Abstract
There is an unprecedented pressure that both individuals and businesses endure, especially when considering changes and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis. Mindfulness seems to become an integrated part of people's lives, in the attempt to be more concentrated on their daily tasks, more focused on living in the present moment, more determined to eliminate anxiety and stress. In like manner, mindfulness in business seems to become a key solution to stronger entrepreneurship and highly successful workplace relationships. Thus, the new economy, the knowledge-based economy, centers its attention on the powerful links and opportunities that may be encountered between well-being, mental health, and mindfulness, seeking a way to create valuable mindfulness business principles, capable of producing outstanding results, empowering people, facilitating cooperation, allowing good governance, inducing corporate social responsibility, fostering community connections, enabling competitiveness, and supporting sustainability, development, and environmental balance.
TopIntroduction
These days, “making the most of the knowledge economy” – considered by renowned specialists worldwide “the main driver of global growth in the future”, represents the key to a bright future (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2014, p. 6). Hence, countries’ attention should focus intensely on accelerating the process of global integration by taking into consideration pivotal elements among which could be brought into discussion the following ones: (a) furthering “multilateral trade and investment agreements and pursue migration policies”; (b) centering on ensuring productivity and facing “demographic shocks” with the aid of “social insurance reforms” strong enough “to maintain labor supply”; (c) addressing the issues arising from the “strong demand for education and skills”, which leads to the importance of long-life-learning programs, workshops and training sessions; (d) favoring creativity, innovation, research and development, in order to enable organizations to develop at a fast pace and be capable to adapt successfully to the new marketplace trends; (e) aiming “cross-country mobility”; and (f) concentrating on ensuring well-being, prosperity, sustainability, environmental balance and climate change mitigation (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2014, pp. 6-7) (see Figure 1. Characteristics, challenges and solutions in the knowledge economy).
Figure 1. Characteristics, challenges and solutions in the knowledge economy
In continuation to the aspects mentioned above, the European Union (EU) document on the “European pact for mental health and well-being”, acknowledges “the importance and relevance of mental health and well-being for the European Union, its Member States, stakeholders and citizens”, adding that “mental health is a human right. It enables citizens to enjoy well-being, quality of life and health”, since “it promotes learning, working and participation in society” (European Union (EU), 2008, p. 2). What is more, as highlighted at the EU High-Level Conference “Together for mental health and wellbeing”, that took place in Brussels, on the 12th and the 13th of June 2008 (European Union (EU), 2008, p. 2): “The level of mental health and well-being in the population is a key resource for the success of the EU as a knowledge-based society and economy. It is an important factor for the realization of the objectives of the Lisbon strategy, on growth and jobs, social cohesion and sustainable development.” Hence, based on recent statistics, it was noted that there is a critical “need for a decisive political step to make mental health and well-being a key priority”, while “action for mental health and well-being at EU-level needs to be developed by involving the relevant policy makers and stakeholders, including those from the health, education, social and justice sectors, social partners, as well as civil society organizations” (European Union (EU), 2008, p. 3).
Nowadays, as stated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the 2019 document entitled “The European Union: A people-centred agenda. An international perspective”, a major priority in the attempt of “furthering economic integration” is to make “Europe more resilient in a digital and interconnected world” (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2019, p. 22).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sustainable Development: Represents a dominant target on the agenda of all countries worldwide, especially since recent statistics call for immediate measures capable to support healthier lives, more responsible activities, more balanced business actions, and more reliable and robust policies; human beings are profoundly preoccupied to find optimum solutions capable to help them improve their lives and living standards, but, in the same time, answer to the needs of the future generations – with an accent on biodiversity, ecosystems, good governance, corporate social responsibility, and business awareness.
Knowledge-Based Society and Economy: Intangible assets are probably one of the most important assets that organizations might possess these days, and the knowledge-based society and economy are the ones that rely on the tremendous potential that knowledge, intellectual capital, know-how, human resources, and other valuable intangible assets have brought into the daily lives and daily activities.
Well-Being: Is a top priority on the European Union (EU) agenda, as shown by the 2008 “European Pact for Mental Health and Well-Being”, since, based on recent statistics, individuals have come to confront themselves with more and more problems year by year, displaying different worrying reactions to stress and increased levels of work-load; ensuring well-being and fostering mental health in today’s environment is crucial, especially when facing new and more abrupt changes generated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Covid-19 crisis.
Mindfulness: Represents a valuable characteristic that individuals possess and that refers to people’ capacity to be anchored in the present moment, rather than be connected to past experiences or dream about future possibilities, thus helping individuals to be more aware of the real needs that they might have in order to find the optimal solutions to their problems; in continuation, people are able to learn how to become more committed, how to respond better to their colleagues needs, how to avoid stress and anxiety, and, in return, feel more joyful, more balanced, more happy.
European Pact for Mental Health and Well-Being: Represents a pivotal document that is part of the European Union (EU) agenda, and that was published in 2008, in the attempt to raise awareness to the importance of individuals’ mental health and people’s necessity to concentrate on well-being, joy, happiness, inner-balance and inner-self; high levels of stress and anxiety show that the environment is not healthy for individuals, while well-being and a balanced life and life style are responsible for a prosperous and blissful life.