Introducing Mindfulness to Your Organisation

Starting with the Outcome in Mind

When considering how to introduce mindfulness to your organisation, don’t be tempted to rush immediately into doing mode –that is, contacting random mindfulness providers and asking them to pitch and re-pitch as your ideas take shape. Instead, first invest some time to identify and clarify the outcomes you want to achieve.

Defining desirable organisational outcomes

As a specialist in learning design and consultancy, I always start with the end in mind. Often what the client first asks me for is different from what they actually need. Busy people are prone to jump to solutions before they have adequately defined and explored what the issue is.

A good starting point is to examine the challenges your organisation is currently facing or is likely to face in the near future. Next, think of what staff may need to address these challenges. Use Table 17-1 to rank improvements in terms of importance at this point in time and within the next 6 to 18 months. Rank 1 for most important and 12 for least important.

TABLE 17-1 Rank of Desired Improvements required by Your Organisation

Improvements in …	Importance Now (Rank 1–12)	Importance in 6–18 Months (Rank 1–12)
Ability to see the bigger picture
Communications
Creativity
Emotion regulation
Health and well-being
Kindness to self or others
Leadership capability
Organisational working culture
Personal productivity
Relationships at work
Resilience
Self-management

All the items in Table 17-1 are things that mindfulness could help you to achieve. You may find that ranking some of these items is difficult because they may seem equally important. The key is to try to identify your organisation’s current top priorities that mindfulness may help you address. Here are some ways to do that:

If you have a high staff turnover or low levels of staff engagement, you may want to focus on relationships at work and/or improving your organisational working culture.
If you’re in the midst of rapid, ongoing change, staff resilience and leadership capability may be high on your list.
If your staff works in health and social care, resilience, emotion regulation, self-management or kindness may be high on your list.
If your leadership team is suffering from change fatigue, with another major change round the corner, you may need them to be able to see the bigger picture, improve their resilience and/or improve their productivity.
If you have high staff sickness and absence, it’s worth checking out the causes because you may need to address HR, leadership or organisational culture issues first.

Mindfulness isn’t a Band-Aid or cure-all. It can be a part of a blended solution, or it can be a stand-alone programme. Well-designed, workplace-focused mindfulness programmes, such as WorkplaceMT or CBMT, have the potential to offer organisations much more than improvements on health and well-being. Deployed well, they have the potential to transform working practices in a way that benefits both the employer and the organisation.

Assessing the risk of possible negative impacts

As we discuss in Chapter 2, mindfulness isn’t a panacea for all ills. Many issues with staff engagement, sickness absence and productivity may be down to poor management or poor organisational processes and working practices.

The following sections explore a few examples of when mindfulness may not be the right solution.

When mindfulness training is compulsory

Mindfulness requires people to literally change the way they think. Behavioural change occurs only if individuals are willing to rewire their brain by engaging in the exercises with curiosity, self-compassion and discipline. You can’t force someone to change – they have to want to. For this reason, mandating individuals to attend mindfulness training in the hope that they will change is, at best, optimistic and, at worst, a waste of time and money.

If difficult employees are open to learning about emotions and how they impact their behaviour and relationships at work, then mindfulness may help, but they may also need additional coaching, mentoring or training. Similarly, mindfulness may help improve poor working relationships within teams, but equally, mindfulness may bring matters to a head with explosive consequences.

When staff have to deal with unresolved issues at work

Workplace mindfulness programmes are not designed to act as a therapy. On very rare occasions, unexpected effects may surface when you explore your experience using mindfulness exercises. Focusing attention on emotions and bodily sensations during mindfulness exercises may very occasionally bring up feelings of anxiety or even panic. This is why we always recommend that mindfulness training is facilitated by a suitably experienced, well-trained mindfulness teacher rather than just an employee who practices mindfulness. Properly managed, a mindfulness teacher can help minimise any negative impacts for individuals and the group as a whole and safeguard vulnerable employees.

When mindfulness training may be inappropriate or damaging

Workplace mindfulness programmes are designed for a healthy working population. The assumption is that if an employee is healthy enough to be at work, he’s healthy enough to attend mindfulness training. Even when I (Juliet) have pre-screened staff attending training for contraindications, on occasions some people slip through the net. In these instances, I talk to them discretely after the course to decide a way forward or refer them to occupational health or other relevant support.

For a small minority of people, mindfulness exercises that focus on the breath may be disturbing, especially if they have a history of breathing difficulties such as asthma. We discuss ways to work around this in Chapter 2.

