Why Mental Fitness Is Important in The Workplace

Why mental fitness is important in the workplace

No leader or management team can ever afford to ignore or neglect the mental health of their workforce. Mental health is every bit as important as physical health. If a workforce is not thinking, feeling, or performing at its best, distress, exhaustion and other negative symptoms may result. When these unfortunate results occur, it is bad news, not only for those who suffer from them, but for the business as a whole. Fostering good mental fitness is, therefore, not only a humanitarian good that companies can grant to their employees, but a strategic investment in future prosperity.

Productivity

Poor mental health can have a disastrous effect on output and productivity. It is associated with additional absenteeism, presenteeism, and lost productivity. Employees with good mental health miss fewer work days, and are much more likely to be rated as top performers and engage more deeply in their work than people struggling with their mental health. Staff who suffer from poor mental health have difficulty concentrating, take longer to perform tasks, experience difficulty reasoning and making decisions, put off challenging work, and have difficulty juggling tasks. All of this translates to reduced quality and quantity of output.  

Project Management

When one or more team members are slowed down by poor mental health, the entire team suffers. In addition, it takes a toll on supervisors and managers. The potential for interpersonal conflicts, tension and generalized unproductive behavior tends to increase. Management finds itself having to neutralize these potential issues, while also struggling to find ways to maintain productivity. 

Satisfaction

Workers who are mentally fit are inclined to be more satisfied with their jobs, and thus less likely to leave of their own accord. Fostering mental fitness is, therefore, a great way to reduce staff turnover and nurture a committed and invested team.

Coaching for Mental Fitness

Thriving employees who enjoy good mental health are more productive, more satisfied, and less likely to leave voluntarily. They recover more quickly from setbacks, are more engaged in their work, and more creative. All of this reflects increased productivity and a robust bottom line – so, how do employers get their staff to this sought-after position? Professional productivity coaches can certainly help. Training mental fitness involves fostering a proactive approach to life and work. Staff are taught to recognize and process their negative emotions before they become habitual. They are also shown useful reframing exercises that help them view situations differently and take a solutions-centered approach. Mindful practices are also central to good mental fitness in the workplace. 

Corporate Class Inc. is a global authority in leadership coaching and empowerment. We strive to develop exceptional leaders and to assist organizations in developing effective leadership approaches. Based in Toronto, and with a worldwide presence, we have helped to nurture mindful leaders since 1984. Contact us to find out how our training and consultation can help you promote mental fitness in your workplace.

How to Foster Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

How to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Want to know how to foster diversity and inclusion in the office?

Organizations that invest in diversity and inclusion often have more productive employees who feel accepted, valued, and welcomed. 

Additionally, diverse teams are often more engaged and offer unique problem-solving solutions to decision-making processes.

So if your company already employs a diverse workforce that encompasses a range of religions, backgrounds, ages, and genders, you might feel that you can check the diversity and inclusion box off.

But it’s not that simple. 

There’s always room for improvement when creating an inclusive work environment that genuinely boosts employee engagement and productivity.

In this blog post, we’ll cover improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Confirm executive support

The image of your executive team can impact how your employees and external stakeholders view your company and its culture. As a result, it’s a good idea to have a diverse executive team that includes unique ethnic groups and gender diversity. Additionally, your team should consist of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. This is crucial since leaders are often role models for employees and set the standards for the workforce.

Additionally, an effective way to boost executive support is by introducing training at the top management level. This way, your executive team understands the importance of diversity and inclusion and treats their employees fairly and equally.

Leverage multiple tools and channels for employee feedback

Inclusive companies can use surveys and other forms of employee feedback to better understand their employees’ concerns and needs. By deploying surveys, you’ll better understand and combat any patterns of discrimination and structures of prejudice in the company.

It’s also a good idea to incorporate anonymous feedback. This way, you can really drill down on more minor, pressing issues in specific departments or areas of work.

Moreover, team leaders and managers can use check-in tools to get personalized feedback from employees. This way, employees know they can voice their opinions and that their managers care. 

Approach with your heart in the right place

If you want to promote diversity and inclusion, you need to approach business processes strategically and compassionately.

One way to do this is by acknowledging cultural holidays. You can do this by asking employees what their plans are for a particular religious or cultural holiday when a team meeting is ending. Additionally, you can set appointments and deadlines while considering special religious and cultural holidays. This way, employees know that you are aware of their needs and that you offer them the flexibility to commit to their cultural and religious needs and work commitments. 

