The Mindfulness Blog

A few years ago, from the pop culture scene came a song sung by Dolly Parton that (in a pretty upbeat way), looked at a compelling issue that is receiving a lot of not-so-upbeat attention, these days: The workplace, and the things some people get away with there.

"All taking, and no giving" doesn't sound very good to many of us, 
and if that's what our workplaces have become, I can't imagine that anyone would want to work in an office, ever again. That said, the workplace (office) doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, but there are things that can be done to make it more tolerable-- maybe even, more humane.

How might that start? Well, I've suggested in prior blog postings (not to mention, at countless public speaking engagements) that employers start with the implementation of a balanced workplace wellbeing initiative, prominently supported by leadership and funded as a meaningful line item, in the annual budget.

The problem seems to be that wellbeing is apparently beyond the ken of most business leaders, and it's human nature to downplay or ignore things that are not understood. The unfortunate result is that workplace wellbeing is given pitifully short shrift-- in many workplaces it's given no attention, at all.

Our business leaders may be human, but they're not bound by the limitations of human nature-- they command resources that can be drawn upon to help them learn about new ways to skin the proverbial cat, and I can't think of a "cat" more important than the "cat" commonly referred to as workplace wellbeing.

Caring for the men and women who make up a successful business enterprise (or helping them take care of themselves), is identical to caring for one's business. They're one, and the same.

Businesses have been taking for a long time (and, presumably, will continue to do so). What about a little giving?