Staff with a history of depression, alcohol or drug abuse, psychotic episodes, or PTSD should check with their doctor before attending mindfulness training. Alternative versions of mindfulness training, such as an eight-week MBCT or eight-week MBSR, may be more appropriate for some staff.

For the vast majority of individuals, mindfulness is entirely safe, and in our experience, when taught well, the organisational impacts and return on investment vastly exceed the costs involved, especially when compared with traditional management and personal productivity training, which usually cost much more.

Developing Mindful Individuals in Your Organisation

You can introduce mindfulness training on an individual basis or organisation-wide basis. In my experience, most mindful organisations start with developing a few mindful individuals. The following sections explore ways to focus on helping individuals to become more mindful.

Cultivating mindful individuals

Offering workplace mindfulness training to staff is a first step on a journey to becoming a more mindful individual. It doesn’t happen overnight and requires dedication and practice.

A six-week mindfulness programme provides you with a good basic foundation. My teaching experience suggests that only when people reach the end of a six-week course do they fully grasp the benefits of practicing mindfulness. Many people decide that they want to work through the programme from Week 1 again because they feel that six weeks wasn’t long enough for them to fully embed learning and change their mindset and behaviour. This is one of the reasons why Marina and I decided to include a six-week self-study WorkplaceMT course in Part 3 of this book. By including the full course in the book, you can recap your knowledge and consolidate learning at your own pace.

Others may gain a few tools and techniques that they find helpful and incorporate these informal everyday mindfulness techniques into their working day. They may not formally practice mindfulness afterwards. This is fine. People should be encouraged to take what they need from a mindfulness programme.

One doctor I recently trained simply uses a quick one-minute mindfulness technique at her desk between patients to clear her mind and refocus. She gets five minutes of mindfulness practice on some days while at home and none on others. And that’s okay.

There’s no right or wrong outcome from a mindfulness course. For some, it’s a life-changing experience; for others, it makes a small difference. Academic research studies indicate that the longer people spend formally practicing mindfulness, the more positive outcomes they report. This echoes research based on self-reported outcomes from participants. Those who practice for 10 to 15 minutes each day usually report a higher degree of desirable workplace outcomes than those practicing for less time.

A six-week mindfulness training course is a good starting point. Once completed, people can come back to it at any time to develop their mindfulness further, attend other forms of mindfulness training, or attend retreats if they wish. They can study the underpinning research and neuroscience or read books like this one that give practical guidance on how to apply mindfulness to their work.

The point is, how you develop mindfulness is a personal choice. An individual’s willingness to engage with mindfulness will vary depending on personal circumstances, future aspirations and personal values. There is no one-size-fits-all mindfulness outcome, just like there is no right or wrong way to be a mindful leader.

Those who gain a lot from mindfulness training may become a formal or informal mindfulness champion within their company. Individuals with a passion for mindfulness are the best role models for other staff. A small number of these staff, supported by a good mindfulness teacher and a supportive management team, can be the catalysts for building a more mindful organisation over time. Their potential impact on others is much greater than any marketing activities or encouragement from HR to attend mindfulness training.

Making mindfulness more accessible to staff

Mindfulness taught in a group setting is a highly effective way to develop mindfulness. It may equally be taught one to one, via web conferencing technology in real time or via self-directed learning through books like this one or online learning. The following sections explore the practicalities of each of these learning options.

In a group setting

Mindfulness taught in a group setting can be very powerful. People learn from others’ experiences and can form strong, supportive bonds. Knowing that others are struggling with the same thing as you or, like you, maybe don’t quite get it, coupled with the trainer’s advice and guidance can help you overcome barriers that may make you give up if you were studying alone.

Pros: The opportunity to learn from others’ experience. Support from other learners. Trainer on hand to help you overcome difficulties.
Cons: Not everyone may be able to attend due to location, timing, or other constraints. Some may be able to attend only some of the sessions and may miss out on key learnings if the course doesn’t have a process to cover for missed sessions.

One-to-one training or coaching

Mindfulness taught one to one is an excellent option for people in senior roles who may feel reluctant to share their personal experiences with other employees, who may include those they manage. It is also a good option for people with very specific things they wish to address as part of the training process.

Pros: The trainer can help the individual to delve deeper if desired and spend time focusing on individual needs. More time to unpack, reflect and learn from personal experiences. Very flexible and tailored.
Cons: Cost is much higher and no opportunity to learn from others.

Live web conferencing

Humans crave interaction and tend to learn better in face-to-face learning environments. However, this isn’t always possible, especially when workers work remotely, on different sites or countries. Live web-based teaching can provide a viable alternative to face to face.

