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8 Surprising Benefits Of Introducing Meditation At Work

10 min read
Last Updated on 05 January, 2024

In this age of fast-paced work environments, the lives of corporate employees are highly demanding and ever-changing. Corporate employees have to face and overcome new challenges at work regularly. They have to keep improving and honing their skills to progress through the corporate ladder and become successful.

However, increasing work demands and workplace stess levels can affect employees' mental health. Moreover, the sedentary lifestyle associated with a corporate job can also affect them physically. Such adverse effects on their minds and bodies can prevent employees from functioning to their full capacity and achieving their goals in life.

The Importance of Physical and Mental health of Employees

Employee wellness has become a hot topic among employers amidst this coronavirus pandemic. Employers realize that to succeed as organizations; they must ensure their employees are healthy and safe.

As such, more and more organizations are introducing corporate wellness programs to ensure sound employee health. After all, improved employee health is crucial for improved productivity.

While most employee wellness programs focus on methods to improve physical wellness, addressing mental wellness is also equally important.

Download our Complete Guide to Corporate Wellness Programs to create a successful and effective wellness program in your workplace.

Mental health is also essential for the proper functioning of the body. Also, employees who are strong mentally can tackle obstacles at work head-on and overcome them with ease.

Suggested Read: Creating an Effective Corporate Wellness Program

Meditation at Work: An effective way to boost employee mental health

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Meditation is a technique that has been practiced since time immemorial throughout the world for its immense benefits to mental health. It has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and help one become closer to their inner self.

Here are a few benefits of practicing regular meditation-

  • Reduces stress

  • Reduces anxiety

  • Prevents depression

  • Enhances concentration

  • Boosts immunity

  • Facilitates sleep

  • Increases happiness

  • Improves metabolism

  • Slows aging

  • Heightens awareness

A 2018 study led by the University of California, Davis, Center for Mind and Brain, and published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, revealed that an increased ability to sustain attention is developed through intensive meditation training.

The Fantastic Benefits of Incorporating Meditation at Work

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Introduce a workplace meditation program if workplace stress affects your workforce's productivity and morale. With the help of a meditation program, you will incorporate meditation into your employees' daily routines.

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Encouraging regular meditation practice for even 10 to 15 minutes can provide many health benefits to your employees. It can help them become physically and mentally resilient to any challenge at work or in their personal lives.

Here are eight amazing benefits of meditation at work -

1. Reduced workplace stress

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Stress is an inevitable part of our work lives and can be extremely harmful if left unchecked. It can cause serious health problems like depression and heart disease.

Meditation is one of the most effective ways to manage, combat, and eliminate workplace stress. Encouraging your employees to meditate can reduce unwanted stress hindering productivity and focus.

Suggested Read: 18 Lesser-Known Stress Relief Activities & Ideas for Office

2. Stronger immune systems

Meditation can provide many benefits to your employee's health, including boosting their immune systems. It does so by increasing activity in certain parts of the brain that act as command centers for the immune system.

Boosted immunity can help your employees stay healthy and avoid diseases and infections. Also, a robust immune system is essential to stay healthy during this pandemic.

3. Increased happiness and satisfaction

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Regularly practicing mindfulness meditation techniques can improve your employees' mood levels and help them become happier and more content. Without stress and anxiety affecting your employees, your employees will become more enthusiastic and optimistic in their day-to-day lives.

As such, their productivity and satisfaction at work will also increase significantly. Encourage your employees to use wellness apps with features such as mood meters to track their progress. A simple log-in allows them to keep track of their mood and any distress they are experiencing every day.

Additionally, you can use this information to determine whether your employees are happy at work and incorporate meditation techniques accordingly.

Suggested read - 27 Excellent Ways To Foster And Boost Happiness At Work

4. Increased focus and memory

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Mindfulness meditation can heighten your employees' awareness levels and improve their ability to focus and concentrate without getting distracted. Concentrating and focusing are essential to thrive in a fast-paced work environment.

Moreover, meditation has also been shown to improve working memory capacity. Recent studies have shown that when you practice meditation, your brain functions change for the better. You're less likely to be distracted, which further helps sharpen your mind.

The practice of guided meditation can help you improve your concentration as well. Incorporating mindfulness into your daily lifestyle or as a part of your organization’s wellness plan can benefit both you and the organizations.

You can find help if you are struggling with concentration or memory loss at work by using various wellness platforms that include mindfulness and meditation features. Consider taking advantage of an app that offers a range of mindfulness exercises ranging from 5 minutes to 20 minutes of deep relaxation, as well as gratitude meditation, to cultivate more empathy and positive thinking.

As you become aware of your thoughts as they come and go, you will train your mind in a more structured way.

Suggested Read: Guided Sleep Meditation To Beat Workplace Stress

5. Enhanced creativity

Regular mindfulness meditation can enhance your employees' creative abilities. Meditation reduces the rigidity of the mind, prevents mind wandering, and inspires divergent thinking.

It can help your employees solve difficult problems creatively and innovate bold ideas that benefit your organization.

6. Group meditation can lead to better work relationships

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You can promote team-building and foster workplace harmony by encouraging your employees to meditate together as a group. According to much research, group meditation helps to build trust, community, and compassion for others. It is also a great way to manage your team and make better decisions that will positively impact your team and society.

Taking part in meditation sessions together will develop a sense of unity among your employees and help them build meaningful work relationships and a healthy work environment.

Moreover, group meditation has a lot of prosocial benefits leading to reduced prejudice and increased empathy among workers. It further helps improve work relationships, leading to better teamwork, communication, and productivity. You can easily incorporate group meditation at work by holding sessions in a conference room or incorporating the walking meditation technique during a meeting.

