Editor's Note: We recently updated this post with new insights.
It's no secret that employee stress is skyrocketing across the board. Since the pandemic, workers have been feeling the pressure of economic uncertainty, rapid technological changes, job insecurity, and more—on top of managing the daily stress of tight deadlines and performance goals.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 report, 44% of employees reported feeling stressed on any given day of the work week, setting the record for the second year in a row.
But how can organizations help to turn the tide of workplace stress?
It all starts with a tool anyone can harness—one with the power to help employees manage stress, increase productivity, and improve their overall sense of wellbeing, while lowering healthcare expenses and reducing absenteeism. Even better, it hardly costs a thing.
We're talking about mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and self-aware, calmly acknowledging one’s own thoughts and feelings without interpreting or judging them.
Teaching mindfulness skills to employees can help them feel more in control of their thoughts and behaviors in times of intense stress—plus, it can help them become more aware of how their thoughts affect their reactions.
We spoke with Saundra Schrock, founder and CEO of Levelhead, who explained the concept of mindfulness as follows:
Here are a few ways organizations can promote mindfulness as a component of their employee wellness program:
Teaching employees mindfulness doesn’t just help them reduce stress. It also helps them break free from old ways of thinking, make better decisions, reduce emotional burdens, and simply feel and perform better. As part of a holistic approach to wellness, mindfulness can help each of your employees create a better outcome for themselves and their company.
If you’re looking to build a happier, healthier team, now is a great time to start mindfulness training to improve mental health in your workplace.