Communicating & Managing Mindfulness & Meditation in the Workplace

This is a guest post by Doug Robb, Managing Director of Melbourne healthcare communications agency Communovate.

In part one of this two part series we made the observation that five years ago discussing mental health simply wasn’t done, particularly in the workplace. Can you imagine what would have happened if you’d raised the issue of mindfulness or meditation? Summon the sniffer dogs immediately.

For those of you familiar with the Beatles, your first, and possibly only exposure to the concept of meditation was probably that of the transcendental variety, which may sound like a Star Trek teleporting technique, but was derived from the Yogi masters of India.

To some, meditation still carries a spiritual ‘tag’, but the integration into mainstream medicine has progressed significantly. Importantly, you’ll be pleased to know that meditation, and its close cousin mindfulness, are also creeping into business.

Mind matters

The father of the mindfulness movement is Jon Kabat-Zinn, who along with others, devoted a lot of effort to establishing the medical credentials with a number of scientific studies. In fact, Kabat-Zinn’s work has become established in many medical practices, including those of the Duke, Harvard and Massachusetts Universities in the USA and amongst health professionals in the UK.

The business world has also been impressed by the findings of the American Institute of Health, the University of Massachusetts, and the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University. These evidence-based studies suggest the following benefits of mindfulness/meditation for business:

• Reduced costs of staff absenteeism caused by illness, injury, stress
• Improved cognitive function – including better concentration, memory, learning ability and creativity
• Improved productivity and improved overall staff and business wellbeing
• Reduced staff turnover and associated costs
• Enhanced employer/employee and client relationships
• Enhanced employee job satisfaction

And on the personal front, other studies suggest improvements in immune system function, brain function, sleeping, depression and anxiety.

It probably comes as no surprise that the early adopters of mindfulness in the workplace were Apple, Google and Yahoo. But they’ve now been joined by some very traditional companies.

Where to start

According to Worksafe Victoria, risks to psychological health due to work should be viewed the same way as other health and safety risks. In fact, the Occupational Health & Safety Act 2004 also alerts us to our duty of care for psychosocial health, particularly stress.

So perhaps the best place to start is to acknowledge that mental wellness in the workplace is a responsibility and to ensure that the appropriate department in your organisation is aware of that.

However, as we saw above, there are myriad positive benefits that go well beyond just preventing issues, so here are some suggested steps to a happier, healthier workplace:

Step 1: Create the environment for your new program (See Part One)

Unless you’ve prepped the audience for this new initiative, you run the risk of people feeling negative about the program, or perhaps even threatened. Meditation is for hippies etc. Begin by communicating the proven scientific benefits of mindfulness and the personal benefits participants will enjoy.

Step 2: Don’t introduce the program in isolation

In modern terms, if you’re going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.

While Step 1 prepares the emotional environment for the introduction of the program, we also need to create the right physical environment and attitude from management. For example, if your goal is to encourage employees to practice meditation during working hours, then you need to dedicate a room or office as a meditation ‘retreat’, and furnish it accordingly.

Or if your program goes as far as including yoga, you’ll need to ensure people have the time and facilities to get changed.

The move to mindfulness is often enhanced with other demonstrations of the commitment to holistic wellness, for example, a communal relaxation or recreation area, or even just better kitchen/coffee facilities.

However, many companies without the budget or space for facilities provide training on the techniques of mindfulness and meditation and encourage employees to practice in the home environment. After all, these techniques will help both their personal and working lives.

Step 3: Use an external consultant

There are a growing number of organisations that can facilitate mindfulness and meditation workshops in the business environment. An external facilitator, removes the threat and potential embarrassment associated with a member of staff being involved in what can be a very personal and deep process. After all, this is about relaxation.

A simple search with Google or Yellow Pages will reveal your local providers. Many of these providers are trained psychologists or psychotherapists, but that may not be essential. Ask for case studies, references and testimonials.

Finally, mindfulness is about being present in the moment, focusing on whatever you’re doing at that moment, instead of worrying about things that might happen or that did happen and you can’t do anything about. Or as the father of mindfulness Jon Kabat-Zinn says, “You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

Grab a board and get on board.

Doug Robb is the Managing Director of Communovate, a healthcare communications agency based in Melbourne. Communovate has been involved in the development and management of a number of successful support programs from nutrition to multiple sclerosis and many things in between. Doug has had over 30 years experience in healthcare communication and has a special interest in encouraging and promoting mental wellness.