How To Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Workspace

Work can frequently be fast-paced, chaotic, and stressful, which is why so many people usually take to multitasking, and, consequently, risk running on autopilot to get everything done. Nearly every office worker faces a regular barrage of emails, messages, phone calls, texts, and meetings that pull their focus and attention in multiple directions at once. This can soon turn into an endless loop if every worker’s magic word – Mindfulness – is not introduced.

In its simplest form, mindfulness means awareness and practicing it offers a way to pay attention to the present moment, without judgment. When you train your mind to become increasingly mindful at work, you start to become fully present and in control of taking care of one task at a time. It helps reduce stress and anxiety, increase resilience & improves communication.

Mindfulness in the workplace is a frequently discussed topic among businesses to help reduce stress – a dominant cause of employee disengagement that can also hinder productivity. Based on a study conducted by The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more than half of the 550 million working days lost every year from absenteeism are stress-related.

While these statistics are shocking, the good news is that office environment doesn’t have to be a catalyst for poor mental well-being. It can be literally the opposite, promoting mindfulness and positivity all driven by the idea that – “Better buildings can lead to healthier people”.

Whether you work from office full-time or even from a flexible shared office space, creating a mindful workspace can make you much more focused and energetic. This is why it’s so essential to establish or look out for an environment conducive for you to knuckle down and do your work.

In other words, gearing your space to promote mindful working can have tremendous benefits for your job performance and directly affect the bottom line of your company.

While there are numerous ways to incorporate mindfulness into the workplace, employers must first set sight at the physical office environment they have created for their employees. Alternatively, this could be a way of looking at reputed fully furnished office spaces for rent and ensuring these elements are fit in.

Keeping that in mind, here are three simple solutions to look out for, so you are fully present and engaged:

1. Easy Furniture

Office furniture is one of the primary influencers of mental health within the workplace. It won’t come as a shock to know that the human body isn’t designed to be sitting down for 8 hours a day. Combine this with poor posture and ineffective furniture, the effects are pretty negative.

Check to see whether your shared space has standing desks and ergonomic task chairs. An additional benefit is furnishings “closer-to-home” such as sofas and coffee tables to provide employees with different seating options.

This allows posture to be varied throughout the day and encourages you to get up and move around whilst making the office feel more like home and promoting a more relaxed atmosphere.

2. Create A Space For Employees To Unwind

The term “meditate” can be used interchangeably with any other number of verbs – decompress, unwind, regroup. What’s important is the facilitation of your space that is conducive to doing so.

One of the fundamental principles of mindful office design is creating the ability to escape the stress and distractions of the typical workspace by focusing on the present moment. A designated quiet space will allow employees to practice mindfulness in whatever capacity they see fit – from breathing to eating to being actively mindful of the peace.

In a serviced office space, this might look like intuitively designed breakout rooms.

3. Create Calming Spaces

A calming space can be as simple as the materials, textures, colours, lighting, and views. Spaces that provide ample natural light can have a calming effect on the mind. A mix of materials – like wood, “green walls” and exposed brick – mixed with calming colours in décor and the right textiles on furniture can make a designated workspace into a welcome retreat within the office.

A workspace that provides employees some control over their environment even dimming light or changing the temperature adds a more personal feel to the space making it feel like the area is tailored to individual needs, improving mood and simultaneously, productivity.

Mindfulness is a skill that must be repeated, developed and honed over time. But eventually, mindfulness in the workplace is about momentarily moving aside primary work activities and prioritizing spaces inside an office where employees can escape for some uninterrupted decompression time.

We understand the varied business needs of clients, even taking into account something as crucial as Mindfulness. Find our business centres for rent across key areas like the Central Business District and the IT corridor, Hyderabad. Book a tour today to check out our exclusive spaces!