How to Double Down on CSR Using Mindfulness

My first experience with mindful eating was during a meditation course. The instructor handed us each a piece of chocolate and instructed us to slowly unwrap it and place it in our mouths. As we did this, she asked us to think about all of the people and resources that went into producing the small piece of chocolate – and I went deep.

Who owned the land where the cocoa beans were grown? Did children work on the farm? Were the farmers paid a fair wage? Were their rights respected? How much oil was used to ship the chocolate? What was going to happen to the wrapper after it was discarded?   

This exercise was an incredibly profound experience. I realized that while I am aware of these issues on an intellectual level, I am not mindful about where the products I consume come from or where they go when I’m finished with them. Nurturing that mindful connection to my food forged a deep sense of empathy within me and has pushed me to make better choices – I’m now much more selective of where my chocolate comes from and how it’s packaged.     

So what does this mindful experience have to do with your CSR program?  

We are all familiar with the recent trend of bringing mindfulness into our boardrooms and workplaces. Many studies demonstrate the benefits of mindfulness, including increased productivity and improved decision-making, communication, resiliency and complex thinking amongst staff.  While these alone are compelling reasons for a company to begin a mindfulness program, there are two added benefits for your CSR program:    

1.    Creating a positive office culture and work-life balance for your staff: Corporate social responsibility shouldn’t only be about benefiting the people outside of your organization; responsibility begins with your own people. According to the American Psychological Association , benefits of mindfulness include stress reduction, improved working memory, increased focus, less emotional reactivity, and improved relationship satisfaction. All good things for your staff. Consumers are beginning to look more critically at CSR initiatives; creating a mindfulness program that improves the quality of life for staff demonstrates an authentic commitment to your people.

2.    Building empathy that will drive innovation and commitment to your CSR program:  Studies out of the University of California, Berkley demonstrate that mindfulness and meditation build compassion and empathy. Since my insightful experience with that little piece of chocolate, I’ve used this practice as a tool to enable organizations to better understand the needs and challenges of their end users and those involved in their value chain.  This process also creates awareness of both the intended and unintended impacts of the organization’s work. For example, when a company’s procurement team better understands the living conditions of those who farm the cotton for their clothing line, they are more apt to have empathy for those farmers and seek ways to source the cotton providers that respect their rights and livelihoods. When staff across all functions of your company have the tools to think mindfully about the impact of their work, they’re empowered to find innovative ways to improve practices and contribute to your CSR goals.  

Before diving into the how, it’s important to recap the difference between mindfulness and meditation. Jon Kabat-Zin , founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, defines mindfulness as, “…awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally”. Mindfulness is a way of being in the world – of being aware. Meditation is a practice that helps to grow mindfulness.  

Here are three ways to bring mindfulness into your CSR programs:

1.    Create a culture that supports mindfulness and meditation:  

• Create a quiet and enclosed space where staff can go to meditate throughout the day
• Host daily guided sessions for staff or provide websites with guided meditation programs such as Headspace , Calm or Kernel Of Wisdom

2.    Bring meditation and mindfulness into day-to-day business:

• Send leaders to a mindfulness training program or bring in a coach
• Encourage, promote, acknowledge and reward mindful behaviours in the workplace
• Begin meetings with a quiet meditation or breathing exercise

3.    Foster a culture mindful compassion about the company’s impact on the world

• Bring in guest speakers who have an intimate understanding of the impacts of your company’s work on communities and the environment
• Conduct visualization exercises with staff to connect them to the people and environments that are impacted (intentionally and unintentionally) by the creation or delivery your business’ services
• Encourage staff to consider the impact on the the broader system (communities and the environment) when presenting new projects