Enhancing Business Performance with Meditation

How can meditation give you an edge in business and in life?

There used to be a misunderstanding of meditation, being perceived as a new-age practice that only enlightened individuals with a predisposition to Eastern religious teachings embrace. Over the last few years, countless of innovative companies and even longstanding giants in their industries such as Google, Apple or Nike, have introduced meditation and mindfulness into their workplace.

Meditation is just one part of a corporate mindfulness programme. Mindfulness solutions cover all aspects of mental wellbeing of the employees with the ultimate result of improved work-life balance, performance, stress-reduction and burnout prevention, and in turn resulting in less absenteeism, sick leave days, increased productivity, employee engagement and retention. Overall, it is a win-win for all.

Employers recognize that mental health is a growing area of concern that impacts productivity, turnover and the bottom line. In UK for example, mental health is the leading cause of sick leave, with 70 million sick days per year, more than half of 130 million sick days total every year.

And companies are taking action. There are corporate silent meditation retreats. Meditation classes have become a standard part of employee wellbeing programmes. Express meditation has become a practice for high level executives before important meetings or presentations. The tech industry has infiltrated the market with apps such as Calm, Insight Timer, Headspace or Simple Habit. Companies can hire the services of meditation instructors and master mindfulness practitioners, that lead the teams in the fundamentals of inward reflection and give them the tools to maintain the practice. Mindfulness at the workplace has become mainstream.

So let’s look at how meditation, being a part of a corporate mindfulness programme, gives you and your employees an edge and helps you achieve your business goals.

You’ve probably heard that meditation increases focus, memory, and compassion, according to a range of studies. Yet only 8% of us do it. This number could get a boost soon, as employers introduce the practice into group settings in the workplace.

So, practically speaking, how can you and your employees benefit from meditation? Research says meditation works for individuals. But does it work in the bottom-line-driven workplace, or is it just a frivolous feel-good program?

Improved focus, improved efficiency, improved attention-span, and less errors

The practice of meditation positively alters your mind. Improved focus is among the top advantages of this practice. At the workplace, distractions inundate us. Multiple screens notifying you of matters that deserve your attention, co-workers that disrupt your workflow with their needs, and your wandering mind all influence your ability to keep focused.

Meditating, over time, helps you regulate your attention and enhances your ability to remain focused on a task for longer periods of time. Ideally, multitasking makes us more efficient, but in reality, it makes us more prone to mistakes. We only have limited bandwidth and cognitive capacity to execute tasks swiftly and error-free. A more precise level of focus will help you complete assignments more efficiently, with more attention to details and less errors.

Increased creativity, intuition and problem-solving ability

Self-examination improves your creativity and problem-solving. The calming effects of connected breathing and deep inner thoughts alleviate stress and anxieties. By not preoccupying yourself with the pressures of work and obligations that will ultimately pass, in meditating, you can think both inside and outside the box. Often the answer may be right in front of you and slowing down your mind helps you to connect with your intuition and see the solution.

The tranquility that meditation brings allows you to make judgments quicker and easier. And if an issue requires an inventive approach, sitting with yourself in a quiet atmosphere, you can push yourself towards imaginative and creative solutions.

Improved self-discipline, resilience, and patience

Self-reflection is a discipline that keeps you disciplined. During the first couple of meditation sessions, your mind will race with other thoughts amidst the stillness. In time, however, you will resiliently learn to focus and be patient. The discipline in practice itself, will condition you to be more regimented at work.

Better decision making and performance under pressure

Mindfulness leads to better decision making and being less reactive. Meditation is about observing rather than forcibly participating. You will be able to address situations with a more open mind. Tolerance gained from meditating will help you handle issues that are out of your control with calmness and patience. Rather than getting hung up on mundane details, acceptance and moving forward will prevail.

Meditation also improves automatic responses to stress and work pressure and helps employees to regain an element of control. This might be extremely helpful in responding to challenging work situations in a better way. With regular practice, you will start to see failures in a positive light as introspection shows all shortcomings as teaching moments and lessons. The focus won’t be on what was lost, but what was gained in the process.

