Employee counselling

Employee counselling is a psychological technique with the main objective to support the employees by providing them a listening non judgement space.[show_more more=MORE less=LESS]It encourages individuals to bring forth inner guidance as a compass to solve the prevailing problems and improve physical and mental health in turn impacting performance.

A professionally trained counsellor helps employees by engaging in purposeful conversation thus creating a conducive ecosystem. By establishing trust, the one counseled can express their thoughts and feelings in such a way without being judged, slowly accepting their situation, see their difficulty more objectively, with less anxiety and tension. Its basic purpose is to assist the individual to make their own decision from among the choices available to them.

At Mind Celebrations, we have made the process of employee counselling more fun by following two principles –

1. We recommend and conduct counselling sessions proactively, to ensure that employees build Emotional Fitness and Positive Mental Health preventively
2. We call our counselling sessions as One to One Mind Celebrations Sessions (and not counselling for a reason to help break the stigma). Every individual is unique and his mind is to be celebrated as we celebrate & appreciate our physical being every day.

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Employee Assistance Program

As defined by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), an employee assistance program (EAP) is a work-based intervention, designed to [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] assist employees in resolving personal problems that may be adversely affecting their performance. Internationally EAPs have assisted workers with issues like alcohol or substance abuse; however, in India, they cover a broad range of issues such as child or elder care, relationship challenges, financial or legal problems, wellness matters and traumatic events like workplace bullying and violence. Programs are delivered at no cost to employees by stand-alone EAP vendors or providers who are part of comprehensive health insurance plans. Services are often delivered via phone, video-based counseling, online chatting, e-mail interactions or face-to-face. As per Business Group on Health, 217 million days are lost every year due to absenteeism and presenteeism (coming to work but unable to focus & deliver). This translates into $16.8 billion lost in productivity every year.

Mind Celebrations has a vision to create an emotionally safe world /organizations. We recommend to change the paradigm of EAP’s from reactive to proactive, we encourage employees to get help preventively and build daily emotional fitness. Our focus is to change employee assistance program to every one’s acceleration program. At Mind Celebrations, our communication is based on very simple principle of enjoying rituals of Mental Health on daily basis using fun ways to build organizations collective Mental Health.  Globally we have changed the paradigm of mindfulness to mindfunness.

Mind celebration has introduced Employee Assistance Programs in India with clear objective to, inspire & engage employees to participate and facilitate the Human Resource Teams for tracking the individual’s journey of building mental health preventively. The two pillars for higher engagement for our EAP are – Collaboration & Competition within.
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Corporate Wellness Program

As defined by Harvard Business Review, Workplace Wellness is – an organized, employer sponsored program that is designed to support holistic wellness [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] wellness of employees (and, sometimes their families) as they adapt & sustain behaviors that reduce health risks, improve quality of life, enhance personal effectiveness, by benefiting the organizations bottom-line.
Corporate wellness training programs are a conscious choice of enhancing wellbeing within an organization, aimed to be a catalyst for a holistic welfare of the employees along with achieving business outcomes. It comes from a fundamental understanding that anything that puts us in lack of ease is disease and what brings us to a sense of ease is wellness.
Benefits of corporate wellness program are:
For Employees
1. Feel nurtured and taken care of
2. Feeling of belongingness and morale is higher
3. Healthier Life
4. Work life harmony
5. High performance and productivity

For Organizations
1. Reduced absenteeism on account of sick leaves
2. When present at work employees are more focused and productive
3. Achievement of business goals
4. Attract and retain talent
5. Lowers the cost of attrition (vacancy, hiring & retraining)

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Happiness at Workplace

Despite the existing psychological research of the relationship between happiness and productivity, happiness at work has traditionally been seen as a potential by-product of positive [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] outcomes at work, rather than a pathway to business success. Happiness in the workplace is usually dependent on the work environment and the ecosystem. During the past two decades, maintaining a level of happiness at work has become relevant due to the intensification of work caused by economic uncertainty and increase in competition. In fact, companies with higher-than-average employee happiness, exhibit better financial performance and customer satisfaction. It is thus beneficial for companies to create and maintain positive work environments and leadership that will contribute to the happiness of their employees.

