STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WORKPLACE STRESS

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO

INCREASE MINDFULNESS IN WORKPLACES

Prepared for

Dr. C. Blaszczynski

California State University, Los Angeles

Prepared by

Yilin Cao

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for BUS 3050

Section 30910

California State University, Los Angeles

April 4, 2022

To: Dr. C. Blaszczynski

From: Yilin Cao

Date: April 4, 2022

Subject: Completed Analytical Report Increasing Workplace Mindfulness Most Effective Strategies

Here is the report you requested on (January 30, 2022), “Which Strategies are Most Effective or Increasing Workplace Mindfulness?”

Data gathered from books, periodicals, and websites support the conclusion that present-moment awareness can be developed via both professional meditation and casual practice in daily life.

I am glad that this opportunity to write this report for you, Dr. C. Blaszczynski.

If I can answer any questions for you, please let me know.

Attachment

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The research problem in this article is the impact of workplace mindfulness training. Workplace mindfulness training is becoming increasingly popular, with the goal of increasing employees' awareness of their state of mind and, as a result, their overall well-being. The present study sought to investigate the impact of workplace mindfulness-based stress management training for manufacturing employees using quantitative and qualitative approaches.

The research study employed a quasi-experimental design and focus group interviews on data collection. On February 28, 2018, Dr. Kersemaekers, Professor of Management at Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands, authorized a study to look at strategies for managing workplace stress and increasing wellbeing. Primary data for the study was gathered from preliminary field study in four companies. Findings showed that the intervention period and Pre-intervention period was linked with:

1. Improvements in mindfulness

1. Greater reductions in burnout and perceived stress

1. Increase in personal performance and team and organizational climate

1. Well-being.

In 2018, Dr. Mäkiniemi, Professor of Management at Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and Dr. Heikkilä-Tammi from Tampere University authorized a study to look at The Effects of Workplace Mindfulness Training. Primary data for the study was gathered from various participants. Findings show that compared to the control group, the mindfulness-based training team showed considerably more significant gains in:

1. Mindfulness

1. positive feelings

1. Hope pathways following training.

It is concluded that mindfulness training can have a favorable impact on employee welfare, at least implicitly, by increasing employees' awareness, pleasant emotions, a sense of hope, and their capacity to sleep and rest.

STRATEGIES FOR INCREASE MINDFULNESS IN WORKPLACE

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WORKPLACE STRESS

STRATEGIES FOR INCREASE MINDFULNESS IN WORKPLACE

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INTRODUCTION

Workplace mindfulness training is becoming increasingly popular to increase employees' awareness of their state of mind and, as a result, their overall wellbeing. According to previous research, greater mindfulness is related to less stress and faster recovery after a stressful workday. Mindfulness is a state of non-judgmental, present-moment awareness that can be developed via both professional meditation and casual practice in daily life. Mindfulness encompasses a variety of components, including non-reaction, observation, conscious action, and articulating and non-judgmental experiences. Non-reaction, defined as the capacity to pull away from and be unaffected by stressful circumstances, is a critical component of employee welfare. The present study investigated the impact of workplace mindfulness-based stress management training for manufacturing employees using quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Statement of the Problem

Mindfulness matters a lot in workplaces because it helps employees to be present and permit them a space to think. With mindfulness, employees experience mental agility, resilience, and self-awareness. It also reduces emotional exhaustion, helps employees open up to new ideas, and becomes compassionate and empathetic. Therefore, as organizations increasingly implement mindfulness into their programs, they need to understand and develop strategies that can enhance mindfulness within these organizations. This research study focuses on the research problem; Which strategies most effectively increase workplace mindfulness?

Background Information

Mindfulness is an essential skill in the 21st century that requires the ability of people to be mindful, stay involved intentionally without judging, and do so without judgment. Companies with mindful personnel have an advantage in today’s ever-changing world. When employees are given the permission and space to think – to be present, they build mental agility, resilience, and self-awareness. Mindfulness can also help people feel less emotionally depleted, more receptive to new ideas, and develop their compassion and empathy. In today’s environment, the ability to remain calm and react rapidly to changing conditions will continue to be a competitive advantage. Another advantage of having a mindful workplace is the potential to attract new personnel. An increase in mindfulness at work may have a comparable effect, resulting in improved levels of dedication and engagement, lowering the amount of money wasted due to employee turnover (Blaszczynski, 2018).

Methods of Research

In conducting secondary research for this report, EBSCO Host Business Source Premier was the primary library database used to find articles. All peer-reviewed articles referenced in this report were published between 2014 and 2019. In addition to library databases, the Internet was also used to obtain necessary information. Phrases such as “managing workplace stress,” “increasing wellbeing,” “importance of employee health,” and “stress coping strategies” were some of the many keywords used to find relevant articles.

FINDINGS

Based on the results and findings of the research, the following strategies were found to be effective in enhancing mindfulness in workplaces:

Mitigation of workplace stressors

In today's workplaces, stress has become a dangerous endemic that is ever-increasing; This is attributed to the workplace cultures prevalent in the current work environments. For instance, the work culture today is multi-tasking, distractive and overwhelming. The workplace has become more demanding and involving; hence employees are pinned with a lot of pressure to meet deadlines, attend endless meetings, manage pools of emails, and attend to constant interruptions, among other stressful activities. Stress is different from burnout in workplaces. Based on the document analysis done from the sources, workplace burnout results from a failure to manage long-term work stress successfully. Burnout symptoms include energy depletion or exhaustion, a rise in mental detachment from one's job, and feelings of negativism or cynicism about one's career. The word "work stress "refers to the conflicting demands of a Person's job." When employees' emotional and physical reactions to working demands become uncontrollable, they are under severe work stress.

