The effects of stress in the workplace are hazardous and costly!
According to a number of sources, stress on the job leads to:
—Quitting: 40% of job turnover is due to stress, and almost one in five survey respondents had quit a previous position because of job stress
—Job dissatisfaction: 80% of workers feel stress on the job, 65% of workers said that workplace stress had caused difficulties, and 40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful
—Missing work due to illness: 60% of doctor visits are for conditions related to stress, and 12% of employees surveyed had called in sick because of job stress
But according to an article in Business Week online, many high profile companies are overcoming the effects of stress with meditation:
“[F]indings at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Massachusetts, and the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard University [indicate] that meditation enhances the qualities companies need most from their knowledge workers: increased brain-wave activity, enhanced intuition, better concentration, and the alleviation of the kinds of aches and pains that plague employees most.”
Some of the companies that promote meditation for their employees and executives include Apple Computer, Yahoo!, Google, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Nortel Networks, Viacom, AOL Time Warner, and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.
Physical benefits of meditation include muscle relaxation, lowered blood pressure, and increased circulation. Mental benefits include calmness, enhanced awareness, greater mental focus, and increased happiness. Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, used an MRI to scan the brains of meditators. Author David Michie believes Davidson’s findings indicate that “meditation rewires us for happiness.”
A recent article in Parade Magazine notes that many celebrities practice and advocate meditation. Their numbers include Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Hip-hop mogul Russel Simmons, Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington, U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Barbara Walters, Congressman Mark Sanford, Katy Perry, and Russell Brand.
To overcome the effects of workplace stress, let us bring this very simple process of meditation to your organization.
Pat Breslin has studied, practiced, and taught meditation for 40 years. 
Email: patrick@empowerspeakers.com Phone: 352-871-9448