Expert insights into how we are surrounded by noise 24/7/365 and it’s affecting our ability to think clearly and manage stress levels, often leading to expensive mistakes, at work and in life.
Globally, employee stress levels are high. The Gallup State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report connects this to high inflation, economic complexity, and ongoing uncertainty. Chad, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea and Togo are cited as having the most stressed employees in Africa – although not as high as workers in East Asia with 61% citing extremely high daily levels of stress making them, says Gallup, “the most stressed-out workers in the world”.
African countries also feature high on the list of most distressed nations in the world, according to the Mental State of the World Report 2023; South Africa, Egypt and Angola are all experiencing high levels of distress. South Africa is on par with the United Kingdom in terms of how distressed people are, at 35%.
“Stress levels vary significantly across the African continent based on factors such as socio- economic conditions political instability and infrastructure chal- lenges,” Simone Berger, Behavioural Specialist and Founder at Univa- tion, tells FORBES AFRICA. “It’s difficult to generalize stress levels across an entire continent though – I don’t believe Africa’s levels are notably higher than other continents at this time. The world is changing rapidly and there is global uncertainty and overwhelm.”
There is, as Mel Harvard, Director at Harvard Ink, points out, “Pandemic after-effects, global information overload and crisis fatigue to deal wi h as well. People just don’t know how to deal with stress either.”
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Or they do know how to deal with stress better than in the past – the Gallup Negative Experience Index has remained steady at its record 33 high reached in 2021 – but they are struggling to keep up with the rate of change and constant noise that accompany the stress.
Leanne Glanville, Mindfulness Facilitator and coach at the Sandton Yoga Lounge johannesburg, explains to FORBES AFRICA: “Between everything that goes on in our lives, minds and at work, everything is fast-paced and hectic. We made bad decisions in the moment because we’re not thinking, we’re not aware.”
Which is why people click on that SMS from the ‘Postal Service’ asking for an address update and
a payment to ensure that a parcel – one that they don’t remember ordering – arrives safely. Or they click on that link in an email from a leading bank because it’s threatening to close their account. Or they agree to send millions of dollars to an un- known account because they’re so busy worrying about letting people down, they’re not hitting the pause button and asking the right questions.
Enter mindfulness. Currently an industry predicted to be reportedly worth more than $300 million by 2031, mindfulness has become profit- able and problematic. It works beautifully – the science is proven and the value exceptional – but as a recent Vox article so eloquently pointed out: “Mindfulness without worker power is capitalism at its worst.” Look inside at how to manage stress rather than outward at the causes of that stress.
In commercial language: corporates need to buy into the mindfulness credo if they want to reduce the risks that poor mindfulness and awareness introduce to their businesses and their data.
“At the heart of cyber resilience lies the potential of human capital,” says Gilchrist Mushwana, Director and Head of Cybersecurity Service Line, BDO South Africa.
All it takes is just one click to crack open a cor- porate reputation or cost it a fortune in lost cash or fines. When people are under pressure to deliver, miss bathroom breaks and multi-task, they aren’t thinking clearly. In fact, research found that jump- ing between tasks takes a 40% hit on productivity and drops the average IQ by 10 points.
“Mindfulness is about being present in the mo- ment and can help everyone in all spheres of life,” says Glanville. “It helps people focus on the task at hand, whether it’s a meeting or an email, and reduces the risk of them making mistakes. It allows people to step out of autopilot and respond to situ- ations with more clarity and calm.”
Companies have a responsibility beyond just making money and improving market share. They need to cultivate skills that include, says Dr Chris Heunis, Founder at TBi, “social and emotional intelligence and purposeful behaviors”.
It is also not hard to achieve. As Mushwana concludes: “Given that over 90% of cyber threats exploit the human factor, focusing on human elements within technological processes becomes crucial. Training employees in mindfulness can heighten their awareness and help them manage the psychological stresses of continuous digital engagement, reducing the risk of security breaches driven by human errors.”
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