The Future of Healthy, Happy, High Performance Businesses - Part 2

* Read COMPLETE Article (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Here

Tip #4 - Working Anywhere Anytime

The last decade has seen a big shift in flexible hours. What’s next? What’s next is a transition to complete work time and work place flexibility. The old paradigm of being at one’s desk for ‘x’ hours a day will be gone. Companies like Google, Apple and Yahoo know that it doesn’t matter how or where work gets done but that it gets done. That’s why Yahoo has in-house masseurs, Google employees can ride scooters, play video games and bring their dogs to work and the Patagonia company have a ‘Go Surfing’ policy. Richard Branson summed it up when he said, “fun is the secret to Virgin’s success”. All this is an extension of the previous point on happiness whereby companies will allow greater worker flexibility and even organise and pay for fun (work-life balance) activities ... assuming ‘the job gets done’

Look out for ...

? The complete abandonment of conventional work hours or even work being ‘paid by the hour’.

? ‘If you can do the same work at the same quality (or higher) in less hours or in a different location, then good for you'

Tip #5 - Internal Health and Happiness Coaches

No, I’m not talking about coaches for your internal ...’gut’ health (though that will be part of it). The next few years are likely to see companies employing full-time health coaches within their organisations.They will be on hand to give personalised 1-to-1 coaching and consultations to workers.

Having trouble sleeping? Go see the health coach. Anxiety or depression affecting your work productivity? Go see the happiness coach. Just had your monthly performance review. Now go have your monthly physical and mental health review.

Look out for …

? Regular, ‘in-house’ health consultations to monitor sleep (companies to analyse workers sleep using sleep monitoring software soon), diet, exercise, stress levels and mental health.

Tip #6 - The Science Of Workplace Orientation

Which direction does your desk face? Do you think your work performance can be affected by whether your work desk faces north, south, east or west? Recent brain research has shown how facing a certain direction is critical for integrated cognitive functioning and maximum mental performance.4 (Business success in a nutshell.)

That’s right. Based on the principles of correct building orientation as outlined in many traditional Eastern sciences, e.g. Vedic science, studies on peak brain function have shown that the firing patterns of neurons in the thalamus (which regulates sensory information and levels of awareness) are significantly different depending on which direction we face.

Basically, cells in our nervous system detect and respond to changes in body position. Look in one direction and a specific set of neurons activate. Look in another direction and a different set activate.

So what is best direction for optimal brain performance and work success? EAST.

That’s right. From the research findings, it is strongly indicated that facing east is by far the best direction for peak work performance and all round mind-body integration.The next best is north. The early studies suggest facing east for more ‘creative thinking’ and north for more ‘clear thinking’. South and west are considered unfavorable and should be avoided where possible.

The direction we face is not only important at our desk but also when conducting business meetings, negotiations, making presentations and the like. So if you’re selling something and are perfectly clear on your pitch, you may prefer your audience faces east, so they ‘more clearly see’ the benefits. If you’re presenting at a meeting, is it more important that you present the information clearly, or that your audience can assimilate the information better? You may vary the direction you face to suit. So what does the future of workplaces look like? 

Look out for …

? Workers struggling with concentration, focus, decision-making or other mental functions, changing their work station or desk orientation to face east (or north if east is not practical).

? Companies restructuring office spaces to have workers facing east or north.

? Entire new workplaces being built according to ancient sciences of correct orientation. ? New office blocks and buildings being built to face true east and only have east or north facing entrances. (Ever wondered why many of the great structures of Egypt, Asia etc. face specific cardinal directions?)

? Re-orientation of meeting rooms, boardrooms and seminar rooms etc. to enhance effective communication and outcomes.

? The emergence and increase of shared and diversified working spaces, increased workspace flexibility and workplaces that support a company’s brand and culture.

* Read the COMPLETE Article (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Here

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Mark helps individuals and businesses dealing with high stress, low motivation, poor sleep, fatigue, and other issues to massively boost their work performance and productivity. Combining the latest Western science, his unique training in Eastern health sciences (Ayurveda) plus his research into secrets of the world's healthiest, longest-living people & highest-performing business people, he is one of Australasia's most popular Health, Happiness & High Performance Speakers and the author of the three-time best-selling ‘Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health'.

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* References: all references are contained in the original article