(Newswire.net — April 8, 2013) Santa Fe, NM — Having a great paying job at a Fortune 500 company might seem like a dream come true for most, but big name companies like Apple, Google, and Yahoo are discovering that in order to stay competitive they have to offer employees more than a pretty penny. The creation of the “happy workplace culture” began in the Silicon Valley, but has spread globally over the past several years as employers are beginning to link creativity, productivity, and the ability to retain workers to their level of happiness at work.
More than just big windows and a coffee bar in the break room, companies are coming up with inspired ideas for making work a place people actually want to be. Apple, for example, is in the midst of building one of the most expansive workplace campuses. Its “Spaceship Headquarters” will be complete with Lego stations, walls that ask to be graffitied on by workers, and free haircuts by on-site professionals.
Yahoo offers its employees, among other perks like golf classes and discounts theme parks, free yoga at work classes daily as a way to help people reduce stress, stay in shape, and maintain high levels of creativity and productivity while at work.
Julie Schoen, professional yoga instructor, author and president of Little Pearl Publishing, understands why the most successful companies in the world are providing perks for workers, like yoga classes, meditation rooms, and expansive outdoor campuses. “The business world is shifting once again from needing workers with a factory mindset, ‘Do this then do that’, to ones that are innovators. And creativity doesn’t come when you’re stuck behind a desk all day.”
Schoen believes that creativity, at its most organic state, is fluid, which means that it needs movement to thrive. “When workers become active and are allowed to think, brainstorm, and problem solve on their feet,” explains Schoen, “magic happens. This is why yoga can be so effective in the workplace. Not only does it keep people healthy and happy, but it also encourages people to think outside the box. This is why companies love it.”
As companies demand more and more from their workers (for some of the most competitive that means upwards of 80 hours of work each week), they frantically begin to find unique ways to incentivize their employers, whether it’s in the form of yoga, laundry service, bowling alleys, or company gardens.
If your place of work is not laden with perks (and for a lot of reasons this may be a good thing – you get to go home!), it’s still a good idea to create a comfortable and enjoyable workplace for yourself says Schoen. “Take an extra break during your day to stretch or get some friends together at lunch for a yoga session,” she suggests. It is, after all, the little things that add up to make your life, your job included, something that you love.
To learn more about doing yoga at work, check out Schoen’s latest book “At Office Yoga: Your At Work Yoga Guide For Stiff Bodies That Sit All Day” on Amazon.
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