Promote pay equity

Managers and senior staff should evaluate and promote equal opportunities and pay for every employee.

Organizations can evaluate which staff members are being underpaid for similar roles and responsibilities. This also helps diverse companies understand which minority groups are being mistreated. Managers should also identify pay gap patterns across departments and get to the root cause of these issues. This way, diverse employees know that the management team is working towards creating an inclusive and equal work environment and that they are valued. 

If you want to improve your company’s workplace diversity and inclusion, visit the Corporate Class website today. 

We over bespoke services that will help you foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace while boosting employee engagement and productivity.

Recap: The “Power Posing” backlash

power posing

We know our mind can change our body, but can our body change our mind? According to Amy Cuddy, and other researchers before her, it absolutely can.
We admire Amy Cuddy; we show her Ted Talk, discuss her book Presence, and reference power posing during our workshops. We see tremendous value in what she’s made accessible to the public: the ability to use our body to effectively change our state of mind.
Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk is one of the most-watched, with almost 40 million views. She’s received praise for her work on body language from all over the world. Recently, Dana Carney, co-author of the 2010 study that brought power posing to prominence, came forward to denounce the study itself, calling it flawed and announcing that she didn’t think the power posing effect was legitimate.
We’ve received many questions about this since professor Carney came forward with her statement, and we believe it is imperative that we examine both the allegations themselves and Amy Cuddy’s response.

What Dana Carney said

Dana Carney came forward in September 2016 and expressed the following, which was supported by a full statement:
“1. I do not have any faith in the embodied effects of ‘power poses.’ I do not think the effect is real.
2. I do not study the embodied effects of power poses.
3. I discourage others from studying power poses.
4. I do not teach power poses in my classes anymore.
5. I do not talk about power poses in the media and haven’t for over 5 years (well before skepticism set in)
6. I have on my website and my downloadable CV my skepticism about the effect and links to both the failed replication by Ranehill et al. and to Simmons & Simonsohn’s p-curve paper suggesting no effect. And this document.”
She drew these conclusions by acknowledging some flaws in the research design. For example, Carney mentions that too many people involved in the study were aware of the hypothesis, and this may have impacted how people performed during the study itself (i.e. by showing an unconscious bias).

What Amy Cuddy said

Amy Cuddy made her surprise known when Carney’s allegations began to surface. Specifically, Cuddy stated:
“The key finding, the one that I would call ‘the power posing effect,’ is simple: adopting expansive postures causes people to feel more powerful. Since my coauthors and I first published our evidence, this effect has been replicated in at least nine published studies and in at least four unpublished studies from nine different labs.”
She and her team conducted a systematic review and statistical analysis of power posing studies, and found evidence that adopting expansive postures, or “power posing,” does increase feelings of power. In addition, Cuddy hired a statistician at Harvard to conduct an independent audit of the 2010 research study. You can find that analysis here.
Cuddy also stated that when speaking now about power posing, she highlights what she believes are the strongest effects, and those which have yet to be determined:
“…while I am confident about the key power posing effect on feelings of power and the overall evidential value of the literature, I am agnostic about the effects of expansive posture on hormones. The jury is still out. We have conflicting evidence, which is fascinating and means it could go either way.”

What CCI says

Upon reading both Carney’s comments, as well as Cuddy’s response, CCI has formed a clear opinion on the matter.
We often engage in power posing ourselves – before workshops, seminars and keynotes – and can say with confidence that power posing works, for us, by increasing our confidence and ease when we present. Based on this fact alone, power posing holds tremendous value within our organization, and is the basis for us wanting to spread the word to our clients and participants.
Think about the animal kingdom and how many species engage in ‘power posing’ to exert dominance or increase confidence: gorillas beat their chests to intimidate; grizzly’s stand on their two hind legs to appear large and aggressive; peacocks open their beautiful feathers wide to attract a mate. And then, of course, there’s Tarzan!
Positive effects of power posing can be seen everywhere, even on Wall Street, where “fearless girl” stands tall in her power pose, defiant against the raging bull that faces her. This is an extraordinary, and timely, personification of the “power” of poser posing. When looking at “fearless girl,” the power of body language cannot go unnoticed: the message would be entirely different should the girl be standing, slouching, and with her hands by her sides. You can tell, by looking at her face, that she feels powerful.
Everybody and every body is different, and power posing may work for some and not others. We suggest that before discounting it based on Carney’s reaction, try it for yourself, and see how it makes you feel.

