Why mindfulness training at work doesn't reduce stress
When it comes to improving our mental health, there is a lot of emphasis on mindfulness. The practice of connecting with your immediate surroundings and being fully present in the moment has become the go-to practise to reduce stress and increase wellbeing, including at work.
The cost of poor mental health at work reached £28bn in 2022, according to a survey of 30,000 people from 16 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Employers are well-aware of the impact poor psychological health can have, from increased sick days to poor performance.
To try to address the problem, many businesses have introduced wellbeing schemes, which range from offering exercise classes, standing desks, providing therapists and introducing mindfulness training. The global market for corporate ‘wellness’ solutions has exploded in recent years - and is projected to be worth $94.6 billion by 2026.
However, studies suggest that workplace mindfulness programmes aren’t always as effective as we think they are at boosting employees’ mental health. And, worryingly, some employers use them as a tick-box exercise – while ignoring the cause of poor wellbeing among workers.
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Recently, Dr William Fleming, a Unilever research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, analysed survey responses of more than 46,000 people to find out whether workplace wellbeing and mindfulness interventions actually worked.
He found that there was no difference in the self-reported mental health of those who participated in these programmes, compared with those who did not. Overall, the schemes didn’t improve workers’ sense of belonging or reduce how pressured they felt.
This might be because these wellness schemes are little more than ‘McMindfulness’ – a term describing how practices like meditation become corporate tools.
“There seems to be a rising trend in workplace wellbeing programmes that focus on mindfulness,” says therapist and Counselling Directory member Carley Symes. “I wonder if the focus is on the idea of a relatively ‘quick fix’ whereby employees can somewhat sort themselves out, neglecting the actual responsibility of the workplace and focusing on self improvement in the employees’ hands instead.
“I can completely see why employers are looking for cost effective ways to support their employees to look after their mental health whilst also balancing their budgets,” says Symes. “When an e-learning package markets its mindfulness scheme directly to the company, claiming it can fix your legal obligation for pastoral care whilst cutting costs in the sickness budget, it’s easy to see why most companies say ‘yes please’.”
Mindfulness won’t solve problems
However, mindfulness isn’t supposed to resolve mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression, it’s a coping mechanism. Learning to be more mindful – for example, by doing breathing exercises – is a tool that helps to calm the body’s fight or flight response, which helps to promote relaxation. Indeed, studies suggest mindfulness can help people feel less stressed and more engaged at work.
But mindfulness is no match for significant, enduring workplace problems, such as people being overworked, poor management and a toxic culture.
“The real question is why is it necessary for your employees to have to develop these coping skills just to get by at work?” asks Symes. “Coping skills do just that - they help people cope. They do not address or resolve the issue, and so when they are used in isolation they will never be more than an ineffective unsticking plaster on a gaping wound.”
Symes highlights that it allows employers to ignore any issues and instead places responsibility solely with employees, removing accountability.
“Heavy workloads, poor management and overly pressured environments are not about employee resilience but about exploitation, bullying and manipulation,” she says. “And to place the blame for struggling with this on the person being forced to experience this is unacceptable victim blaming.”
Listen to employees
So what can employers do to improve employees’ mental health? One of the most important ways to support people is to listen to them. “These schemes miss out one of the major factors in actually developing healthy mental wellbeing - being heard,” says Symes.
It is essential for employers to find out why workers are struggling so they can provide adequate support. Whether it is a period of sick leave, reduced responsibilities or flexible working hours, it might be possible to find a solution. Employees should feel able to speak up about a problem, even if it’s one that can’t be easily resolved.
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“Fostering a good company culture is hard and absolutely worth it if you want to support the wellbeing of the people you work with,” says Symes. “Open conversations, actively listening and actually implementing changes based on feedback are likely to go a long way in building trust and reducing stress in the workplace.”
Another practical way to improve employee mental health is to invest in a quality counselling service to support employees with their life inside and outside of work. “But, above all, listen and have empathy,” says Symes. “Take responsibility for the impact of your actions and your companies actions, and you’ll find improvements will follow.”
