-Zinn. “It’s about knowing what is on your mind.” Based on the English Oxford Dictionaries “Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”

Why Are Companies Embracing Mindfulness?

Most organizations are aware of the importance of their human capital and care about the wellbeing and development of their employees. Mindfulness is one of the tools to achieve that. It is simple to learn, quick to put into practice and potentially very powerful. Mindfulness can be practiced during everyday activities and not just when seated in formal meditation. It is just like building your body muscles; by practicing mindfulness we are building the muscles of our attention.

What kind of effects can mindfulness have on our lives?

From the personal point of view, growing bodies of research show that mindfulness can decrease stress, anxiety, increase mental and physical health and cognitive functioning.  What is also very important is that it helps to Improve brain functioning – regular practice of mindfulness increases the brain’s ability to repair itself and grow new neural connections. It also helps to become more empathic.

From the perspective of the employer, it helps to bring the focus of its employees and concentration on the task at hand, enhance engagement, reduce burnout and help employees to cope with organizational changes. Research data also indicates that workplace mindfulness not only improves performance, it also increases the degree of attachment to the employer, which leads to decreased employee turnover.