How happy is your company?

By Gosia Kaczmarczyk – Mindfulness Coach and Learning Well Project Developer

City of London Corporation introduced this summer a new project for Mental Health Wellbeing and Recovery it is called The Learning Well. The project is an initiative that is spreading its roots into a range diverse places in our noble city. The wellbeing project is for people living and working in the City of London and five neighbouring boroughs Camden Hackney Tower Hamlets and Islington.

Before you fire the Yoga teacher and cancel the Mindfulness workshop, think again! The well-being of your employees is important for the success of the company.

The success and ever increasing speed of our lives came at a tremendous cost of the wellbeing crises. Learning Well supports the growing number of councils, companies and individuals who understand it is imperative to protect Mental Health for the future of these institutions individuals and wider society.

The culture of Well-being is spreading, major corporates world like Google, Facebook, KPMG Deloitte have implemented health programmes into their companies’ philosophies. Others like Mutual, Lindt, Sanofi Pasteur MSD have even succeeded in winning Britain’s Healthiest Company awards.

The decision-makers far and wide create programmes providing wellness classes for stressed out employees for both prevention and cure. Like mushrooms after the rain workshops in Yoga, Pilates and Mindfulness are popping up across the business landscape and becoming a norm.

You might have come to the same conclusion and invested in the wholesome schedule for your staff. Now, rightly so, expecting ROI to show on your spreadsheets. Yet, this is not happening and you wonder if the new buzz isn’t just another trend with no merit. The frustration grows and your workforce can feel it too. You may even think the old and tested method of hard hand rule was the better tool of efficiency management.

Before you fire the Yoga teacher and cancel the Mindfulness workshop, think again! The well-being of your employees is important for the success of the company. Let us see

Healthy and happy employee equals:

• less absenteeism,
• more productivity,
• commitment and this directly influences company’s revenue.

However, the drive to succeed and yet another opportunity to improve efficiency does not always include the decision makers. The pressured executive, line manager or supervisor can create stressing environments and have a direct impact on the employees’ mental health and productivity.

Social relationships play major role in our overall wellbeing and have power to reduce physical effects of stress like high blood pressure or diminished immunity.

It simply pays off to look after your wellbeing especially when you are in charge of others. Your management style and personal attitudes can have a major effect on your business. It is worth paying attention to your own levels of stress and sign up for one of the classes your company provide for your staff.

Leading by example is a good way to get staff to be proactive in looking after their wellbeing and maintaining good mental health. When leaders are more self-sacrificing the employees feel inspired and subsequently more loyal and committed.

One of these beneficial methods can work for you. Yoga at the workplace delivered by Cathy and Alexandra, tutors for Learning Well Project can bring your stress levels down and increase ability to manage work pressure, adding energy to face another busy day.

Sixty minutes with an experienced yoga teacher who understands a demanding work environment can ‘reboot’ your body and mind, allowing more calm and improved relationships with your staff in return.

Another way to introduce more balance in your life and address the stress reactivity which has immense impact on your day-to-day behaviour, is Mindfulness which is known to reduce:

• anxiety,
• depression,
• hypertension
• level of stress hormones

Mindfulness can increase:

• ‘playfulness’ and ‘joyfulness’ in daily life (feelings of vitality)
• to be balanced
• more happiness and emotional stability
• better inter-personal relationships
• become aware of your own potentials
• increase one’s own flexibility
• increased creative potential
• increased self-actualization
• improved learning ability and memory

This Autumn Learning Well will provide 45 minutes sessions of this powerful method to City of London Corporation staff, giving the opportunity to take active participation in their mental health and well-being. These sessions will provide the chance to take the time to attend to your needs, reconnect and pausing the rush of thoughts that can sometimes become overwhelming.

Working in this way will provide necessary space to address your habits and patterns, which may have negative effect on your personal and work relationships and affect what the company accomplishes.

The evidence is there. Researched for over 30 years the effects of Mindfulness are still baffling scientists. The ancient methods have been around for over 2500 years and this is not due to good marketing strategy but simply because they work.

Maybe it is time your company becomes another happy spot on the Stress Map of London City?

If you and/or your organisation are interested in having wellbeing sessions delivered to your workforce please contact the Learning Well project coordinator Anna Lee-White on Anna.Lee-White@cityoflondon.gov.uk 0207 608 2753

Gosia is a Mindfulness Coach and Facilitator with over 10 years of meditation practice experience.

Gosia’s career has been wide ranged and her passion for self-development led her to train in management, art and social science. It is her interest in the human nature that inspires her personal discoveries as well as emphatic understanding of fellow humans in our common journey to well-being and fulfilment.

Gosia is working with groups and individuals providing workshops and courses in Mindfulness. Her true passion lies in empowering others leading by example and she aspires to become Mindful Speaker and inspire future generations.