How do you create calm and focus in a hectic and demanding work environment?

How do you create calm and focus in a hectic and demanding work environment?

There is much evidence of the effect of mindfulness training on, for example, perceived stress, well-being and ability to concentrate. In addition to offering training, we can also design our work and the organizations in which we work to be "mindful. How can we encourage mindfulness through our work environment?

This article previously appeared on www.tno.nl. Image: www.tno.nl

Although the importance of environmental factors is recognized, research on this is still very scarce. TNO did an exploratory study based on literature and interviews with researchers, mindfulness trainers and top managers with experience of mindfulness.

The exploratory research shows that many different organizational factors are considered important to encourage mindfulness. At the task level, it is important that not too much work pressure is experienced, that workers have autonomy (for example, to determine the order of their own tasks) and that collective and individual moments of reflection are scheduled.

With regard to the social environment, role models, management style, process agreements on communication and an atmosphere of trust and safety are considered important, among other things. Finally, at the organizational level, the connection to the organization as a whole, the degree of hierarchy and the physical layout are considered influential. These and other factors are included in an integrated organizational model.

Concrete advice for working more mindfully

We are increasingly working in a hectic environment where we run from one meeting to the next, where the to-do list gets longer and longer or where we simply can't cope due to a lack of colleagues. The number of burnout complaints has been rising for years. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 employees has burnout complaints. What can we do differently tomorrow.

Five concrete pieces of advice for working more mindfully based on the factors identified in the exploratory research:

• Stop having back-to-back meetings! Make 50-minute meetings the standard. And build moments of rest and reflection into your workday.
• Don't create a monkey rock during meetings where whoever shouts first and loudest gets to speak. Give people a moment to reflect and let everyone have their say!
• Organizational performance over individual performance! Team performance and rewards more central!
• Realistic ambitions and goals! Narrow your to-do list or at least set some clear priorities.
• Trying to reach colleagues via Email, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, phone, voicemail... More is not always better! Agree on the use of communication channels, accessibility and how to communicate.

In addition to this concrete advice, there are also more sweeping interventions possible to create a work environment that encourages mindfulness, such as increasing autonomy, or a different leadership style. The effect of those interventions requires further research, as does the further substantiation of the model.