In a post-recessionary world, where stress levels are rising, businesses are turning to a gentler kind of work culture. Welcome to the wellbeing workplace.
“As the Belgian philosopher Pascal Chabot put it, burnout is the disease of civilisation – the stress of over-busyness, overworking, overconnecting on social media, and underconnecting with ourselves and with one another,” says Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and author of Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life. “Nowhere is this more true than in the world of business. Our workplaces are dominated by language like killing it, crushing it, marching on and defeating our competitors, which immediately puts you in a permanent bellicose fight-or-flight state of mind.”
According to the World Health Organization, the stress this places on workers costs US businesses $300bn each year in healthcare and lost productivity, while the UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel Development says that stress is a leading cause of absenteeism.
In an effort to prevent further stress problems, companies large and small are exploring wellness ideas previously considered the preserve of hippies and Californians. Meditation is increasingly visible in pop culture, with 50 Cent, Lena Dunham and Rupert Murdoch all tweeting about how it has helped them, while Evan Williams, the co-founder of Twitter, credits meditation in having helped him make major business decisions.
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