ABSTRACT
The global demand for mindfulness training has increased enormously in recent years. Countless organizations have a keen interest in mindfulness because of the acute stress many employees feel at work and because they hope that mindfulness will help increase wellbeing and even productivity, yet in a gentle, sustainable way. Currently, most in-company mindfulness courses equate mindfulness with meditation. However, meditating is only one of numerous science-based ways to bring mindfulness into work contexts. Moreover, meditation is not always the most effective path towards workplace mindfulness. It can be counterproductive or even lead to adverse effects. This can occur especially in organizations where high dedication and self-sacrifice are prized commodities, while engaging in mindful self-care may be countercultural or, in extreme cases, might even bring up latent trauma.
You will learn step by step what the management science of workplace mindfulness is, why it is not the same as mindfulness meditation, and how you can help embed mindfulness in your work culture sustainably. You can also translate this science directly into action by pausing and trying out several mindfulness exercises, included throughout this chapter and designed to illustrate to you how you can bring the science of workplace mindfulness to your own life.