Suggested Read - 6 Tips To Build Positive Workplace Relationships

7. Better decision-making

Incorporating meditation or mindfulness techniques in the workplace increases your employees' abilities to sustain attention and information. Through intensive meditation practice, you can help enhance your employees' cognitive abilities, improving your problem-solving and decision-making strategies.

Meditation can help your employees make better decisions in life and work by reducing stress, heightening awareness, and increasing concentration. Excellent decision-making skills are crucial in organizations; meditation can help employees achieve that.

8. Mindfulness practice encourages better leadership

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Practicing meditation and mindfulness at work can help you as an employer, as well. Meditation is fast becoming a growing trend among leaders worldwide, and many of them practice it daily.
Besides reducing stress and cortisol in the brain, mindfulness has many other benefits as well. In addition, it helps you lead your team more positively by counteracting stress and burnout.

As a leader, you can encourage your employees or team members to set a gentle reminder to take a mental break and participate in group meditation sessions together.

You can start this technique by incorporating a 90 secs or 2-minute mindfulness session either before starting a meeting or at the end of the meeting. You can encourage your team members to use an app like Vanatge Fit, which provides a wide range of mindfulness sessions to participate in without hassle. It will further help you set the tone of the discussion and help your employees frame their mindset by reducing stress and anxiety levels.

Taking part in your workplace meditation program with your employees can help you become a better leader. It can help you cultivate emotional intelligence, develop self-awareness, and enhance your decision-making skills.

Suggested Read - 25 Leadership Qualities That Makes You A Great Leader

9. Develops a better sense of teamwork

Practicing or promoting team-building meditation as a part of the wellness program can help build a healthier and more compassionate workforce. Holding group meditation at work can help a community with awareness about your colleagues and surroundings, which is again a very important factor when managing a team with a positive approach.

Again, group meditation in the workplace helps increase team collaboration and communication among employees and also helps to strengthen the dispersed workforce.

Suggested Read: Make Your Workforce Feel Valued With Employee Health Benefits

Meditation Tips For Employees To Get Started

Meditating is as simple as it gets. It does not require any equipment or special instructions that your employees must follow.

Here are some practical tips for your employees to get started -

Picking an appropriate time

Your employees should make it a habit of meditating at a particular time every day. Doing so will help them associate that specific period with meditation, and they will never miss it.

Morning time can be the most beneficial. It will help employees get ready mentally for any tasks throughout the day.

Choosing a peaceful place

Ask your employees to find their favorite place to meditate. Meditating in the same area can also become a part of their routine. Ask them to choose a comfortable spot free of distractions and noises.

Basic Instructions

There are lots of ways and techniques to meditate. But your employees do not require the most complex procedures to reap the benefits. Your employees can meditate at work using five simple steps given below -

  • Step 1 - Sit and close your eyes.
  • Step 2 - Take a slow, deep breath through your nose.
  • Step 3 - Exhale slowly using your mouth.
  • Step 4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for 10-20 times. Focus on your breathing and nothing else.
  • Step 5 - Open your eyes slowly.

Suggested Read - Five Office Meditation Techniques For Employee Health

Deciding to (or not) use music

Ask your employees if they find meditating on their complex. Music can be of great help to such employees. Many apps provide guided meditation sessions with relaxing, ambient music, helping individuals ease stress and concentrate better.

Suggested Read: Ways To Increase Productivity At Workplace By Listening To Binaural Beats

Tracking sessions

As with any other activity, tracking meditation sessions to assess progress and results is essential. Ask your employees to keep track of their sessions, noting how they feel before, after, during the duration, etc.

The Vantage Fit app's activity tracking feature allows users to track details of their meditation sessions, such as start time, end time, and date

Tips To Incorporate Meditation in your Workplace

Introducing a meditation program can improve your employees' mental health and help them reap all the benefits of workplace meditation.

Here are some tips that can help you incorporate meditation at your workplace -

  • Educate your employees on the benefits of meditation and how it can help them at work and in their personal lives.

  • Hire a professional meditation instructor to conduct your on-site meditation sessions. Or, you can play guided meditation videos and ask your employees to follow them accordingly.

  • Determine the duration and frequency of your meditation sessions. Please ensure they are per your employees' desires and schedules. Your employees can track mindfulness sessions' progress by participating in 5 minutes to 15 minutes of mindfulness sessions daily, varying from gratitude meditation to sleep meditation.

  • Nowadays, most employees are millennials or Gen Z, which makes digitalized rewards very attractive to them. You will likely find more engagement in your workplace meditation program if you offer incentives like digital rewards that come in a variety of options for them to choose from.

  • Ask employees to give their feedback and suggestions after every session.

  • Collect quantitative data to support the positive impact of meditation on your workforce and promote it at the end of the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you meditate at work?

Yes, you can meditate at work. It can help reduce stress and increase focus, which can help you perform better at work.

2. How long should you meditate at work?

Meditation sessions can vary in length depending on your schedule and preferences. Even a few minutes of meditation can be beneficial, but ideally, aim for at least 10-15 minutes of meditation at work.

3. When is the best time to meditate at work?

The best time to meditate at work is when you can find out some time to do so without being interrupted. It could be done either before work, during a lunch break, or after work

Final Words

Encouraging and practicing meditation at work can help employees cope with workplace stress better and become more productive. After participating in a meditation program, your employees will be able to complete their tasks with creativity and better focus.

Moreover, meditation can teach them to cherish the present moment and prevent unwanted emotions from affecting their mental health. Also, it will help them easily overcome highly stressful situations and make better life decisions.

Besides working as a content marketer at Vantage Circle, Shah Alif Ahmed is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist, competitive bodybuilder and a musician. For any queries reach out to editor@vantagecircle.com

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