As a stone fabricator, or kitchen fitter, your everyday work requires a steady focus, a keen eye for detail, and a high level of physical activity – often in a cold, wet environment. Long hours and repetitive tasks, along with the constant pressure to get it right for the customer could leave you feeling drained, worn out, or completely overwhelmed. Can you imagine if there was a way to improve your overall wellbeing throughout the day? Health and safety in the workplace, does not just focus on physical safety, looking after the mental wellbeing of both yourself and your colleagues is an important part of it too. That’s why, as part of our Safe in Stone campaign, we are looking at what mindfulness is and how you can introduce it into your working life in order to see the benefits.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is defined as living in the moment, being fully aware of your surroundings and your thoughts, whilst having the power to fend off distractions and avoid becoming overwhelmed by your home or work life. For stone fabricators, mindfulness might not be about stopping work to meditate, or taking time out – it’s about staying present and focused during every task. Whether you’re polishing or cutting, operating machines, or installing, practising mindfulness can help you become more focused and increase your productivity and precision whilst you work.
Is mindfulness really for me?
It may be hard to believe, but mindfulness can make a huge difference in your workshop for 3 main reasons.
The first is focus – by concentrating on the ‘present’ you’re less likely to get distracted and make frustrating mistakes. When working with expensive, large pieces of material, this is crucial – to ensure maximum accuracy to deliver the best possible end result for your customer. A consistently high standard of work means you will not only experience personal fulfilment but you will have the trust of your colleagues and the respect and loyalty of your customers.
The second is mental and physical health – fabrication and installation can be demanding, both mentally and physically. By practising mindfulness, there’s more chance of you staying calm and enjoying your work.
And thirdly, reduce the risk of accidents – being aware of your movements and actions gives you complete control over them, you’re less likely to make quick, dangerous decisions, which could lead to accidents and injuries.
In the workplace, increasing mindfulness fosters better decision-making, effective communication, resilience and engagement with the task at hand. It can also spark creativity and give you and your team greater confidence.
How do I start?
It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Much of it can come from properly planning out your working day. Whether it be loading stone onto a machine, changing toolsets, hand finishing or the actual installation, not scheduling out your day sensibly can lead to stress, rushing and consequently mistakes.
Before starting a task, think it through, and as clichéd as it may sound, take deep breaths – this doesn’t only help in stressful situations, it even relaxes any nerves during tasks you carry out all day long.
Pay attention to your posture as you work. Whether you’re lifting stone or using large machines or equipment, notice any strain or tension and ensure you are proceeding in the correct way to avoid injury.
It is important to take a break every now and then too. This gives you a moment to stop and think about how you’re doing – physically and mentally. This will help you reset and refocus.
Overcome burnout
Fabrication can be stressful, with deadlines, high quality standards, competition for business and more. By remaining focused and relaxed, you avoid getting overwhelmed by the bigger picture – mindfulness helps you to manage your emotions better, meaning you don’t crack under pressure.
Not only mental – physical too
A lot of what you do involves heavy lifting, handling, carrying and transporting. From moving slabs from storage onto machines, transferring to finishing areas or transporting to site for installation, there’s no doubting it is a physical job.
Think about your posture – how you stand while you work or lift and carry materials can all have an impact on your muscles and joints.
Take regular breaks to release any built-up tension or carry out some quick stretches to get the blood flowing. You may find that this also has the dual benefit of easing stress and allowing you to regain some perspective on the task at hand.
The benefit of taking a break
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind and end up postponing your break, or missing it completely! When you’re focused on a task, stepping away from it may seem like a bad idea. However, it’s equally as important to know when to take a break, as it is to work hard – it helps you to recharge, reenergise and refocus.
Make it part of your day
You can take some simple steps today to start to incorporate mindfulness into your workday. Take breaks, start the day with the intention of remaining focused, and aware of the present moment rather than worrying about the past and stressing about the future. Try practising breathing exercises and stretches – your physical wellbeing is equally as important as your mental health.
If you struggle to make time for it or keep forgetting it, there are helpful apps that you can download for free that can assist you in scheduling in important support time – like Headspace, Calm and many more.
Is it worth the time?
It can be seen as soft, fluffy nonsense or ‘woke’ but mindfulness has been proven and recommended by medical professionals. Mindfulness is for everyone, fabricator or fitter, manager or employee – we all benefit from a little extra clarity and productivity. It’s not just a quick fix, working on your wellbeing is proven to reduce stress, improve precision, lessen the risk of accidents and injuries and focus better.
If you’re looking to change up the culture in the workshop, it doesn’t have to be complicated – you might even by surprised by how much it improves your work life! You’ll become happier, and your company will notice the positive change in you.
If you’re looking for additional information on best practices to stay safe in the workshop, check out our Safe In Stone Campaign , where we cover tips and tricks from dust management, to safest ways to lift and handle. Otherwise, visit our Innovation Hub or call our Customer Service Team on +44 (0)1482 620400 for expert advice.
