Why Your Company Should Embrace Mindfulness

This simple practice leads to stress reduction, improved decision-making and better interpersonal relationships.

Business giants Google, Salesforce and General Mills are among the companies that invest heavily in mindfulness programs for their employees. Why, you might wonder, would they direct resources to something that some perceive as woo-woo at best? Because, they say, the programs work, resulting in improved well-being and higher performance at all levels.

Mindfulness helps create stronger workplaces. I’ve witnessed its transformative power through my work delivering tailored mindfulness training programs to a wide range of local organizations in recent years: from boardrooms on Bishop Street to inside the walls of the Halawa Correctional Facility. It’s time we embrace mindfulness at work, leveraging its benefits backed by rigorous scientific research.

Far from the caricature of a bearded man “om-ing” in lotus position, mindfulness is simply about embracing the present moment with nonjudgmental awareness and kindness. It’s like greeting the here and now with aloha. Scientific research consistently demonstrates that regular mindfulness practice yields significant rewards for people’s overall well-being and effectiveness.

In the workplace, mindfulness offers tangible advantages to employees and leadership alike, serving as a potent tool for stress reduction, improved decision-making and better interpersonal relationships. Executives who embrace mindfulness create stronger teams, with leaders who are present, authentic and compassionate.

Amid the onslaught of distractions in the modern world, mindfulness helps us to regain our footing, enabling us to direct our limited attention to what really matters. Whether it’s completing that uncomfortable task lingering on your to-do list or putting down your phone as your daughter tells you about her day, mindfulness empowers us to live and work with greater purpose and meaning.

For decades, we’ve recognized the benefits of regular exercise for physical fitness. Now, we’re discovering that mindfulness training and regular practice similarly enhances mental fitness. The training programs I deliver are grounded in the science of mindfulness, offering practical insights into its benefits and applications. I work to demystify mindfulness and clear up misconceptions. As I assured a recent U.S. Army group, you don’t need to stop your thoughts and you certainly don’t need to put on a robe and move into a cave.

Together, we practice mindfulness exercises and cultivate skills that help us navigate the challenges of daily life and work. Mindfulness programs elevate individual well-being while also breathing new life into organizational culture.

Hawaii Business Magazine’s Stressed to Strong conference in February made clear that workplaces across the state need to take wellness seriously to support current employees and attract new talent. Mindfulness programs can help us cultivate the strength and resilience necessary for Hawai‘i’s workforce to thrive.

This Month’s Expert:

Noah Pomeroy, Founder, Mindful Work