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6 Ways Yoga Can Improve Productivity at Work
Don't think yoga is important in business? The benefits of yoga can increase productivity.
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Workers’ poor health can cost employers up to $10,000 per employee each year in lost work productivity, according to the Journal of Medical Economics. However, companies that offer yoga and other preventive wellness initiatives often see healthier employees, lower health insurance costs and a stronger bottom line.
Your workforce may also benefit from increased productivity when regular yoga practice is encouraged and prioritized. We’ll explain how incorporating yoga into your wellness program can help your business thrive and share tips for implementing yoga in both in-person and remote workplaces.
How yoga helps productivity
Healthy, relaxed and focused employees tend to be more productive. Even encouraging your team to take just 10 minutes during the workday to do simple yoga stretches — whether at their desks, in a conference room or outside — can reduce stress and improve concentration. Taking it a step further, offering yoga classes on-site or off-site is a low-cost, high-ROI benefit that many employees appreciate.
Many companies recognize the value of yoga and incorporate classes into their corporate wellness programs. These organizations include professional sports teams, as well as notable companies like Forbes, GE, Apple, Google, Chase Manhattan Bank, HBO, GM, Industrial Light & Magic and Nike. Even small businesses can get involved by partnering with local yoga studios to create a more community-focused program.
Consider these six ways yoga can boost productivity for your entire workplace.
1. Yoga increases energy and reduces fatigue.
Working nonstop can create productivity-killing stress. Even standing up, stretching, or moving around every 30 minutes can significantly improve blood circulation. Incorporating simple yoga moves at these times is an effective way to avoid fatigue.
2. Yoga helps alleviate physical ailments.
If you or your team members are experiencing aches, pains or other chronic physical issues, this can impact productivity. Regardless of your role, if you’re constantly thinking about and managing discomfort, it’s hard to focus on work.
Yoga can help relieve even the most severe pain and physical problems, including those associated with traumatic brain injuries. If it can support recovery in that context, imagine the impact it could have on everyday issues like headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck strain, shoulder stiffness, arthritis and other common conditions.
3. Yoga can help relieve stress.
Aside from physical pain and illness, mental and emotional stress are significant factors affecting employee health and work productivity. While stress itself doesn’t always prompt people to seek help, it can trigger or worsen physical ailments and conditions, including colds, allergies, headaches, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Stress accounts for billions of dollars in lost business revenue due to workplace absenteeism, reduced productivity, employee turnover, medical costs and workplace accidents. Avoiding such problems is crucial for both employees and businesses.
4. Yoga improves concentration and focus.
Stressful deadlines, endless meetings and the general buzz of a busy workplace can create mental clutter that prevents employees and managers from concentrating and making sound business decisions. Yoga’s meditation and breathing exercises help quiet the noise and clear the mind, allowing you to be more mindful, alert and focused.
5. Yoga helps boost creativity.
Yoga improves concentration and focus, which helps open the mind and allow creative energy to flow. Your brain can’t think outside the box when it’s confined within one.
When you feel well physically, mentally and emotionally, your morale improves. If you’re focused and energized, you’ll likely feel more positive. When your creativity is flowing, your confidence grows. All of this can make you a better employee in your job responsibilities, client interactions and relationships with co-workers.
6. Yoga boosts resilience.
When employees regularly pause to practice yoga, they can build resilience, enhancing their ability to manage stress and make informed decisions quickly.
Employees with a calm spirit are also more likely to listen actively and strengthen their emotional intelligence, helping create a more positive, collaborative work environment.
How companies can bring yoga to in-person and virtual workforces
Whether you include yoga as part of a company-wide wellness program or weave it into the daily work routine, it won’t take long for your business to start seeing results. Note that leadership participation is key to successful implementation, as it helps keep employees engaged and maximizes overall health benefits.
1. Start a ‘mindful movement’ daily routine.
Practicing yoga daily, even when working from home, offers significant physical and mental benefits. Lindsey Hyland, founder of Urban Organic Yield, noted that one example of mindful movement is formal stretches at the beginning of the day, which help loosen tight muscles and increase blood flow.
It’s also helpful to take another mindful break a few hours later. “This may reduce pain caused by hours of typing or other weight-bearing activities,” Hyland explained. “It might also help to take five-minute midday breaks to stand up or walk around, followed by another stretch or 10 deep breaths.”
Yoga at work doesn’t have to be mandatory, but everyone should be encouraged to attend at least one class. If your company has a remote work plan, employees can participate in virtual yoga sessions or practice on their own.
2. Include yoga in an employee wellness program.
Employee wellness programs aim to benefit the employee, but they also benefit employers and the company as a whole. Relaxed, focused employees tend to perform better and more consistently.
“Conducting yoga classes once a week outside work hours will allow employees who cannot attend to practice mindfulness and stress relief,” Hyland said. “However, if you have a large enough staff, it may also be possible to have a dedicated yoga session during work hours. This will allow your employees to take advantage of yoga’s physical and mental benefits without taking time away from their jobs.”
Simon Nichols, chief supply officer at Evendo, noted that it’s easy to incorporate yoga into your wellness program, whether your team is remote, in-office or hybrid.
“With no office space required, employees can select a class to suit their new home-working timetable,” Nichols explained. “Companies are also not tied to local instructors. With virtual classes, you can discover great instructors from across the world.”
3. Create a relaxation room at the office.
Creating a relaxation or wellness room in the office can help boost productivity and your team’s overall performance. Employees need a place to escape from business noise and office clutter, where they can breathe and re-center themselves. Supporting your team’s mental and physical health in this way can increase employee loyalty and contribute to smoother day-to-day operations.
The space should be inviting, comfortable and judgment-free — whether it’s used for meditation, yoga or power naps. You don’t need a big budget to get started. Consider the following tips for designing an effective relaxation room:
- Natural lighting: It’s been proven that lighting affects productivity and mood. When designing your relaxing space, opt for a room with numerous windows, or consider using dimmable lamps as an alternative to overhead lighting.
- Live plants: Adding plants can improve air quality and provide a tranquil environment when needed most.
- Calm color palette: Choose neutral tones or soothing shades of green and blue to create a peaceful, zen-like ambiance.
- Soundproofing: A space free from the usual office noise can help employees feel transported, allowing them to de-stress and refocus.
- Relaxation aids: Yoga mats, comfortable seating, stress balls, essential oils and calming music can help team members quickly re-center themselves.
4. Set an example from the top.
Like most workplace initiatives, a successful yoga program should begin with visible participation and enthusiastic support from leadership. Including yoga as a regular part of the workday requires a culture shift, so leadership buy-in is critical.
“There needs to be an expectation from leadership that employees take care of their minds and bodies — a culture shift that makes it OK to spend a half-hour a day on self-care or black out a block of time where everyone practices together,” said Ashley Cardini, lead facilitator at Work.Well.We.
When leadership models and encourages these behaviors, employees are less likely to feel guilty about taking time out of their day for yoga or meditation.
Julie Thomson contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.
