Why Businesses are using Yoga to Drive Staff Productivity ….
Working in the corporate world can be tough. So many things can affect you. You can start out with a well organised plan for the day and within minutes, you can be juggling 5 things you had no idea you would have to deal with. Deadlines loom, pressure increases. So how are businesses using Yoga to Help?
It’s easy to misjudge how much we can practically take on. It’s easy to misjudge what is achievable, or overpromise and as such, we can easily overwork ourselves to the point where we start to feel burnt out or drained of all our energy. Corporate employers/ Business Owners, do not want this to happen to their employees. Unhappy, burnt out employees do not equal good productivity or successful businesses. People are the key to every business’ success, which is why some companies, the smart companies, have figured out how to prevent this from happening.
The latest buzz word for this conscious effort to keep staff happy & healthy and in turn drive productivity and business success, is called a “Corporate Wellness Program”.
A recent study done by Towers Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health shows that organisations with highly effective wellness programs report significantly lower voluntary attrition compared to those whose programs have ineffective programs or non-existent programs.
Programs do not need to be complicated, they can be simple yet effective and increasingly, we see Yoga being incorporated for the dual benefit of physical body movement and mindfulness.
If an employee faces long hours of multi-tasking, bad sitting postures, irregular eating habits etc it is a direct road to a stressed, inefficient and depressed employee. The trend we are seeing in Corporate Wellness Programs, backed up by the research conducted by The National Business Group on Health is that these programs are specifically targeting stress management and holistic wellness.
Enter Yoga as a hugely effective Corporate Wellness Program inclusion.
Aside from being low-cost, the teaching of physical poses using the concept of combined body and breath movement offers a holistic approach to both the physical and mental health of an individual. Deep breathing calms the nervous system and the physical movement leaves you with a sense of wellbeing and physical improvement, hence leading to an overall healthier happier employee.
Yoga has been practised for thousands of years in the East, more recently being adopted in the West as a hugely beneficial exercise. Not only does it strengthening the students body (think core strength and general muscle strength improvement), but people who regularly practise Yoga generally experience:
- Greater physical stamina across all aspects of life
2. Increased concentration and the ability to focus better, for longer
3. Improved stress management through the subconscious use of breathing techniques to stay calm
4. Improved immune system, hence a greater resistance to illness – meaning less sick days!
5. Increased productivity through the improvement in concentration, focus, and enhanced calmness.
6. Overall greater contentment.
Who wouldn’t want a team of employees who demonstrate the 6 signs we’ve listed above?
If you are a team leader, a supervisor or business owner reading this, then maybe you have the opportunity to incorporate some Yoga into your wellness program (if you have one) or create your own mini-wellness program. It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Just make the suggestion, find an hour and grab a few interested employees and head along to a Yoga class. You’ll quickly get feedback from the group and the word will spread. Make it a lunchtime express class or a pre-dinner/drinks social occasion and watch the benefits.
Not only will you find your productivity improve in the workplace, your team will be able to get to know each other on a whole new level as they laugh, fall and try something well outside most of their comfort zones.
Yoga Everyday is a new yoga studio located at Stafford in Brisbane. We have created a space where everyone can feel at home and give yoga a try. Our students are people from all works of life, sizes, shapes, fitness and yoga experience levels.
The Team at Yoga Everyday are committed to sharing the benefits of Yoga far and wide, and a bunch of us have had long Corporate Careers meaning we love working with Corporates and understand the challenges of stress. We offer both in-house Yoga Classes or Private Classes at our studio. These offer a great way to incorporate the benefits of Yoga (physical + mental) with a Team Meeting, Awards ceremony or just a social beer and chat. We promise it will be fun and that you AND your team will laugh and have a good time.
Speak to our Studio Manager Aubrey at Yoga Everyday about increasing your employee productivity by introducing Yoga into your employee program. Contact: Hello@yogaeveryday.com.au or 0405 345 697
