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Category: Employee Retention

Why Mindfulness is Gaining Popularity in the Business World

Mindfulness - Live in the Moment

The practice of mindfulness meditation is gaining popularity in the business world. Celebrities swear by it, politicians practice it, and businesses use it to prevent burnout. Why?

Work can be a stressful place, and with companies trying to keep an eye on the bottom line while simultaneously improving productivity, many workers may find themselves with more responsibilities than ever before. While there is no way to totally eliminate stress from the workplace, some companies are doing what they can to help employees relax. Mindfulness has gained interest because it allows us to better manage stress and anxiety. Furthermore, it has quickly become a tool within businesses to increase the productivity and well-being of employees.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is not a new idea. The concept can be traced back to the fifth century BC. Mindfulness is a practice involved in various religious and secular traditions—from Hinduism and Buddhism to yoga and, more recently, non-religious meditation. People have been practicing mindfulness for thousands of years, whether on its own or as part of a larger tradition. 

So what exactly is mindfulness?  Simply, mindfulness is meditation. It’s an Mindfulnessancient Buddhist practice which is about paying attention in a particular way, in the present moment, on purpose and non-judgmentally. According to Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, mindfulness is the art of being in the “now”—living fully in the present. It focuses on becoming fully aware of one’s thoughts and feelings and accepting them, but not attaching or reacting to them. With mindfulness, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in any given moment.

Mindfulness has many positive benefits, including lowering stress levels, improving sleep and brain function, and protecting against depression and anxiety. Research even suggests that mindfulness can help people better cope with rejection and social isolation.

Companies and Politicians Practicing Mindfulness

A number of well-known companies are promoting mindfulness programs in the workplace including Google, Apple, Nike, University of Iowa Healthcare, Procter & Gamble, and Yahoo.

Even politicians are using mindfulness meditation in their approach to politics. For example, Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan is one of a growing group of prominent politicians incorporating mindfulness into their approach. Ryan has become an evangelist for meditation on Capitol Hill and is encouraging other lawmakers to try it. He’s securing federal funding for a pilot meditation program at schools in his district, and is even writing a book, “A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit.” And, he’s not alone.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to Bill Clinton and Republican lawmaker Mark Sanford are a growing number of politicians using daily mindfulness meditation.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Numerous clinical trials have shown the positive effect mindfulness has on the brain including wellbeing and happiness:

  • Improves mood and levels of happiness and well-being1
  • Reduces day-to-day anxiety and prevents and treats depression2
  • Increases engagement in the workplace because mindfulness helps to create a positive culture at work. Absence levels are reduced and employee retention improves. Job satisfaction increases and productivity is higher.
  • Supports a healthy work life balance—by paying attention to how things are and not judging things in any way can help you respond more effectively in all areas of your life.

Conclusion

Practicing mindfulness meditation helps to be more present, as well as less judgmental, more patient, and able to see things from a new perspective.

Not sure if mindfulness is right for you? Give it a try – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Clinical Trials – Footnotes:

1Mindfulness and Mood Disorders in the Brain

2 Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Effects of Anxiety and Stress Reactivity

The Misconception About Being “Downsized” or “Laid Off”

The Misconception About Being “Downsized” or “Laid Off”

In the last four years, my career has taken some unexpected turns. First, the hospital where I worked for years needed to become as lean as possible given that the healthcare industry was undergoing major changes. The uncertainty of how healthcare reform would affect our industry, including how hospitals would be paid for their services, called for conservative measures. Our department, along with many others, was streamlined in anticipation of this trend. I was “downsized” or “laid off” as were many others in the organization. I was out of work for seven months.

After I lost my job, I went through an outplacement agency. Unbeknownst to me, the outplacement agency sent my resume to an outpatient facility dedicated to treating patients with opioid addiction and substance abuse. One of the job responsibilities was to detox patients for their inability to pay. I was so worried about never getting hired again that I felt I had to take the job. At the time, I was in school pursuing a degree in communications, so eight months later I decided to leave the job to pursue other possibilities within my chosen career field.

I was so happy to receive a job offer where I would be gaining experience in my chosen field. During my interview, I was informed that the company was going through a rebranding and a Board restructure. Six months later, it happened again. I was laid off, along with many others, as part of the restructuring process.

It took me 11 months to find my next job. During that time, I focused my efforts on doing an internship in marketing and communications and taking classes to enhance my current degree.

Once again, worried about never getting hired, I took the first job offer. The company was not quite the right fit for my long-term goals and there were no opportunities for advancement. After six months, I left for what I thought was a better opportunity.

“Laid Off” Not Once, Not Twice…But

DownsizedTwo weeks after I was lured away from a secure job, I was informed by my new employer that they were retiring and closing the business. I was devastated.

I’ve now been looking for work for seven months.

After the first two layoffs, I was confident that my longtime excellent work reputation and continuing determination to find the right position would serve me well.

Millions of people have been laid off.

Today, it’s the norm for employers to regularly restructure to keep their staff lean and mean. Layoffs are never going away.

From what I have seen, companies are hiring more contract workers. Contractors are here to stay. Why? Essentially, companies no longer feel they have the ability to offer long-term, full-time jobs. Full-time employees are very expensive, or many companies have implemented hiring freezes; however, they still need experienced people to perform the work. Also, contractors can cost less in terms of fully loaded costs as companies are not required to pay for benefits like vacations, sick leave, or medical insurance. Even if the contractors are higher priced on an hourly basis, it might be less expensive for the company to hire them for a project or limited time.

I feel that stable employment may be a thing of the past. Furthermore, as long as employers have the power with the “at will” state law to terminate employment, there will always be many unjustifiably terminated employees.

Employee Retention Tips

It’s Friday afternoon and one of your employees asks for a private meeting. The conversation ends with an unexpected resignation from someone you’ve grown to rely on. Perhaps the person was reliable, knowledgeable, or working on a critical project. If this has ever happened to you, you’re not alone. Although you didn’t see it coming and you hate to lose the person, abrupt employee departures can be especially hard for managers.

Intrinsic motivation means that an individual’s motivational stimuli comes from within and can include acceptance, appreciation, curiosity, independence, social contact, and social status. In contrast, extrinsic motivation is controlled by outside forces such as money, benefits package, bonuses, and employee of the month.

When employees feel that their work is not appreciated, their morale can quickly deteriorate. This can ultimately lead to reduced performance and productivity and can cause some employees to look for employment elsewhere. Keeping employees engaged and motivated is essential. Verbal recognition and rewarding performance, even for small contributions, is important. If employees feel valued and appreciated for their achievements, they make a difference to you and your company.

Employee retentionThere are many ways an employer can show recognition and appreciation to their employees. Shouldn’t you take the time to find out before they end up leaving? Sometimes all it takes is a thank you or a pat on the back or a small luncheon or perhaps some schedule flexibility. If a client or someone from another department sends you an email sharing an amazing experience they had with one of your employees, then share it. Showing appreciation could even be as simple as asking employees for their input or opinions about something important on a project. The possibilities are endless but one thing is for sure. Showing appreciation for each employee will improve staff retention.

All employees need positive reinforcement. It is important that you do not take employees for granted especially in an already overworked and understaffed workforce.

Even if managers do all of these things effectively, some people will still leave to pursue other opportunities. This is particularly true for top performers.

Retaining employees takes a lot of hard work, but so does replacing them. Research has shown that retaining staff is not related to extrinsic motivation and compensation—it’s about intrinsic factors such as appreciation, recognition, acceptance, social status, communication, and teamwork.

 

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