Mindfulness at Work

A mindful employee is a productive team member!

Research by organizational psychologists reveals that  mindfulness leads to better workplace functioning and the prevention of psychological stress, burnout and the likes.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Meditation

According to Ed and Deb Shapiro “mindfulness and meditation are mirror-like reflections of each other: mindfulness supports and enriches meditation, while meditation nurtures and expands mindfulness. Where mindfulness can be applied to any situation throughout the day, meditation is usually practiced for a specific amount of time.”

At work today, we began our corporate meditation session via zoom, led by one of our seasoned team leaders Oluwatobi Soyombo.

The idea was birthed when the HR Department, noticed that about 50% of team members were either calling in sick, or caring for loved ones who were sick. Digging down, we confirmed that it wasn’t coronavirus induced and that 80% of the cases could be linked to stress and anxiety.

Depression was beginning to surface, heightened by the feeling of loneliness. The ‘lockdown’ as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, had forced people to stay cooped indoors for as long as it was on the rampage. Cracks in relationships came to fore, dysfunction in families was exposed and distress skyrocketed.

We found an intervention in the age-old method/system of meditation. It was an amazing experience. In about 20 minutes, we got feedback from participants of how relaxed and more at ease they felt. One of my team members said: ‘Now I know I need sleep’. This young lady had been working on turbo power to care for her sick Mum and loved ones, while also trying to keep sane.

Like her, the session of meditation revealed in other team members, fatigue and other feelings that had been buried under the bustle of existence. Identifying and dealing with this, would lead to a more productive workforce and organization.

This is the first of many sessions to come. And I am excited about the positive effects and outcomes that everyone in the organization has experienced and would still experience.