Happier employees do better on all fronts, from day-to-day health to productivity to career advancement, and this consistently perks up the bottom line for the organization as a whole.

Workplace happiness can be defined as people feeling good and recovering from adversity; when they have close, supportive social connections; and they believe that their presence in the world matters.
The pillars on which workplace happiness can be built and nurtured are
• Purpose
• Engagement
• Resilience
• Kindness

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Anxiety at work

Each individual is in search for peace and happiness. All our actions are in turn a conscious need for peace that we are looking for. Somewhere along [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] the way our actions elude our peace further away. The two basic emotions that evade this peace is the experience of anxiety and guilt. Both these emotions hog the minds’ ability to be in the “NOW”.  Anxiety is perceived as a sense of impending fear of the future and guilt is always a regret about the past.

Experiencing anxiety at workplace is not productive for attaining business objectives and achieving revenue outcomes. Workplace anxiety is actually contagious and spreads faster than any virus, hindering team productivity and paralyzing potential. It delays individual’s ability to solve problems and take timely decisions.

Physiologically according to the Mental Health Foundation, the signs and symptoms of anxiety can include:

• Restlessness
• A feeling of dread
• Feeling ‘on edge’
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Heart palpitations
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Dry mouth
• Fatigue and
• Muscle tension.
• Constant worrying

Symptoms can culminate to cause panic attach. With rapid heart rate & palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pains, feeling faint & feeling of terror, all of which can combine to mimic the common signs & symptoms of a heart attack.

Anxiety triggered by an external impending sense of danger is natural and is the body’s way of coping by flight or fight. This is called episodic stress.

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Employee Happiness

Creating Employee Happiness is tricky and does need effort from both, employer and the employee to create ecosystem where employees feel [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] happy. Happy employees deliver happy customers, higher revenues & profits, they are engaged and absorbed in their day-to-day work and bring in higher productivity.

The pillars of creating Employee Happiness can be captured as “MAGIC”.

(M) Meaning: Your work has purpose beyond the work itself. What I do must have some significance to me; it must mean something to me personally, and on more than just a surface level.  To me, my work is something of value, something of worth.  When my work has meaning to me, what I do has greater purpose.

(A) Autonomy: The power to shape your work and environment in ways that allow you to perform at your best.  Do I have the freedom and empowerment to perform my job in a way that I do best?   It allows me, as an individual, to create or shape my role and environment in a way that is best for me and for the organization.

(G) Growth: Being stretched and challenged in ways that result in personal and professional growth. Our internal speed of change and growth must match (or exceed) the external rate of change.  The ability to develop, grow, and progress in a job provides challenge and excitement that benefit not only the individual but also the company.

(I) Impact: Seeing positive, effective, and worthwhile outcomes and results from your work. The adage “nothing breeds success like success” holds true here.  When employees give their all, yet have little impact on the organizations or team’s success, engagement is difficult to cultivate.  On the other hand, if what I am doing is making an impact (on the company, the world, students, patients, etc.), I am often willing to go through tough times if I hope to make an impact.  This is also where recognition and feedback fit in.

(C) Connection: The sense of belonging to something beyond yourself. Employees need to feel a connection to those around them.  Similarly, my connection to the organization—whether or not I feel a part of the organization—will often dictate my level of commitment.

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Mindfulness training

At Mind Celebrations, for us MINDFUNNESS takes precedence over MINDFULNESS
[show_more more=MORE less=LESS] Mindfulness training is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.

. It combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness, which can be defined as a mental state that involves being fully focused on “the now” so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness.

Techniques can vary, but in general, mindfulness meditation involves deep breathing and awareness of body and mind. Practicing mindfulness meditation doesn’t require props or preparation (no need for candles, essential oils, or mantras, unless you enjoy them). To get started, all you need is a comfortable place to sit, three to five minutes of free time, and a judgment-free mindset.

