5 Tips for Starting a Mindfulness Program At Your Company
Let’s face it. Employees are Zoomed out, stressed out, and worn out. Whether they’re working at home with rowdy toddlers or trudging through a day at the office with limited connection to others, it’s all getting a little old. Anxiety levels are on the rise and patience is thinning. So, what if you could offer your employees some practical mindfulness and meditation tools that would aid them in managing stress, whether it’s work-related or personal?
Mindfulness and meditation practices have been growing in popularity, especially over the past year, and with good reason. These practices encourage you to quiet the mind and the constant chattering thoughts and self-talk that often sabotage our emotions and behaviors. Through breath and body awareness, you come more fully into the present moment, leaving behind anxiety and worries, which are typically related to concerns about past or future events. With time and practice, those who utilize mindfulness and meditation can cultivate tools that help them manage stress more effectively and gain a more positive perspective.
It may seem frivolous, or perhaps just too overwhelming of an undertaking to start a program dedicated to mindfulness, but it could also pay priceless dividends in the long run, in the form of employee well-being, satisfaction, ease, and productivity. But where to start?
First, let’s get one thing straight. You don’t have to be a large company like Google or LinkedIn to make this happen. ANY company can put together a mindfulness program that fits with their culture and budget. Here are a few tips for getting started.
1. Align With Culture and Objectives
Find out the best practices that other companies similar to yours are using. You’ll also want to try to determine the level of interest among your employees. Remember, however, they may need some education and experience before forming solid opinions.
It’s important to point out that programs like these should of course, be optional. While mindfulness is completely non-denominational, some may just not be into it. If you expect resistance among certain employees, you may want to start with a smaller group at first.
2. Find an Expert
You don’t have to do it yourself — get help from someone with experience. First, look close to home. Maybe someone in your company already has a solid practice and might be willing to head up your new program. Or perhaps they can connect you with a trained mindfulness teacher. If not, another great place to start is Mindful.org, which offers a teacher directory.
3. Utilize Existing Resources
There are some wonderful, free online resources that offer meditations and trainings. One of our favorites is the Mindfulness Daily at Work by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, a 40-day program of 15-minute mindfulness teachings and meditations that gives practical tips for applying what you are learning to work-related scenarios. Currently, it is available for free. Apps such as HeadSpace and InsightTimer are also free and offer a wide variety of content and programming to choose from. You might consider setting up some kind of challenge and reward for employees who complete a training.
4. Be Consistent
As James Clear says in his best-selling book, Atomic Habits, “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” If you are serious about improving well-being and reducing stress for those in your company, your mindfulness program must be offered on a consistent basis and should help them find ways to incorporate the practice easily into their lives. Consider arranging weekly or bi-weekly group meetings that focus on mindfulness and allow for peer support.
5. Be Okay With Starting Small
Take a cue from some of those larger corporations that have already been down this road. Many started with only a few participants before attendance in their meditation and mindfulness programs eventually grew. Be patient and know that even if only a handful of people participate, they — and your company — will benefit.
