The challenges of today’s workplace are intense. Staff have to maintain focus in the face of multiple demands from emails, phone-calls, meetings etc. and consistently work to the high standards however intense the pressure. Mindfulness Training can help
Workplace studies show that those completing a mindfulness training course experience significant improvements in their emotional intelligence, perceived-stress levels and mental health. Mindfulness training increases activity in the left prefrontal cortex – a predictor of happiness and well-being; and it boosts immune response, helping to defend against illness.
What we Offer
If you’re interested in mindfulness training in your workplace please Call us on (+44) (0)7910 829084 or email us at info@mindfulnessinaction.co.uk
Every situation is different and we can adapt to your needs. Typically we can offer:
- a taster session including presentations, mindfulness practices and discussion. The aim is to introduce the principles of mindfulness, give participants some experience of it, leave them with some simple tools for managing stress and suggest ways of following up the taster.
- Mindfulness workshops in the workplace itself. The options range from a full eight-week course to something tailor-made for the needs of your organisation.
- Participating in a mindfulness course run by Mindfulness in Action or one of our sister organisations.
- Telephone coaching: a good way to go through an MBSR mindfulness course one-to-one at a time that is mutually convenient.
- One-to-one mindfulness coaching sessions for senior management.
Media: Three Keys to Mindful Leadership Coaching (Forbes Magazine)
How Mindfulness Skills Help in the Workplace
Studies at Harvard and elsewhere show people completing mindfulness courses also develop skills that are especially valuable in a working environment. Just eight weeks of training brings a significant increase in brain grey matter concentration in regions of the brain associated with sustained attention, emotional regulation and perspective taking. These are vital capacities in the workplace:
- Sustained Attention
Mindfulness training reduces the functional impairments associated with high-stress challenges that demand high levels of cognitive control, self-awareness, situational awareness and emotional regulation. People completing courses are better able to remain calm and focused in the face of multiple demands. They can communicate more clearly, direct thoughts more appropriately and focus more consistently.
- Emotional Regulation & Perspective Taking
The enhanced capacity for regulating emotions and taking a balanced perspective makes for more effective teams. Working relationships are improved and so are relationships with clients and other stakeholders. A study carried out in the US Marine Corps found that those marines who trained in mindfulness experienced improved mood and working memory. Under pressure, they were more capable of complex thought and problem solving, and they had better control of their emotions.
- Reduced Stress Levels and Lower Absenteeism
Mindfulness training has been shown to help with stress, anxiety, depression and addictive behaviours and has a positive effect on physical problems like hypertension, heart disease and chronic pain. This accounts for some of its impact on absenteeism. Among the participants who took part in a mindfulness programme carried out at Transport for London, days off sick due to stress, anxiety and depression fell by 70% and absences for all health conditions fell by 50%.
- Rational Decision Making
People who have trained in mindfulness have been shown to make more rational decisions. At times of economic decision-making, meditators activate a different network of brain areas to non-meditators and that enables them to uncouple negative emotional reactions from their behaviour.
- Training in Corporate Social Responsibility
Creating a successful and sustainable business is about more than financial results. Meditation has been found to be a highly effective means of training managers in corporate social responsibility. Mindfulness training significantly raises managers’ levels of care and concern, and that changes their behaviour. They listen more attentively; show greater emotional alertness and empathise more readily.