If you’ve found that morale is low or performance isn’t quite where it should be, invest some time and money into introducing meditation to your team.
Learn how you can encourage your team to get involved virtually and how the incorporation of a healthy diet can support meditative practices.
COVID-19 has sparked an entirely new normal in terms of how people work. Staff were forced out of offices for their own safety and had to adjust to working from home really quickly. For many of those staff, they are still based from home 6 months later. Whilst some people enjoy the benefits that come with working from home, for others, it has resulted in a lack of motivation and productivity.
It is difficult to establish a clear work-life distinction when people are working and living in the same space, so perhaps it is time for you to give your staff a much needed energy boost, getting them energised and excited about work again.
One way to do this is through meditation for your workforce. I know what you might be thinking, as many people are skeptical about meditation, but give it a chance. Let’s have a look at the benefits of meditation for your workforce in relation to work and life. You’d be surprised at the positive impact it will have in a short space of time!
The Benefits of Meditation For Your Workforce
The implementation of daily meditative practice into someone’s routine can completely transform the way they think and feel. Whether your team has time for five or fifteen minutes, the benefits are outstanding.
Here are a few of the biggest benefits and how they can positively influence working life:
Reduced Stress
When someone takes time to themselves and clears their mind, it is likely that they are much more rational when it comes to dealing with stressful situations. Meditation teaches people how to calm their mind and body, which ultimately results in an increased sense of control.
This will translate into the workplace, especially during times of stress, as staff will feel calmer and more equipped to make measured decisions.
Enhanced Focus
Having a clear mind helps people to focus for a sustained period of time without being impacted majorly by distractions. When meditating, there is a focus on directing your attention to your breath and disposing of any intrusive thoughts.
So, when someone is in a working environment, the skills learnt during meditative practice will assist people in maintaining focus and ignoring potential distractions. There are plenty of breathing exercises that can be done at a desk which will trigger this focus even further.
Improved Mood
Being able to work on how you deal with negative thoughts can significantly improve people’s mood. With regular meditation comes patience and positivity, as well as a strong sense of how to reduce anxious thoughts.
Stepping away from difficult situations and focusing on the self and the breath results in an awareness that any problem is temporary, resulting in feelings of hope and positivity.
Stronger Relationships
When someone’s mindfulness is increased, so is their ability to be thoughtful, considerate and compassionate. This will of course benefit working relationships, especially when people are working from home.
Communicating virtually can result in people misreading messages, which can potentially create conflicts. If any disagreements arise, your team will be able to respond in a patient and considerate way, building a stronger unit all round.
Increased Creativity
After people have meditated consistently for a while, and understand the benefits that come with it, they are likely to be increasingly diverse in their thinking. If your entire team is involved with meditation, rigid thinking is far less likely to exist, meaning they have the opportunity to collaborate and produce bold and vibrant ideas. Your next big project could be right around the corner!
How To Implement Meditation Virtually
Now that you’re aware of the benefits of meditation for your workforce, it’s time to see how to implement it whilst everyone is working from home. Firstly, test the water when it comes to participation. Before you work hard and potentially invest money into this, if no one is going to participate, it won’t be worth it.
So, send out an email containing information about the benefits of meditation, explain why it is something you would like to incorporate into the company culture and offer some sort of incentive to encourage as many employees as possible to join in, alongside other wellness perks. Trust me, you will make up for the small investment with your increasingly productive and positive team!
Why not offer to pay for the yearly subscription for each employee’s Calm app. Make it exciting for your employees and generate interest, then you can begin planning.
Now you need to decide exactly how you will implement meditation away from the office. You can work with professionals who will create guides for your staff to follow, or if you opted for the Calm app, suggest a different programme for them to follow each day.
The important thing here is to encourage your workforce to follow the same programme as a form of team building, as they can discuss how they found each programme. Encourage flexibility in terms of the time of day, as meditation benefits people at different times of the day.
For example, if someone is an early riser, spending time in the morning to clear their mind is the best way forward. For people who struggle to maintain focus throughout the day, a ten minute session over their lunch break is what they need to be most productive.
If someone in your team struggles to sleep, resulting in a lack of productivity the following day, a thirty minute session before bed could be what they need to have a good sleep and feel refreshed for the next working day. This phase isn’t something you should have to sell, as most people understand the benefits of meditation from the very beginning.
After a week or so, check in with your team. The best way to do this would be through an anonymous survey so you are able to access people’s genuine thoughts. Allow people to offer their thoughts, whether they’d want to carry on and encourage suggestions to improve the experience. If your team responds well and wants to continue, you have so many options moving forward!
Why not organise a live session once a week with a qualified meditation instructor on a call that your whole team can join? Or, as part of the celebrations over Christmas, have a ‘Yoga Day’ at work.
All staff could come into work in their yoga gear (if you’re back in the office by then), you could put on a nutritious breakfast and have an instructor come in over lunch to offer a live meditation session. Your options really are endless!
Image: Pexels
Pairing Meditation with Diet
Supporting meditative practice with a balanced diet can take it to another level. You can build this element into the meditation for your workforce easily, sending out weekly healthy recipes for your team to try, or maybe healthy snacks for throughout the day to support them in their new journey.
In order to nourish the body as well as the mind, your staff will benefit from consuming:
Non-Processed Carbs
Carbohydrates that haven’t been heavily processed release energy slowly into your system, ensuring there are no extreme peaks or troughs in the body’s blood sugar levels. Having a level blood sugar throughout the day will maintain energy levels and help your team to remain calm and focused during their meditation practices.
Vitamins and Minerals
Consuming a range of vitamins and minerals supports your major bodily functions, which is always important. In relation to meditation, people have found that magnesium supplements produce deeply calm feelings, they can balance the body’s energy levels and may help the body to detox.
Turmeric and Ginger
These two ingredients have been historically used in Chinese Medicine due to their ability to boost the immune system, soothe pain and reduce inflammation. This is especially important for desk-based workers who don’t move around much in the day. They can be incorporated in drinks as well as food, so try incorporating one of the two in every recipe you send out to your staff.
In Summary
Working life can be a stressful and busy place, making it difficult to unwind and enjoy life. Meditation can help you and your team to be calmer, less stressed, more focused and generally happier. Take a risk this month and focus less on targets and spend some time investing in your team and prevent employee burnouts by offering meditation for your workforce.
The benefits that come with a happier and healthier team are likely to outweigh any other investment you’re thinking of making. You will become a better leader with a stronger team, so why not take the leap and start now?
About the Author
Daisy Moss is an experienced freelance writer specialising in working environments and wellness. When she’s not writing, you’ll probably find her reading a good novel or enjoying a yoga class.
