Yoga in the Global Workplace
Exploring the Role of Yoga Interventions in Promoting Well-being and Resilience Among International Workers- By Orla Carlin
Reading time: 4 minutes
As the world becomes more globalised, more people are moving away from their home countries to search for new jobs. Even if we personally don’t leave, there is no doubt we will be working alongside people who may have traveled to work. Workers may do this for the experience, money, perhaps seeking a safe city to live, or because they have been transferred as part of a work exchange scheme. Either way, although this comes with added benefits, it also comes with added stress.
If you’re a leader, aspiring leader, supervisor, coordinator, or human resources officer, it might be worthwhile considering how yoga* can tackle these new levels of stress. Work typically comes with stress, which arises from unrealistic targets, unsupportive management, unfair treatment, lack of appreciation, confusing roles and responsibilities, and poor communication.
When we move abroad to work, we may face added stress. There might be issues with cultural adjustment, isolation, identity, and social coherence. Yoga studies show that all different types of yoga can be used as a stress management tool, from Kundalini to Hatha to Vinyasa.
All these yoga intervention programs used worldwide have shown to be effective. Yoga in the office can significantly reduce self-reported stress levels among workers who find themselves outside their home countries. If you are working abroad or find yourself leading a team of employees who are outside their home countries, perhaps you can start noticing the different factors that may cause stress.
When implementing well-being plans, it is important not to do them as a one-off. At some point in our careers, we may have experienced well-being box-ticking exercises. Have you ever been made to participate in a mandatory well-being Wednesday? Perhaps all you needed was just a day off. That’s not to say that yoga should be dismissed and that workplace well-being has no place.
Weekly yoga over the course of 4 to 10 weeks has been implemented in offices globally. Yoga repeatedly shows that it can aid in emotional awareness and prevent professional burnout. More importantly, yoga can reduce burnout symptoms among employees, as well as creating a lower state of mental fatigue and emotional exhaustion.
Yoga groups have reported experiencing higher levels of life satisfaction and increased self-confidence when dealing with stressful situations in the workplace.
A study with a theme of collective efficacy found that kids in care homes, along with their youth practitioners and management staff, decided to give Yoga Kundalini a try for twenty weeks. After all those weeks of bending and stretching, they reported more positive feelings. Added to that, stress was reduced, and they slept better.
Overall, there was increased sociability and a more positive attitude towards others as a result of the intervention. Nurses who also participated in mindfulness-based yoga found themselves reaping benefits for the body, mind, and soul. A study from Brazil discovered that doing Hatha yoga didn't just ease aches and pains for hospital staff, but it also helped them relax. This shows that yoga could totally elevate work life.
After all, workplaces do have a responsibility to protect their well-being and their employees. If you want to identify stress in yourself or someone else, knowing the three stages below can help:
First, bear in mind that stress has been acknowledged as a potential catalyst for behavior change and can even enhance work ethic. However, understanding the more serious categories of stress can serve as a valuable guide for leaders. There are three distinct stages of stress. Firstly, the alarm stage, if unaddressed, may result in a sense of helplessness and dissatisfaction.
Secondly, the resistance stage is characterised by individuals enduring stress until reaching exhaustion, which can lead to the adoption of other coping mechanisms such as substance abuse.
Lastly, the exhaustion stage, often referred to as burnout or breakdown, represents the most severe manifestation of stress. It is crucial that well-being interventions are implemented at the earliest stages. These stages highlight the complex nature of stress experienced by individuals in the workplace, but evidence shows yoga can help.
Work stress can include behavioral, physical, and psychological consequences, and weekly yoga interventions can manage them all! If you want to go one step further and create an intervention for everyone, then yoga will help lead to mutual recovery in a stressed work place whilst creating a spirit of togetherness. It's not just about getting your om on – it's about creating a workplace where everyone feels supported and ready to tackle whatever comes their way. Here's the good news: yoga's got your back!
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