Top 10 Body Language Tips from Leading Expert Robert Phipps

Body Language Tips

Have you ever wanted to know how some of the world’s best communicators manage to be so persuasive?

People like Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, David Cameron, Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and many others.  

The Simple Answer Is They Use NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION So Well It Overrides Their Words. 

They Communicate With Empathy, Pride and Confidence at Exactly the Right Moment and Their Behaviour Transcends What They Have To Say…

Your ability to use your own body language to emphasize your chosen words is paramount in all human interactions.

So, here are my top ten body language tips:

  1. Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say. Here in the UK we tend to keep eye contact around 60-70% of the time. (However, there are wide cultural differences, so be careful in other countries). By doing this you won’t make other people feel self conscious, like they’ve got a bit of vegetable stuck between their teeth or a dew drop hanging from the nose. Instead, it will give them a feeling of comfort and genuine warmth in your company, any more eye contact than this and you can be too intense, any less and you give off a signal that you are lacking interest in them or their conversation.
  2. Posture is the next thing to master. Get your posture right and you’ll automatically start feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly. Next time you notice you’re feeling a bit down, take a look at how you are standing or sitting. Chances are you’ll be slouched over with your shoulders drooping down and inward. This collapses the chest and inhibits good breathing, which in turn can help make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.
  3. Head position is a great one to play around with; with yourself and others. When you want to feel confident and self assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically. You can also use this straight head position when you want to be authoritative and what you’re saying to be taken seriously. Conversely, when you want to be friendly and in the listening, receptive mode, tilt your head just a little to one side or other. You can shift the tilt from left to right at different points in the conversation.
  4. Arms give away the clues as to how open and receptive we are to everyone we meet and interact with, so keep your arms out to the side of your body or behind your back. This shows you are not scared to take on whatever comes your way and you meet things “full frontal”. In general terms the more outgoing you are as a person, the more you tend to use your arms with big movements. The quieter you are the less you move your arms away from your body. So, try to strike a natural balance and keep your arm movements midway. When you want to come across in the best possible light, crossing the arms is a no, no in front of others. Obviously if someone says something that gets your goat, then by all means show your disapproval by crossing them!
  5. Legs are the furthest point away from the brain, consequently they’re the hardest bits of our bodies to consciously control. They tend to move around a lot more than normal when we are nervous, stressed or being deceptive. So best to keep them as still as possible in most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings. Be careful too in the way you cross your legs. Do you cross at the knees, ankles or bring your leg up to rest on the knee of the other? This is more a question of comfort than anything else. Just be aware that the last position mentioned is known as the “Figure Four” and is generally perceived as the most defensive leg cross, especially if it happens as someone tells a you something that might be of a slightly dubious nature, or moments after. (As always, look for a sequence).
  6. Angle of the body in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle ourselves away from those we don’t, it’s that simple! Angles includes leaning in or away from people, as we often just tilt from the pelvis and lean sideways to someone to share a bit of conversation. For example, we are not in complete control of our angle at the cinema because of the seating nor at a concert when we stand shoulder to shoulder and are packed in like sardines. In these situations we tend to lean over towards the other person.
  7. Hand gestures are so numerous it’s hard to give a brief guide but here goes. Palms slightly up and outward are seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as dominant, emphasizing and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending between the wrist and the forearm. This palm up, palm down is very important when it comes to handshaking and where appropriate we suggest you always offer a handshake upright and vertical, which should convey equality.
  8. Distance from others is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and you’ll be marked as “pushy” or “in your face”. Stand or sit too far away and you’ll be “keeping your distance” or “stand offish”. Neither are what we want, so observe if in a group situation how close are all the other people to each other. Also notice if you move closer to someone and they back away, you’re probably just a tiny bit too much in their personal space, their comfort zone. “You’ve overstepped the mark” and should pull back a little.
  9. Ears, yes your ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though in general terms most people can’t move them much, if at all. However, you’ve got two ears and only one mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced a conversation without being me, me, me or the wallflower.
  10. Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist them to the side when we’re thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to hold back an angry comment we don’t wish to reveal. Nevertheless, it will probably be spotted by other people and although they may not know the comment, they will get a feeling you were not too pleased.

Guest Post by Robert Phipps, author of the new book: Body Language: It’s What You Don’t Say That Matters.