Improved self-confidence for employees and leaders

Meditation significantly enhances overall self-confidence, self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. You gain a greater awareness of your inner strength and ability to handle any situations with ease and calmness.

Improved people management skills for leaders

The more mindful the supervisor, the lower their employees’ emotional exhaustion and the higher their job satisfaction. Mindful leaders create better rapport with their workforce, who are then less likely to feel frustration and in turn appreciate their work environment. Mindful leadership builds loyal and dedicated workforce.

Enhanced overall well-being

Several studies have shown that mindfulness and meditation can cut stress while enhancing the resiliency and well-being of employees. The benefits have a long term effect and have been measured to make a difference even 6 months after completing a mindfulness programme. Researchers have found that employees that take mindfulness and meditation classes, were less stressed, more resilient, and more energetic even 6 months later, compared to a control group that didn’t take the class.

Less sickness and absenteeism

Meditation can lead to less long-term health risks and absenteeism. If workers are taking preventive steps to avoid a toll on their mental well-being, their body and mind will reward them with a healthier operating system. Workplace stress is in lockstep with employee sickness and mindful practices can prevent significant health risks.

So we know that meditation has significant benefits for overall mental wellbeing. But is meditating in a group with your team members or co-workers beneficial for the employer?

While meditation is often perceived as a solitary practice, experts say there are several reasons why it’s better done as a group.

It is easier to focus - Meditation is about compassion and collective consciousness, rather than just reducing one’s own stress and anxiety. Meditating in a group may make it easier to focus on these objectives, increasing the ability to override unconscious biases and get the most out of the exercise.

It strengthens the sense of team-work and community - Even focusing inward in total silence, there is a palpable sense of community, support, and connection that you feel when you meditate with others. People are more likely to show up and participate it if others are expecting them to be there.

Beginner meditation practices include discussion periods where people share their experiences, which can be powerful. Very often, participants discover that their own experiences, whether positive or negative, are very common. This not only validates their own feelings to help them feel at ease, but it also leads to a deep understanding of just how similar we all are.

It promotes compassion towards others in the team - Meditation can help you practice being neutral, having compassion, and letting go of thoughts and judgments of others.

It leads to greater calm, preventing workplace conflict - Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes bonding, is likely to be more in abundance in a situation where people can communicate and interact freely over a shared experience. This lowers our guard, makes us warmer toward others and can induce a calmer state, as well as encouraging feelings of acceptance and belonging, rather than isolation. Employees are able to handle conflicts within the team or within the workplace with more control and calmness.

It prevents mental burn-out - feelings of low energy and exhaustion, negative feelings toward or disengagement from the job and reduced professional effectiveness are common signs of a burn-out. These symptoms are triggered directly by work-place stress that has not been addressed, including unreasonable workload, tight deadlines and conflicts with superiors or co-workers. Meditation practice can help employees manage early signs of burn-out and reduce stress and anxiety related to workplace performance, leading to a more fulfilled and balanced life.

Most organizations are aware of the importance of their human capital and care about the wellbeing and development of their employees.

Typically employers attempts to calculate the return on any investment they have made and quantifying the financial return of a mindfulness programme may prove to be initially challenging. However, there is plenty of evidence and research that can provide some guidelines. For example, in one of the controlled trials, researchers observed a 20% increase in productivity in employees randomized to a short mindfulness training (Aikens et al., 2014). They even estimated employer savings per year due to reduced burnout of about $22,000 per employee based on an average wage of $100,000.

Well-planned programmes implemented after careful consideration with specific outcomes always provide a return on any investment made.

However, in essence, meditation and mindfulness is more than a mere productivity tool. It is a different quality of relating to yourself and to the world.

While it may well enhance performance and improve resilience, it is cultivating the most important connection of all – the connection at the level of the human mind and heart.

We are all in it together.

Let me guide you.

Magda