Mindfulness at work: what are its benefits?

This practice generates effects that have a positive impact on organizations and productivity.

Mindfulness is a philosophy of life that provides people with greater well-being and a much more adaptive and productive way of behaving, which is why it has become fashionable in these times.

Nowadays we live in this busy world almost without stopping for a single moment to live in the present moment, or to connect with ourselves. We spend the whole day ruminating and judging ourselves negatively when things don't go our way (whether our beliefs are realistic or not). We live on autopilot and this affects our happiness.

In this article we will focus on Mindfulness and its benefits in the work environment..

Mindfulness in the workplace

For those who are familiar with psychology, it is no longer strange to hear about Mindfulness, since it is one of the most important paradigms of recent times in the science of behavior (although its origin is ancestral). Mindfulness is applied in many fields: school, therapy consultations, etc.Mindfulness is applied in many areas: school, psychological therapy consultations (mainly with the MBSR or MBCT), in the world of sports and also in the workplace.

Research makes it clear that Mindfulness brings benefits at an individual level (which you can check in the article "Mindfulness: 8 benefits of mindfulness"), but does it also work for companies? Evidently, yes, because the practice of mindfulness benefits the human capital of a company and its well-being, and therefore its productivity and the performance of its workers.

Now, what are the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace? Below you can find the answer to this question.

1. Improves leadership skills

Mindfulness is positive for middle and senior management of a company because it helps them to be more aware, more emotionally intelligent, helps them to relate better to subordinates, to inspire a shared vision and to enjoy greater self-confidence.

This is the finding of A.D. Amar and colleagues at the University of Westminster, who measured the self-perceived leadership skills of a group of senior managers in the London area before and after attending a 12-week Mindfulness program.

2. Improves employee well-being

Employee well-being is closely related to the success of the company. That is, if workers feel happier and enjoy greater satisfaction in the organization in which they work, they perform better.

There are many researches that have found that Mindfulness improves the well-being of employees because it helps them to have a more positive attitude towards problems and helps them to resolve both internal and external conflicts.

3. Reduces stress

Stress is closely linked to the well-being and satisfaction of workers, and we could say that they are extreme poles. In the work environment, many studies have concluded that the MBSR (Mindfulness based stress reduction program) is extremely effective for reducing anxiety and stress levels in workers..

In fact, a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that sought to find out if this program was effective in a group of workers of the American multinational Dow Chemical Company proved so, as employees became more resistant to stress and improved their job satisfaction.

4. Improved emotional intelligence

Higher productivity, more sales, better handling of difficult situations, greater self-knowledge, better communication or better customer service are some of the benefits that the Emotional Intelligence brings in the field of work and organizations.. Well, Mindfulness has been shown to improve emotional intelligence and, therefore, brings all these benefits.

• If you want to learn more about the positive consequences of emotional intelligence at work, you can read this article: "The benefits of emotional intelligence at work".

5. Improves concentration and attention span

Several researchers have found that mindfulness training can help increase attention span and concentration. This is what appears in the conclusions of a study led by Amishi Jha, Professor of Psychology and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience at the University of Miami. These conclusions were drawn after the application of a Mindfulness program for eight weeks to a group of students.

6. Improves memory

The above study also found that Mindfulness improves memory, and a separate research conducted in 2013 by the University of California at Santa Barbara found that a two-week mindfulness course improved a group of students' college scores and increased their working memory by reducing distraction and intrusive thoughts. and intrusive thoughts.

7. Improves communication

The practice of mindfulness improves communication skills such as active listening. There are many studies that have proven this, and as stated by Javier García Campayodirector of the Master in Mindfulness at the University of Zaragoza, "Mindfulness improves internal communication in organizations because it helps us to be more aware and to express ourselves more efficiently".

8. Improves relationships with co-workers

Mindfulness helps us to be centered in the present moment with a non-judgmental mindset, which means that we relate better with other people and improve communication with them. Mindfulness helps reduce the frequency of conflicts and promotes group cohesion. promotes group cohesionso necessary for teamwork.

9. Improves creativity

"Mindfulness is not only useful for improving well-being, because thanks to meditation we can be more relaxed, with a calmer mind, which helps to create a space to generate new ideas," says psychologist Aron Alma, Team Building expert at the Human Resources consultancy TeamLogics.

10. Improves productivity

All of the above benefits make companies perform better and better, because when human capital is happy with the workplace and the company in and the company they work for, the company notices it. Betting on the workers is betting on the organization.

Mindfulness for companies: Psicotools, experts in team building

If you want your company to have specialized training in Mindfulness in order to experience first-hand the benefits and effects of Mindfulness, or for your team to improve their wellbeing, Psicotools Barcelona is the most recognized center in Spain. Thanks to this you will be able to deepen in the most common techniques of meditation based on Mindfulness, so that you and your team can improve your capacity of attention and emotional balance.

These trainings and Mindfulness sessions are led by Ferran García de Palau García-Faria, one of the most experienced and recognized professionals in Europe.

• If you want more information, you can click on this link.