Pros: Good for small numbers of people working on multiple sites, who can receive live teaching responding to their needs without the need to travel. More cost effective than running multiple small group face-to-face sessions.
Cons: Lacks the group dynamic, which can hinder motivation. Also can experience technical issues. The opportunity to interact and ask questions is more limited than face-to-face courses, and trainers may not notice if learners become disengaged and be able to take steps to address this.

Self-directed learning

Self-directed learning is a very flexible and cost-effective option to help employees develop mindfulness but can have an exceedingly high dropout rate (60 to 70 per cent versus only 5 to 10 per cent on face-to-face courses). Self-directed learning options may include using a book like this or a web-based mindfulness course. It can work well as part of a blended approach with some face-to-face training and access to a suitably experienced trainer.

Pros: Cost efficient, very flexible, and learners can learn at their own pace. Courses such as Be Mindful (www.bemindfulonline.com), if studied exactly as directed over a four- to six-week period, can, in my experience, produce similar outcomes to a taught course.
Cons: Mindfulness e-learning programmes have a very high dropout rate as people encounter problems or barriers and then give up. No trainer is at hand to help and support if difficult things arise.

Making Your Organisation More Mindful

If you want to make your whole organisation more mindful, the next few pages are for you. In this section, you find practical examples, hints and tips on designing a mindful workplace and planning your implementation approach.

Designing a mindful workplace

The journey towards becoming a mindful organisation can be a lifetime’s work. It’s often easier to start with a blank canvas and design mindfulness into the organisation from the outset.

For example, a mindful entrepreneur of a fast-expanding successful small technology company based in London has introduced a mindful silent half hour at the start of the day. It aims to provide staff with the opportunity to start the day with an open mind. The staff has the flexibility to use the half hour in a number of ways, as long as they’re silent, don’t make phone calls or check emails. Some employees use the time to think about and prepare for the day ahead. Others clear their desks, and some practice mindfulness. This mindful strategy is proving popular with staff and is good for working relationships and productivity.

Trying to make a well-established organisation mindful at a later date can be harder work, but there are ways to achieve this. For example, Capitol One, a financial services company based in the UK, set up a small mindfulness room for staff to attend informal mindfulness drop-in sessions during their workday or to take a few minutes away from their desk to regain their focus.

Deciding on your approach

If you work within a well-established organisation and want to introduce mindfulness, you need to decide: will it be evolution or revolution?

If you choose evolution, you can encourage mindfulness growing organically within small pockets and support emerging mindful business practices, ensuring that they’re appropriately shared and showcased with others. The advantage of this approach is that mindfulness can grow and evolve over time without the need for major culture change initiatives and all that accompany them. The disadvantage is that it can take a very long time, and small pockets of good practice may wither and die without adequate support and recognition.
If you choose revolution, you need to make a substantial investment of both time and money. Revolution can start only after you have sufficient staff at all levels trained in mindfulness who are actively applying it to their work. Only when people have direct experience of working mindfully will they be equipped to review and revise working systems and procedures.

Whichever approach you decide on, an experienced work-focused mindfulness teacher can help you support growth and overcome barriers, helping you find ways to incorporate mindfulness into organisational processes and practices.

You simply can’t force people to adopt mindful working practices – they have to see a benefit and genuinely wish to do so. However, making a concerted effort to make an organisation a more mindful place to work can help you move towards becoming a mindful organisation more quickly. Both evolution and revolution take time. Unfortunately, with mindfulness, there is no quick fix, but the return on investment is likely to be high.

At an organisational level, you can design mindful working practices into an organisation, especially when at start-up phase or following restructuring. In well-established organisations, mindful leaders can also start to introduce mindfulness into working practices such as at meetings, break times and meal times.

Getting Down to Practicalities

This section explores some of the practical aspects involved with workplace mindfulness interventions. You find information on how to gain support and buy-in, make the business case and pilot mindfulness, designing an evaluation at the outset.

Gaining support and buy-in

If you decide to introduce mindfulness into your company, you need to gather support and cultivate buy-in. Although many very successful organisational mindfulness initiatives start with one keen advocate, the more support and buy-in you have at the outset, the better.

Publications such as ‘Making the Business Case for Mindfulness’, available via Mindfulnet.org, may be of assistance to you at this stage. In a nutshell, start with the desired outcomes you identify earlier in this chapter (see the section ‘Defining desirable organisational outcomes’). Link this to evidence from research studies. If possible, make a return-on-investment calculation to back up your proposal. If necessary, work to demystify mindfulness and dispel misconceptions. Provide examples of other individuals or organisations who offer staff mindfulness training or adopt mindful working practices and the benefits they’ve gained.

