mindfulness in the workplace - :the independent

Mindfulness in the Workplace

Formulating the business case

introductionsJane:    Independent & associate with Mindfulness Works, MA at 

Bangor,  thesis  topic,  10  years  corporate  experience,  coaching, 

workshops,  mindfulness teacher (MBSR & other formats)

Shamash:  Engineering  and  Education  background.  Trained  at 

Bangor  &  UMASS.  Mindfulness  consultant,  trainer,  speaker  & 

author  of  ‘Mindfulness  For  Dummies’.  Work  with 

coaches/therapists/professionals individually/small groups. Offers 

teacher training.

consultants, teachers, well‐being & healthcare 

professionals, coaches & psychologists – 78%

77% teaching, leadership, coaching, well‐being  

21% some; 57% little / no knowledge 

informationdemographic

#1 how mindfulness can be adapted

#2 how to formulate a business case

what

What is a Business Case?Why bother introducing mindfulness?

Format

Typical content

establishingfundamentals

Who are you presenting to?HR, L&D, Occupational health

establishingrelevance

“speak with sustained & compelling relevance”

who

Strategic contextMeeting business objectives

Examples ‐ health (Preventative and curative)‐ well‐being (resilience)‐ elements of performance enhancement , 

productivity, leadership, EI,  team development, communication

Resilience: adaptable to change, stress

Performance: awareness, focus, creativity, productivity, 

flexibility

Communication: EI, presence, listening (Google)

Leadership: decision‐making, perspective

whybenefitsprofile

howrecommendedsolutions

learning formats: 

stand‐alone or integrated

various: taster sessions & who 

group: MBI’s, classes

e‐based: desk‐site

one‐to‐one:  informed / based coaching, MBI’s

applied: workshops, meetings, emails, etc 

population‐specific elements

core elements

formal practices experiential  learninginquiry underpinning themesgroup discussionsmeta‐structureteacher qualities

didactic materialthemes, e.g.  stressgroup discussionslength 

adaptationconsiderationsMBSR – empirical evidence base

template ‐ blueprint for MBI’s (MBCT)

howadaptationconsiderations

rationale for worksite adaptation

relevance & operationally realistic

coherent synthesis – avoid utilitarian “fix‐it” strategy 

teacher embodiment – primary vehicle

returninvestmentonon

suitability: employee characteristics (Johnson, Myers Briggs) 

enrolment: self or line‐manager  

sustainability: personal relevance & motivation 

feasibility: length, duration & spacing, practice, on‐site, time

KEY: recruitment, attendance, compliance, on‐going practice 

1. How do we need to meet potential resistance?

2. What are the pitfalls we need to watch out for?

3. What makes an ideal business case for mindfulness?

4. What are your personal strengths/weaknesses in bringing 

mindfulness to the workplace?

5. What is your experience of successful interventions in the 

workplace?

inquiryprocess

aninvitation

Jane Brendgen

jane.brendgen@yahoo.com

Twitter.com/mindfuljane 

07786387072

Shamash AlidinaLearnmindfulness.co.ukFacebook.com/AlidinaTwitter.com/shamashalidina07903 343893

Our contact details:

Self‐presentation 

“Teaching Mindfulness” – McCown et.al.

Google scholar & research papers 

toptips

Use appropriate language

Keep your client’s needs in mind

Ensure you build in evaluation (e.g. staff sickness % 

reduction or use of a mindfulness scale)

Mindfulness in the Workplace

Formulating the business case