There is no agreed-upon definition of mindfulness within Buddhism, as the myriad strands of the religion bring to it their own understanding of the tradition and interpretation. However, as mindfulness has established itself in the secular realm, there is greater conceptual agreement and emphasis. The current common understanding of mindfulness is that it focuses on “(a) present-centered awareness and bare attention, and (b) attitudes of acceptance and non-judgment.”
Secular oriented people engage in mindfulness for reasons that include general wellness, as an alternative or supplement to traditional medicine, to relax, to reduce stress and anxiety, and to have a better night’s sleep.
Mindfulness in personal relations, private time, associations at churches and senior centers is a positive. These are the places where we intend to find satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness. But the workplace, at least from a business’s perspective, is different. There, the goal is profit. Employers support mindfulness in the workplace because a less stressed and happy employee is good for business. One study of 205 full-time employees in Turkey found that indeed mindfulness was beneficial to business. The researchers reported, “By promoting mindfulness, organizations can potentially enhance employee well-being and reduce turnover intentions, fostering a more positive and productive work environment. The implications of these findings suggest that mindfulness interventions could be beneficial for organizations aiming to improve employee mental health and retention.”
Washington State University Professor Alex Kier found a downside to mindfulness in business, however, when he and his colleagues looked at entrepreneurs who engaged in the practice. Mindfulness, which is present-focused and non-judgmental, and entrepreneurship, which is future oriented and emphasizes challenging the status quo, are by definition contradictions. Kier’s study found that mindfulness indeed “encourages [some entrepreneurs] to set venture goals they believe are less difficult.” The negative relationship between entrepreneurship and pursuing difficult goals was weakest amongst those who scored high for passion and perseverance for long-term goals, i.e., those who had the most grit.
Mindfulness has also been employed by some businesses to enhance their social impact and commitment to people, and the environmental implications and economic consequences of their work on communities. A socially responsible business should be more sustainable, Raskvoa and others wrote in article published in 2024. They reported that mindfulness leads to social justice awareness so that “individuals within organizations are more inclined to behave in a way to overcome social inequalities embed in organizational practices.”
Recently, many corporations have abandoned social responsibility standards while others have continued pursuing them while shying away from public statements regarding those goals. It is uncertain how rethinking corporate social responsibility will change mindfulness practices in the workplace or how this may affect attitudes about mindfulness more generally.
Will mindfulness be no more than a fad? Will business conclude it is a poor return on investment? Will it be used to escape from the rigors of living here and now? Or will it be kindling for compassion and social responsibility, the best that mindfulness has to offer?