Work in partnership with an experienced, suitably trained workplace mindfulness training provider who may be able to help you make the business case and work with you to design a successful implementation approach.

Piloting mindfulness

Most mindfulness initiatives in organisations start with a pilot. Simply put, a pilot is a trial run, a small-scale version of your larger project. A program pilot is an important step that can help you test the effectiveness of a learning programme and make any necessary refinements before further roll out. A good pilot will help you to evaluate the potential organisational gain of introducing mindfulness, any barriers that need to be overcome, and how best to adapt the programme for your audience.

Carefully consider where and when training should take place. Timing can have a huge impact. It shouldn’t just be a case of booking when rooms are available. Providing training during working hours sends out the right messages and encourages attendance.

So when should you schedule mindfulness training? The first part of the day or last part often works well. Lunchtime sessions can be very popular, or they can be hit or miss if people are rushing from place to place and are late arriving or preoccupied with their next meeting. Another possibility is having the course take place during work hours half of the time and during personal hours the other half. Following this schedule can cut costs for organisations and can encourage more personal investment from individuals.

Most organisations offer mindfulness training free for their employees, while others may subsidise the cost.

Be sure to select your training provider carefully. Make sure the individual has attended appropriate training as a workplace mindfulness teacher, understands the sector your organisation operates in and the challenges faced, and can ‘speak your language’. Ideally, the trainer should have experience with working in a similar environment, which encourages participant engagement and shapes her approach to the training.

Evaluation should be considered at the start of the training design process - don’t try to tack it on at the end. Make it compulsory that people complete the pre-course evaluation before they attend. You can even use the incentive of offering staff post-course CPD certificates after they’ve completed their post-course evaluations. Consider asking a researcher to evaluate your data. Doing so may encourage participants to be more honest and may even end up being written up as a case study for a journal, if desired.

At the end of the programme, spend time on the evaluation. Learn from it, and use it to help you decide on next steps or to strengthen your business case, if applicable.

Practical Considerations

In this section, we explore some practical considerations when introducing mindfulness to your organisation. Is it best to use internal or external teachers in the long term? Should you provide a dedicated space of people to practice mindfulness in? Read on to find out.

Developing internal capacity

If your pilot was broadly a success and you want to roll it out further, you have to, of course, consider cost implications. If budgets allow, you can employ a number of experienced mindfulness teachers to help you roll it out.

A longer-term, cost-effective option is to identify a number of people within your organisation who have an interest in mindfulness and encourage them to develop into mindfulness teachers.

Is it best to use external or internal teachers? Again, there are pros and cons for both. External teachers are seen as independent, so participants may feel more comfortable to open up and gain more benefit as a result. On the other hand, internal teachers can use their detailed knowledge of the company to adapt the course to better fit the organisation’s needs and culture.

Unfortunately, some organisations try to save money by finding an employee who ‘meditates’ and asking him to design and deliver a course or introductory session. The efforts of enthusiastic employees like this often fail and can have a negative impact. This may be because they confuse meditation with mindfulness, add in a spiritual dimension absent from MBSR, MBCT or WorkplaceMT, or simply fail to translate their knowledge into an engaging learning experience. This is often compounded by the HR or learning lead being unable to assess its suitability because they don’t know what ‘good’ looks like in mindfulness training terms.

If you have staff members who have experience with mindfulness or meditation, by all means involve them in pilots or future mindfulness rollouts. Consider developing them as mindfulness champions or sending them on mindfulness teacher training. Just don’t expect them to be equipped to teach mindfulness to others.

Providing mindful practice space

Most mindfulness courses in the workplace are taught in standard meeting rooms. If that’s the case, it’s best to avoid glass-fronted meeting rooms because some people may feel embarrassed practicing in a room that feels like a fish bowl with others looking in.

If you want to embed mindfulness after initial training, consider setting aside a small room for people to practice in. The room should be reasonably quiet and provide places for people to sit. Consider including a CD player or MP3 player so people can benefit from using professionally recorded guidance for exercises.

Some organisations make their multi-faith room available for people who wish to practice mindfulness. This can work quite well.

If you can’t find a spare room for this purpose, see if it’s possible to book a meeting room at least once a week for an informal mindfulness drop-in session. A suitably experienced mindfulness champion can facilitate this session, or someone can simply switch on a guided mindfulness MP3 recording

After completing a mindfulness programme, some employees may identify moments in their day when they feel they need a little time for mindfulness. Despite attending training in work time, they often feel that they need ‘permission’ to leave their desks to practice the exercises. Try to create a working environment that trusts people and empowers them to take the necessary steps to manage themselves and safeguard their well-being. Doing so often increases staff engagement and results in increased work output.