HOW STRESS IS DESTROYING YOUR BOTTOM-LINE

Stress is the silent enemy that threatens the very fabric of our human right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Yes, stress!!!

Stress can render us powerless and fragile over time, for it has a way of effecting every aspect of our being.  It is one of the most skillful and stealth enemies you will ever face because it cannot be seen, and at times cannot be felt until it is too late.

Research has shown that stress is the catalyst to most, if not all diseases. It can affect the immune system, organs, cognitive function, and more from the individual’s internal/physical level. From an environmental and social level, stress can destroy families, relationships, and careers. Now, this relentless enemy is making its way through organizations as whole.

STRESS WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

Today, organizations are losing billions of dollars because their employees are stressed, overworked and unhealthy.  Those stressed employees are causing an increase in absenteeism, presenteeism, healthcare costs and a decrease in productivity. Based on current research, the stress problem will continue to increase as work demands increase.

The workload is increasing because the C-suite executives are aiming at improving the bottom-line and success of their organizations. But for the past decade, organizations are realizing that increasing the workload, hiring new talent and/or manipulating product costs are not the true markers to improving the bottom-line, growth or success of their organizations.  The true marker to growth, success, improvement of culture and the bottom-line of an organization lies with each individual employee.

WHERE ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD FOCUS

Improving employees’ wellbeing and potential should be the top priority of C-suite executives and human resource departments. Effectively doing so encompasses many different components including: mindfulness, health, and emotional intelligence.

Research from Harvard Business Review reports that as a result of wellbeing/mindfulness programs, brain activity is redirected from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex.  Basically, from the reactionary part of the brain to the rational part of the brain. This change causes tremendous interpersonal shifts and changes the way we react to everything around us from managing workloads to collaborating as a team and innovating new ideas.  It enables us to rely more on our executive functioning rather than impulses. This mindfulness and/or meditation practice improves our self-regulatory system or function.

According to a survey done by Fidelity investments and the National Business Group on Health, in 2016, 22% of employers offered mindfulness training as well as stress management and improvement training.  This research states that the number of employers was expected to double by year 2017 and will continue to increase through 2018 as more organizations begin to fully understand the importance and benefit of improving employees’ wellbeing and potential. 

If your organization or employees do not know about wellbeing, mindfulness and emotional intelligence, YOU are missing out! Many Fortune 500 companies such as Golden Sachs, Nike, Google, Apple, Amazon, and General Mills have been using wellbeing/mindfulness programs as the corner stone of their employee development for decades.

WHY WELLBEING/MINDFULNESS PROGRAMS?

Countless research in areas such as neuroscience, psychology and business have shown that the part of the brain that registers stress and anxiety, the amygdala, becomes smaller during wellbeing and mindfulness programs. The change in the amygdala correlates to a reduction in stress levels according to Harvard University neuroscientist Sara Lazar. Through a proper wellbeing/mindfulness program, another area of the brain, the Hippocampus, which is responsible for the processing of long term memory and emotional responses, also improves as the amygdala becomes more regulated. The Hippocampus grows in size by increasing gray matter in the region built for resiliency to stress. 

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU & YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Employees that receive an effective wellbeing/mindfulness program are extremely beneficial to an organization’s growth and success because of the following:

1. They cost organization less per year in healthcare cost.  Around $2,000 less per year to be exact according to the book “Mindful Work” by David Gelles

2. They are more productive and can increase company gain by $3,000 per employee per year.

3. They are less stressed which based on research increases their immune system and decreases their chance of being sick.

4. They are more resilient

5. And much more…

WELLBEING/MINDFULNESS TIPS

If you would like to start implementing a wellbeing/mindfulness program as part of your employee development program but are not sure where to begin, here are five simple and easy practices that will surely aid your employees as well as your organization:

1. Provide your employees with intervals of 10-15min of personal time (in addition to lunch breaks).

2. R.E.S.S.E.T CARDS – our R.E.S.S.E.T Cards are a great tool to provide employees with a structured way to add more joy and happiness into their day.

3. Implement a mindfulness practice within your organization.

4. Have meditation sessions weekly or a meditation room if possible.

5. Have employee yoga sessions weekly or monthly.

6. Encourage daily breathing technique practices.

7. Implement a successful wellbeing program such as R.E.S.S.E.T Studio’s program. 

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