The world’s biggest companies like Apple, Google and Nike are all switched on to the importance of mindfulness in the workplace.
While there’s options for employees like the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and a whole host of health and wellbeing employee benefits, offering to subsidise a simple subscription to a mindfulness app could make a huge difference at a relatively low cost.
Mindfulness apps are a great preventative measure when it comes to mental wellbeing.
Just like financial education is great for helping employees avoid getting into financial difficulty, mindfulness apps are fantastic for helping employees to avoid finding themselves in a difficult situation from a mental wellbeing perspective.
Why big companies like Apple are recognising the importance of mindfulness at work
According to a study by Dr Antonia Dietmann from HM Courts & Tribunals Service, in which 724 employees used mediation app Headspace 5 times a week, participants reported they felt less stressed and that they were happier with their job performance. 80% of participants said they’d recommend the app and 60% continued to use it.
Mindfulness can help improve productivity and even retention. The typical full-time employee spends around 40 hours a week at work, and so employers have a duty to help employees take care of their mental health.
Here are a few health and wellbeing apps to consider introducing to your staff!
1. Headspace
Headspace have hundreds of corporate customers including Google, LinkedIn, Starbucks and Monzo, who offer the mindfulness app to their employees as an employee benefit.
Anyone can access some of Headspace’s content without paying a penny. However, to access their premium content there is a subscription. Employers can effectively try before they buy and see if the app would live up to their employees’ expectations.
Try gauging whether your staff already use Headspace or similar meditation apps first before making the decision on whether to subsidise the cost of the app for staff or strike up a corporate relationship with Headspace.
2. Insight timer
Insight Timer is used by over 12 million people worldwide and is one of the most widely downloaded mindfulness apps around. In terms of time spent on the app, Insight Timer is the most used mindfulness app on the market.
Again, this app is available for free with a premium version available too.
While Insight Timer boasts the most free content of any mediation app on the market, it’s premium version unlocks even more courses and content.
Whether you look to subsidise this app for employees, or simply recommend downloading the free version, it’ll almost certainly help boost your employees’ mindfulness.
3. Calm
The Calm app aids to improve sleep and relaxation as well as boost mindfulness.
The app includes sleep stories narrated by celebrity and popular figures which have surpassed more than 100 million listens worldwide.
Calm boasts the most subscribers of any mindfulness app on the market and is constantly adding new content to both its free and premium versions.
Whether it’s sleep or stress employees are struggling with, the Calm app would almost certainly provide a huge boost to your health and wellbeing strategy.
4. 10% Happier
The 10% happier app differentiates itself as the meditation app for those who are sceptical or short of time.
There are sections of the app dedicated to different aspects of a person’s life, while there’s also short video lessons on mindfulness and guided meditations.
For a busier workforce, 10% happier could be the best app to recommend or subsidise for employees!
5. Buddhify
The Buddhify app includes sessions designed for the family as well as friends and colleagues
Sessions are organised by theme depending on what you’re up to, whether you’re just waking up or taking a work break.
Buddhify is by far the cheapest of these meditation apps with a one-off fee of £4.99 on the Apple App Store and £2.99 on the Google Play Store.
Whether you choose as an employer to subsidise the cost of a mindfulness app or simply recommend it to employees, there’s certainly huge benefit to be gained in promoting mindfulness in the workplace.
While Dr Antonia Dietmann’s research showed that 60% of staff would continue to use a meditation app after using it 5 times weekly, if even a small percentage of your staff continued to use mindfulness apps it would be a success.
If even one member of your team improves their mindfulness and mental health as a result of using mindfulness apps, then the process is worth it!