Some of the immediate impact of Mindfulness training on individuals or teams is

• Reduces Stress
• Lower Heart Rate
• Improved Immunity
• Better Sleep

Some of the techniques and Mindfunness ways are –

• Basic mindfulness meditation– Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. Allow thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus on breath or mantra.
• Body sensations– Notice subtle body sensations such as an itch or tingling without judgment and let them pass. Notice each part of your body in succession from head to toe.
• Sensory– Notice sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches. Name them “sight,” “sound,” “smell,” “taste,” or “touch” without judgment and let them go.
• Emotions– Allow emotions to be present without judgment. Practice a steady and relaxed naming of emotions: “joy,” “anger,” “frustration.” Accept the presence of the emotions without judgment and let them go.
• Urge surfing– Cope with cravings (for addictive substances or behaviors) and allow them to pass. Notice how your body feels as the craving enters. Replace the wish for the craving to go away with the certain knowledge that it will subside.

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Stress at work place

Stress is a reaction to a perceived situation – it isn’t about the actual situation. We usually feel stressed when the demands of the [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] situation are greater than our resources to deal with that situation.
Triggers can be internal or external.
Some internal triggers are Human beings perceive situations from their colored ways of viewing the world. They have automatic negative thoughts that cloud clarity or past beliefs that don’t allow them to be in the present moment.
Some external triggers at work leading to stress are:

• High external work load & long working hours without the ability of inner resources to deal with it.
• Not feeling appreciated within organization
• Lack of role clarity
• Feeling isolated and not belonged
• Organizational bullying.
• Poor trust in teams
• Lack of psychological safety or emotional safety.
• Lack of family support because of poor family policies and employee assistance programs
• Blurring work life boundaries
• Culture of always being on (due to excessive use of digital devices).

Some of the Symptoms of stress at work place

Physical. – headaches, fatigue, acidity and digestive issues, high blood pressure and sugars.

Mental – difficulty in getting sleep and preoccupation with thoughts, with or without poor quality of sleep. Lack of focus at work, and increasing sick leaves, irritability and anger are common symptoms of work place stress

Dealing with work place stress the Mind Celebrations way

• Organizational perspective of investing in dealing with mental health and fitness as a preventive measure to be incorporated as organizational strategy.
• Giving all employee equal opportunity to mental health proactively and encouraging use of the ecosystem provided to build Mental muscle.
• Measuring daily steps to Mental fitness by every employee.
• Build Emotional safety at work in culture and organizational process
• Encourage leaders to be Emotionally safe & extending emotional safety to others at work.

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Stress Management at workplace

The entire perspective of managing stress is a reactive approach of treating oneself after problems happen. Human beings carefully [show_more more=MORE less=LESS]

build their physical immunity and health including heart and sugar by working on a proactive philosophy. Unfortunately, mental health and therefore stress management is dealt with an approach of a postmortem.

At the Mind Celebrations we rephrase stress management to Resilience building. We encourage individuals to follow mind hacks on a daily basis to build Mental muscle.

While. stress management at work needs the support of organizational culture of Emotional safety and the availability of an ecosystem that is effectively used to prevent stress and build Mental fitness. It also needs leadership and managers to sustain and nurture teams to feel the emotional safety environment.  It is finally the responsibility of every employee to take initiative to help themselves.  Responsibility towards one self, by getting help and daily practice of tools learnt is imperative to build resilience and Grit.

Few tools for stress management

• Breadth work
• Positive imagery
• Emotional freedom techniques
• Systemic body part Relaxation
• Digital Detox post work hours and on weekends
• Exercise
• Sharing feelings with friends and family.
• Saying no to multitasking
• Cultivating Emotional safety at work

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Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is defined as the freedom to Express oneself in ways that is conducive to the others, without a fear of being punished [show_more more=MORE less=LESS] or humiliated.  Psychological safety paves the way to success. If you do not feel safe and belonged in a group you will restrict idea to yourself and not speak up. You have a fear of being ridiculed that hinders your performance and productivity. The sheer fear of this being held against you, refrains you from taking initiatives or risks needed for achieving business goals or being creative in solutions at work. Low psychological safety, therefore, gets in the way of both team performance, innovation, learning, and personal success. For you to be successful in your team, and “as a team,” psychological safety is the enabler.
At Mind Celebrations we recommend incorporating Psychological safety at work as part of organizational culture. We also believe that investing in building it as an ecosystem is a competitive strategic advantage of organizations over the market. It integrates the return on investment with the return on intelligence within the organization.

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