Mandatory Quiet Time: Meditation in the Workplace

“Step outside for a while—calm your mind. It is better to hug a tree than to bang your head against a wall continually.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru

The office is not often a place we associate with finding peace. For workaholics like myself, our job is usually a race against the clock, speeding down a checklist and measuring the day’s success by how much is accomplished. When that 2:30 feeling hits with that mid-afternoon slump, we reach for the caffeine and power through—all health concerns aside!

But multi-tasking and dragging ourselves through the day may not be the most productive way to work. 

Studies have shown that meditation is one of the best ways to support employees’ mental health, while also increasing the quality of work generated for the company. The alternative is allowing for a cat nap, since the body’s natural cycle is built for two sleeps every 24 hours, according to Dr Fiona Kerr, a neurospecialist from the University of Adelaide.

Mega-companies like Google, Yahoo, and Apple have all implemented some form of daily company meditation. They’ve found that employees were mentally healthier and more productive with a mental check-out.

Let’s explore the benefits and how to best begin a meditation program at your workplace.

Benefits for the Workplace

• Happy, Healthy Employees: Allowing staff to to take a midday mental break ensures that they reduce stress levels and can finish the day refreshed, making them more productive.

• Higher Performance: Let’s be honest, not a lot gets done during that afternoon slump anyway. I have personally dragged myself through this time over and over again only to find myself completely burnt out and with not the best work to show for it. Giving employees a mental break can boost their performance, especially in those final few hours of the day.

• Employee Loyalty: A company that takes steps in improving employee wellness is a company that cares. Happy employees that are well taken care of will shop the job market less and stay with companies longer.

Benefits for Yourself

• Lowers Stress Levels: We have all experienced the stress associated with the workplace. From deadlines to important presentations, stress is simply a part of the day. Meditation allows you to hit a mental reset button. All those deadlines you were stressing about are easier to manage and your mental clarity is sharpened. When meditation is practiced daily, you can actually alter your brain structure.

• Boosts Physical and Mental Health: A scientific review on the Neuroscience of Mindful Meditation states that “research over the past two decades broadly supports the claim that mindfulness meditation—practiced widely for the reduction of stress and promotion of health—exerts beneficial effects on physical and mental health, and cognitive performance.”

Best Practices

Are you ready to encourage afternoon meditation in your workplace? Here are some easy best practices to get you started:

• Create a quiet space for employees to retreat to when they’re ready to meditate.

• Provide a variety of materials and reading on short meditations. Include resources good for both  beginners and experienced meditators. Tip: Go Your OM Way is a great resource!

• Enhance the meditating experience with natural herbs. Organics like Shanka Pushpi increase brain circulation and your overall intelligence and creativity. Research a few to add to the office kitchen.

• Implement a company wide 15-minute silence every day, so that everyone gets that mental break—even the skeptics (they’ll hop on board soon!).