According to the professor of clinical psychology, Mark Williams, humans spend a lot of time rushing from one task to the other, thinking that that is the way to work effectively; however, that is counter-productive (Lomas et al., 2017). Therefore, research has indicated that at least 8 Americans among 10 find their jobs or workplaces stressful. Moreover, since stress negatively affects employees' health, happiness, and wellbeing, their reduction or mitigation can essentially enhance mindfulness in workplaces. When individuals are not stressed, they tend to slow down, pay attention, and become aware of the happenings in their immediate environments without judgment. Similarly, when the stressors in a workplace environment are solved, the employee can quickly think of ways to enhance productivity. Therefore, mitigation of workplace stressors acts as an intervention to strengthen self-awareness and resilience or reduce emotional exhaustion.

Incentive alignment

An employee incentive program or award is a program or prize created in the workplace to motivate and inspire people to perform more. Aside from material objects, rewards are frequently focused on actions or intangible advantages. In these arrangements, the incentives encourage the employees to handle their tasks effectively (Kersemaekers et al., 2018). With incentives, employees get motivated, attracted, engaged, and retained to their work and the organization. Therefore, with incentives and reward programs, employees tend to develop positive behaviors towards their employers, increasing and enhancing their mindfulness in the workplace.

Furthermore, employers reward employees based on the performance of their specific tasks through incentive or reward programs. Organizations should not limit the number of incentives or rewards they offer their employees; they can range from simple benefits to complex ones like concert tickets. With incentives such as compensation, bonuses, extra PTO, or tuition reimbursements, organizations boost or enhance the mindfulness of their employees because they will get motivated and attentive to their tasks.

Workplace mindfulness training

Currently, there is a need for workplaces to train their employees on voluntarily meditating and practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness training helps employees relax, improve their focus, reduce their stress levels, and increase productivity (Johnson et al., 2020). Thus, teaching or studying mindfulness techniques is a form of training that aims to assist learners in learning how to live more fully in the here and now. Becoming present and aware is a powerful antidote to the common tendency to rehash past experiences or to worry about future scenarios in a workplace setting.

With the urgent need for employee retention within organizations, companies are looking for strategies and ways to ensure that employees are satisfied and motivated to work and stay in their jobs. Therefore, workplace mindfulness training plays a vital role in helping employees learn and embrace high morale and productivity. Mindfulness practices help employees be fully present at the moment and pay attention to whatever they do, think, and feel (Johnson et al., 2020). Therefore, employees can enhance mindfulness within workplaces with such practices because employers make the training a norm or a routine to incorporate throughout the organization's operations. Hence, there are various ways through which organizations can implement mindfulness training. These include:

1. Implementing the training practice as part of an employee wellness program or stand-alone training for the employees.

1. Implementing a program that instills mindfulness for a long-term purpose regardless of the way it is implemented

1. Ensuring that the implemented mindfulness program is culturally fit by considering cultural shifts if need

1. Encouraging employees to participate in the mindfulness activity by ensuring leadership support and initiatives.

Conclusions

Based on the findings from the research performed on effective strategies to increase mindfulness in workplaces, a lot of conclusions can be drawn by the researcher. First, the study has indicated a need to establish strategies that can support the enhancement of mindfulness within workplaces. That implies that organizations should focus on ensuring the employees have sufficient space to think about ways to improve their productivity. Among the strategies that should be implemented include incentive alignment, addressing workplace stressors, and regular mindfulness training.

Recommendations

Drawing upon the conclusions in this study, it is recommended that organizations in need of enhancing mindfulness among their employees should adhere to some directives. Managers should promote opportunities for employees or their subordinates to engage in behaviors that help cope with stress. Among the behaviors include relaxation practices, physical activity, and proper nutrition. Organizations should develop mandatory vacation and similar stressors-mitigation policies and prioritize the programs (Mäkiniemi & Heikkilä-Tammi, 2018).

REFERENCES

Blaszczynski C (2018). Being Intentional About Workplace Mindfulness Programs, pages 48- 53. Accessible from Cal State LA College of Business Economics home page: Scroll down to Academics and click on the Business Forum link, then click on the cover of the Business Forum journal (in yellow)

Johnson, K. R., Park, S., & Chaudhuri, S. (2020). Mindfulness training in the workplace: Exploring its scope and outcomes. European Journal of Training and Development.

Kersemaekers, W., Rupprecht, S., Wittmann, M., Tamdjidi, C., Falke, P., Donders, R., & Kohls, N. (2018). A workplace mindfulness intervention may be associated with improved psychological wellbeing and productivity. A preliminary field study in a company setting. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 195. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00195/full

Lomas, T., Medina, J. C., Ivtzan, I., Rupprecht, S., Hart, R., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2017). The impact of mindfulness on wellbeing and performance in the workplace: an inclusive systematic review of the empirical literature. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 492-513.

Mäkiniemi, J-P. & Heikkilä-Tammi, K. (2018). Promoting Sustainability: The Effects of Workplace Mindfulness Training. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, 23 (1), 20-28. Retrieved from